Raigad
was ruled by different dynasties at different periods. The region was ruled by
the Kamboja dynasty, Satavahanas, Kshatrapas, Kardamakas, Simukas, Vakatakas of
Vatsagulma, Mauryas and Nalas, Traikutakas, Shilaharas, Yadavas, Delhi
sultanate,Marathas and Peshwas. Raigad was known to be the very heart of
Maratha country wherein the fierce battle was fought in 1656 and eventually
Shivaji defeated Chandarrao More and won the Raigad fort. Fourteen years later,
in the summer of 1670, Shivaji moved his capital to Raigad. Shivaji was
coronated on 6th June, 1674 and breathed his last here on 3rdApril
1680.
Raigad is famed for its rich heritage, ancient monuments and rocky terrain. Umaji Naik, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, Chatrapati Sahu Maharaj, Jijabai, Daulatrao Chandrarao Morya,Abaji Sondev, Bhai Kotwal, Nana Paranjpe, Ninadji Bedekar and Shri Babasaheb Purandare, etc.
There are several
historical and touristplaces in the Raigad Dist. are as follows.
Alibag : -
Headquarter of the district. 19 Kms. South
to Mumbai. Named after Ali, who had the gardens of coconut and area. Sarkhel
Kanhoji Angre erected the city newly at the end of the 17the century.
Temples
:- Balaji temple, Kalambika Devi temple
Vitthal Rakhumai Temple, Ram-Mandir, Ganpati Temple.
Other
remarkable places :-Magnetic observatory (Since 1905)
Hirakot
fort.
Kolaba
fort
Angre
Wada
Chhatri
Baug
Shiv-Thrith-Administrative
building of Z. P.
Collector
office.
Muncipal
Council – established in 1864.
Avchitagad :-
4.8 Km from Roha on the north side of
Kundalika river. The fort was probably built by the Silahara Kings. The fort
was the headquarters of a Subha in the Nizamishiahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar. King Shivaji had built Shiv Temple inside the
Fort.
Matheran :-
Hill
station. The nearest place to Mumbai known since 1850. Today joined by railway
Neral Matheran Railway. Covered by forest – Farmous for natural scenery.
Different
points :
Panorama Point
Garbat point
Governer Hill
Monkey point
Louisa Point
Alexander point
Rambaug point
One tree hill
Artist point
Sakharam Tukaram points.
Rain fall : 241.7”
Height : 791.5 Meters form sea Laval
Muncipal Council established of in 1905
Karnala fort and Karnala Bird sanctuary :-
Situated on Mumbai – Goad-Highway
13 Kms south to Panvel.
Height – 475.5 Meters (1000 ft)
Famous Bird sanctuary – Established in 1969
37 ypes of Birds in 238 cages.
Tourist place – people come to see the
basalt pillar (Pandu’s tower) from 100 to 150 feet.
Khanderi -
A
small island near the entrance of Mumbai harbour. 17.8 Km to the north of
Mumbai / 3 Km. To the west of Hal. 9 Km to north west of Alibag lies 4 Km form
Kolaba main fort and 2.5 km lies from its sister island Underi. A light house
cliff on the south. This light house built in 1867.
Gagode -
It
is the Birth place of Vinoba Bhave the founder of Bhoodan Movement freedom
fighter, and great philosopher. It is a Gramkendra of Gandhi Sevak Samaj, and
Vinoba Behave Ashram – institutes are run from this place.
Vinoba’s Statue is present in the house
where he was born.
Kanakeshwar -
It is Close to the sea, in the extreme
north-east to the district.
A long even tappped hill, 1261 feet height. The old
richly carved temple of Kankeshwar Shankar on the west bank of the hill. The
temple is built in Hemadpanthi style – having a large man made pool in the
front. A large number of pilgrims come to have the darshana as the place has
some mythological connotations. A beautiful view of RCF, sea and Mumbai seen
from here.
Harihareshwar :-
A
famous Shankar temple. Pilgrimage called as ‘Dakshin Kashi’ to this place.
There are two temples of Harihareshwar and
Kalbhairav. Traditional Pooja and Arati done here.
