Column sockets at Raigad Fort bastion indicate unique roofed watchtower: Officials

The bastion, standing 27 feet high, is a part of Raigad Fort. Photo Courtesy: Mid-day file pic

Column sockets of wooden pillars have been found at the Khubladha bastion of Raigad Fort in Maharashtra, indicating the structure once served as a watchtower and had a roof, a unique feature not found in any other bastion of the fort, officials said.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) should permit restoration of the bastion to its original form with a roof, and a demand would be raised for it, Raigad Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Sambhaji Chhatrapati, a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, told PTI over the phone on Tuesday.

Raigad Fort, a historic hill structure in Raigad district, had served as the capital of Shivaji Maharaj's Maratha Empire. It was here that he was crowned the first Chhatrapati on June 6, 1674, marking the formal establishment of Hindavi Swarajya (self-rule). The fort is among 12 structures included in the Maratha Military Landscape, nominated for UNESCO's World Heritage site list.

During the conservation work, the RDA found a unique feature.

"We discovered the base stones (column sockets) of wooden pillars during the documentation and conservation work. This means the Khubladha bastion had a roof, which is a unique feature. No other bastion on this fort has this feature," Sambhaji Chhatrapati said.

"This is unique and it shows that this was not merely a bastion but also an all-weather watchtower and the first line of defence for the Raigad Fort. It also has gunpoints, which signify its military architecture," he said.

The RDA recently completed the conservation work of Khubladha bastion (burj), located below the main fort complex.

According to historian Shantaram Awalskar, this bastion, standing 27 feet high and measuring 50 feet in circumference, is a part of Raigad Fort.

The RDA chief said they will demand the erection of a roof on this bastion.

"We have evidence of the roof now. We can recreate the roof of the Khubladha bastion. We will seek permission from the ASI for this work," he added.

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