May vacations for me means a trip to my sister's place at Dapoli and the vacations in May 2011 were no different.My cousin from the USA came over and so it was an added bonus.My cousin Ajoy is an avid photographer and so wanted to visit the forts in and near Dapoli.We first visited one of the smaller forts at Dapoli and then planned to visit Raigad fort for it was one of the most famous forts during the Maratha rule.We reached the base of the fort and awaited our turn for the cable car to take us to the fort.The ride in the cable car was an awesome experience!What a thrill it brought to see the view from the cable car.I assume that there may be many who fear the cable ride as it is at a great height and if we are too frisky the cable car shakes and makes weird noises and that is scary to some extent.We could see the fort surrounded by rocky and steep precipices.It was after all one of the strong hold of the Maratha empire.We could see the treacherous route that was taken by the brave Hirkani who scaled the fort for the love of her infant.After a few minutes we were at the fort.
The fort has huge steps leading to it.Many parts of the fort are in ruins but the Government of Maharashtra is trying to maintain its past glory.There were certified guides who, for a sum of Rs.60 regaled us with the past history of the fort.Our guide was really a treat to our ears.He had a superb memory and a knack of reciting long verses praising the great Maratha, Shivaji Maharaj. He used his impeccable style to tell us about the various areas in and around the fort. He showed us the granary,the cellars,the washroom facilities used in those days,the area allotted for the wives ,the canons,the place where the elephant was kept and the market area at the fort.He also pointed out the samadhi of Shivaji's loyal dog,Waghya.
As he took us around the fort we could actually visualise the glory of the past era.The statue of Shivaji, the canons - all mesmerised us and we relived what we had so far only read about in the history textbooks.We could actually understand how grand and important the fort of Raigad would have been for its erstwhile ruler.We saw the lake in the vicinity of the fort and had a walk all around to see what the fort was all about.It was a long and fascinating trek up and around the fort.We had a great time clicking photographs of the wonderful historical fort.After that we came back to the cable car and made our way down to the base of the fort.What an experience it had been!!As a lover of history and forts,I had a great time there at Raigad fort.
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| The open air market lace at the fort |
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| The temple at the fort |
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| The area at the base of the fort as seen from the cable car |
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| View from the cable car |
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| The Maratha ruler who gave us Hindavi Swaraj |
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| The strong steps leading to the fort |
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| Shivaji's faithful dog-Waghya |
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| A glimpse of our past glory |
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| The ruins at Raigad fort |
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| Breathtaking visual delight atop the fort |
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| Another view from the top |
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| Yours truly has a taste of Maratha history at Raigad |
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| The fort as dusk settles on the fort |
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| One of the many huge entrances to the fort |
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| The view from the top of the fort area |
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| The view of the lake from one of the many arches |
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