Pali :-
Headquarter of Pali Sudhagad.
A famous temple of God Ganesha is here i.e
Ballaleshwar Temple – one of the Ashtavinayaka temples. A fair is held in the
honour of Ganpati in January.
Madh :-
One of the Ganpati Temple of the
Ashtavinayaka Temples is here.
Elephanta
(Gharapuri) -
It is situated from 10 Km east of Appollo
fort. This Island is of 59 Kms. Area.
Hindu name Gharapuri name of small village in the south
of island. The Trimurti, Shiv-Parvati, Ardhanarishwar, Ravan under Kailas, the
ling chapel, Bhaivrav, Shiv dancing, Shiv as Mahayogi are the beautiful arts in
the some of important caves. It’s a
famous tourist place near to Mumbai.
Shivatharghal -
34 km
to the rest of Mahad. – called Sundar Math. Natural caves are the beauty of
this place. This place is connected by state Transport service. It is residence place of saint Ramdas in his
later life. He wrote a famous book – Dasbodh’ at this place after 1652. A place
– of – Water falls.
Originally called Rayeri fort. 2851 feet above the sea level. 24 miles
north of Mahad. 60 Kms east of Janjira.
The great King Shivaji’s Coronation done on this fort on 29th May
1674 to 6the June 1674. This is a Capital place of Shivaji’s Kingdom.
Place to see: - Khubladha buraj, Nana
darwaja, Mahadarawaja, Lohastambha,
Hatti-
Talav Ganga-Sagar, Palakhi Darwaja, Mena-Door, Rani- Vasa
Raj
Bhavan Hirakani Tok, Shirkai Temple, market place,
Jagadishiwar Mandir,
Samadhi place of Shivaji, Takmak Tok.
Named after this fort –
Kolaba – as Raigad
Janjira :-
A
fortified island of Janjira lies at the entrance of Rajapuri creek. Irregularly oval shape. Janjira fort built in the time of Siddi Surul Khan. Ruins
of the palace and other things. It was a harbour in the old times.
The first historical word ‘Aparant’ is used
in the ‘Adhnyapatra’ of King Ashoka. Today historians have admitted the fact
that ‘Aparant’ means ‘Konkan’. We have historical proofs to state that Maurya,
Satwahan, Kshatrap, Traykutak, Kalchuri, Chalukya, Rashtrakut, Shilahar, Yadav,
Bahamani, Sultan of Gujrat, Nijamshahi of Ahamadnagar, Portugeese, Siddi,
Maratha, Mughal, Angre and British were to rule over this area.
We have different Shilalekhar, Addhyapatras,
caves and other proofs to say that Baudha cultures had been deep rooted in the
province. Being very near to Mumbai the British reign started revolutionary
activities in the area. Social, cultural, economic and political reformative
activities started in the district since the beginning of the 20eth
century. The district has also a major contribution in freedom fighting
struggle. The former name ‘Kulaba’ was
changed as ‘Raigad’ on 1st May 1981.
1.2 Geographical:-
Raigad was
previously a part of the Kulaba (also spelled Kolaba) district which was split
from Thane district in 1869. Raigad district has a length of about 150 Km. from
north to south and a breadth of from 28 to 48 kms from east to west lies between
17.51” to 19.80” north latitude and between 72.51” to 73.40” East latitude. It
has the total area of 1748 sq.kms. However at this point the northernmost parts
of modern Raigad district were retained in Thane district. Panvel, just across
the bay from Mumbai was not put in Kolaba district until 1883, and Karjat, an
area in the north-east corner of modern Raigad was not placed in Kolaba until
1891. Panvel, just across the
bay from Mumbai was not put in Kolaba district until 1883, and Karjat, an area
in the north-east corner of modern Raigad was not placed in Kolaba until 1891.
Raigad
district is surrounded by the boundaries of the Mumbai, Pune, Ratnagiri Dist.
and by the Arabian Sea. The district has 240 kms. Long coastal line of the
Arabian Sea. The total area of the district occupies 2.32 % part of
the state of Maharashtra.
Raigad district is in the western part of Maharashtra.
