Summary:
The capital of warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Raigad fort is getting a first to its name. The Raigad fort development authority is headed by Rajya Sabha MP and Kolhapur scion Yuvaraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati. It is the first fort in Maharashtra where comprehensive excavations are being undertaken by experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Deccan College to help reveal its pre-Maratha era past. It will enable research, promote tourism and conservation and archaeology and help develop Raigad without affecting heritage and environmental values in an ecologically fragile zone. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who established a welfare state in the 17th century, seized the Rairi fort from Chandrarao More in 1656 and strengthened and expanded it as 'Raigad.'.