Gear Sports

Nowhere in the country (India) would you encounter such a profusion of forts. And such variety. Sited on an island, as at Murud-Janjira or guarding the seas as at Bassein, or among the Sahyadri hills, as at Raigad, whose zig-zag walls and rounded bastions sit like a sceptre and crown amidst hills turned mauve.

Most of the forts in Maharashtra whether up in the hills or near the seas are associated with Shivaji –the great Maratha warrior and an equally great fort builder. Moreover, these forts were treated as mini-cities, such as Panhala, which is now a hill station. The concept of the fort-city was, however, not peculiar to Shivaji alone. The Portuguese who came to India as traders and missionaries, built within a century of their coming, Bassein, a garden city to rival many a European capital.

The pictures are in order representing the following cities  :Alibaug, Raigad, ShivSamadhi, Pratapgad, Lohgad, Janjire, Arnala