The Arabian sea is to the west of the district some of the region in the
northern part of the district has been developed as Navi Mumbai city. The city
of Brihanmumbai and Thane, Pune, Satra and Ratnagiri district are our
neighbors. Panvel, Pen, Alibag, Khopoli, Rohe, Karjat, Mahad are important
cities in Raigad district.
The Ulhas, Patalganga, Bhogavati,
Amba, Kundalika, Savitri, etc are the major rivers in the district. Our
district comprises of the valleys of all these rivers. These rivers flow from
the east to the west. Many tributaries join these rivers. The river Kal and
river Gandhar are the tributaries of the river Savitri. The Ulhas river flows
to the north. At the place where these rivers join the sea, creeks have been
formed .There are creeks at Panvel, Dharamtar,
Roha and Rajapuri. Several towns and cities have come up on the banks of
these rivers.
Raigad district is close to the sea.
Therefore, the climate of the district is hot and humid. The temperature is
high in the eastern and central part of the district. The temperature is higher
summer, but it is quite low at the mountain-tops. Matheran is a hill station in
our district. The clouds coming from the Arabian Sea to the west are blocked by
the Sahyadri Mountain. Therefore, the district receives a lot of rain.
Especially, the foot hill region of the Sahyadris in the eastern part of the
district receives very heavy rainfall.
Water: There are many rivers and
their tributaries in our district .Some small and medium sized dams are built
across them to store water. The water stored in them is used for farming
drinking and industries.
Land: In the coastal region of the
district, there are more salts in the soil. There is red soil in the central
and eastern part. In the north, especially in Pen taluka, the soil is clayey
.This soil is useful for the cultivation of the rice and mangoes. In the
valleys of the rivers, the land is fertile. Rice and vegetables are grown
there. Manganese and bauxite are the minerals found in our district. Bauxite is
found in some quanity in Murud, Rohe and Shrivardhan talukas. Sand is obtained
for construction work from the river beds.
Forests: There are forests in the
eastern mountainous area of Raigad district.They have tree such as teak ,
karanj, ain ,mango, palas,k hair etc. From these forests, we get fuelwood and
timber as well as other products like gum, honey, fruits, flowers, medicinal
plants. In the coastal region, casuarinas (Suru) and eucalyptus trees have been
grown .There are mangroves in the coastal region.
Sea:
There is the Arabian Sea to the
west of the district. We get fish, conches and shells from the sea. In the
coastal region, salt is produced at Pen and Alibag.
1.3 Socio- cultural Back-ground -
Life in the urban area: People in this city
live a modern life. Tarde and service s are are the main occupations. As there
is a shortage of space, in the cities, people live in multi-storeyed buildings.
Men wear a shirt and trousers. Women usually wear a sari or salwar-kameez.
Their DIECPD (DIET) mainly consists of chapati, vegetables, rice dal, chutney,
and so on. People from several cities come to cities for jobs or businesses and
the food habits of their regions influence the people in the cities. Also
people from different cities live together in the cities. Therefore we find the
variety of languages, festivals and customs in the cities.
Life in the Rural area: The majority of the
people in rural areas are engaged in agriculture. Therefore, their life is
greatly influenced by agriculture. Houses in rural areas usually single
storeyed with a flat or a sloping tiled proof. These houses are built with
wood, stone, bricks, etc.
Men wear pyjamas , shirt-trousers, dhoti,
etc. Women wear nine-yard or five-yard saris. The houses, clothing,and customs
of people in the rural areas are also changing due to modernization and
urbanization. Their DIECPD (DIET) consists mainly of bhakri or chapati,
vegetables, dal, onion, chutney, pithale, etc. Rural life is closely linked
with agriculture. Hence many fairs and festivals are celebrated at harvest
time. Once the people get some relief from their agricultural tasks, they get
engrossed in folk arts, plays, folk music, bhajans, and kirtans.
Life of the
adivasis: In some areas, certain communities have been living for ages. Their
life depends entirely on nature. They have their own dialect. These people are
known as adivasis. Their houses are made up of grass, branches of trees,
leaves, bamboo mats, etc. their meals consist of fruits, roots and bulbs, jowar
or bajra bhakri and dal.
