Alibag

About Alibag

“Alibag” is the present capital of Raigad district. It is a city preserving its heritage with the richness of nature. Some of the isolated islands came closer to being connected by roads and bridges in the modern age. Alibag port is famous since ancient times. The name Alibaug emerged in the 7th century. Ramnath was the main village in the past. At that time, Alibaug was just a garden owned by a man named Ali. This garden got his name “Alibaug”. The present city of Alibaug is made up of many gardens which include Shribagh, Hirabaug, Motibaug etc.

The exaltation of Alibag mainly occurred during the time of Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre, who converted these gardens into a beautiful prosperous city.

Many developmental works as well as the restoration of the old temples like Maruti Mandir, Balaji Mandir, Ram Mandir, Kashi Vishweshwar Mandir, Ganapati Mandir, Kalambika Mandir, Vitthal Rakhumai Mandir, Datta Mandir, Vishnu Mandir, etc. are being done in Angre’s era. Besides there are two mosques in the city, one is 200 years old and the other one is 100 years old. The Israeli population is also living hugely in Alibag for many years.

Their famous ancient synagogue is still present which is a glory of the city. In Alibag, there are two castles, the famous “Kulaba” built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and “Hirokot” by Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre.  Ali built many wells to provide water for gardening out of which 11-12 wells are still existing today. The major attractions of Alibag city are Kulaba Fort and Hirakot forts, Angre Wada, Chhatribag, and the Magnetic observatory.

Kulaba Fort was built in 1662 by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Then Daryasarang and Daulat Khan took over and then headed by Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre. He made Kulaba Fort a major center of his movement. Then in the year 1720, the famous Hirakot fort and lakes are built by Kanhoji Angre for the storage of their treasure.

Initially, this garden belonged to a lady known as “Hira”, where the excavation was done to construct a lake. The stones used to build the fort are too strong. Inside there is a temple of the goddess in the fort. Outside is a Maruti temple and a small Dargah. Nowadays, this fort is being used as a prison. In Chhatribag, one can see tombs of men and women of the Angre family.
Just a short distance from the main S.T. Depot, even though one can see the old and huge “Angre Wada” still preserving its grandeur, some part of it is ruined.

Once upon a time, there was a Mint owned by Angre whose currency was “Alibagi Rupaya”. The World’s second and famous Magnetic observatory has been established in 1969 and is a unique example of science.  Changes in the earth’s magnetic force are recorded in this observatory. This building is made of special stones while the iron is not used at all.

Alibag has a natural and historical background, but this land has been gloried by many famous warriors and freedom fighters.