Rajgad Fort in Pune district, Maharashtra, was the first capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, serving as the seat of the Maratha state for about 26 years before the capital moved to Raigad. Built on a hill once called Murumbdev, it rises to about 1,376 m in the Sahyadri (Western Ghats). In July 2025 it became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Maratha Military Landscapes of India", India’s 44th World Heritage Site.
Quick Answer
Location: Pune district, Maharashtra, about 50–60 km south-west of Pune, in the Sahyadri range. Earlier name: Murumbdev (Murumbadevacha Dongar). Captured by Shivaji: around 1647, renamed Rajgad ("king of forts"). Role: first Maratha capital for about 26 years, until the capital moved to Raigad (coronation 1674). Layout: Balekilla (citadel) and three spurs: Padmavati, Suvela and Sanjivani Machi. Events: birth of Rajaram (1670); death of Saibai (1659). UNESCO: one of 12 forts in the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, inscribed 11 July 2025 at the 47th session in Paris.
History
- Before Shivaji: the hill fort of Murumbdev was held under the Adil Shahi kingdom of Bijapur.
- Around 1647: Shivaji took the fort, strengthened it and named it Rajgad. It became his main base while he built the Swarajya.
- Capital years: the key decisions of his early reign, including the campaigns against Afzal Khan (1659) and the response to the Mughal general Shaista Khan (1663), were planned from here.
- 1659: Shivaji’s first wife Saibai died at Rajgad.
- 1666: after his escape from Agra, Shivaji returned to Rajgad.
- 1670: his son Rajaram was born here.
- Shift to Raigad: Shivaji moved the capital to the larger and more remote Raigad, where he was crowned in 1674.
- Mughal period: the fort was taken by Aurangzeb’s forces in the early 1700s during the long Mughal–Maratha war and later recovered by the Marathas.
Architecture and Layout
Rajgad uses the shape of the hill itself as its defence. Its main parts are:
| Part | Description |
|---|---|
| Balekilla | The highest citadel, reached by a steep climb through the Mahadarwaja; the inner core of the fort |
| Padmavati Machi | The broad plateau with the Padmavati temple and lake, residential and administrative buildings, and the palace area |
| Suvela Machi | Eastern spur, with a natural rock hole called the Nedhe ("eye of the needle") and double lines of walls |
| Sanjivani Machi | South-western spur, about 2.5 km long, protected by three tiers of walls with bastions and hidden passages |
The machis (terraced spurs) are a hallmark of Maratha hill-fort design: each spur is defended separately, so an enemy who breaks one line still faces others. Rainwater tanks cut into rock gave a steady water supply during sieges.
Maratha Military Landscapes of India (UNESCO, 2025)
The serial World Heritage Site includes 12 forts: 11 in Maharashtra and 1 in Tamil Nadu.
| Type | Forts |
|---|---|
| Hill forts | Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Raigad, Rajgad, Gingee (Tamil Nadu) |
| Hill-forest fort | Pratapgad |
| Plateau hill fort | Panhala |
| Coastal fort | Vijaydurg |
| Island forts | Khanderi, Suvarnadurg, Sindhudurg |
It was inscribed under cultural criteria (iv) and (vi) for showing how the Marathas used terrain, from the Sahyadri crests to the Konkan coast, to build an integrated defence system between the 17th and 19th centuries. For the full list of Indian sites, see World Heritage Sites in India.
Rajgad vs Raigad
| Point | Rajgad | Raigad |
|---|---|---|
| District | Pune | Raigad |
| Role | First capital | Second capital |
| Key event | Rajaram’s birth (1670) | Shivaji’s coronation (1674) and his death (1680) |
| UNESCO 2025 | Yes | Yes |
