Raigad
District, also known as Raigarh District, is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
It is located in the Konkan region. The district was renamed after Raigad, the
fort which was the former capital of the Maratha leader Shivaji, and is located
in the interior regions of the district, in dense forests of the district, on a
west-facing spur of the Western Ghats of Sahyadri range.
The
district is bound by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the
north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabian
Sea to the west. It includes the large natural harbor of Pen-Mandwa, which is
immediately south of Mumbai harbour, and forming a single landform with it. The
northern part of the district is included in the planned metropolis of Navi
Mumbai, and its port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
The
district includes towns/cities of Roha, Panvel, Pen, Khopoli, Kharghar, Taloja,
Khalapur, Uran, Patalganga, Rasayani, Nagothana, Poladpur, Alibag, Karjat and Mahad.
The biggest city both in area and population is Panvel. The district also
includes the isle of Gharapuri or Elephanta, located in Uran tehasil which has
ancient Hindu and Buddhist caves.
Kulaba
(also spelled Kolaba) district was split from Thane district in 1869.
However
at this point the northernmost parts of modern Raigad district were retained in
Thane district. Panvel, just across the bay from Mumbai was not put in Kolaba
district until 1883, and Karjat, an area in the north-east corner of modern
Raigad district was not placed in Kolaba district until 1891. Kolaba district
was subsequently renamed Raigad district.
Raigad
District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway. The Mumbai-Pune
expressway as also NH4 passes through Panvel. NH 17 also terminates here. The Konkan
Railway line passes through Panvel, Roha, Mangaon and Veer. The main ports are JNPT,
Mandava, Revas, Murud and Shrivardhan, The Central Railway Line of Mumbai to Pune
Passes through Karjat with Extension Line for Karjat to Khopoli & Also
there is New Extension of Harbour Line from Panvel to Karjat. There is a narrow
gauge railroad from Neral to Matheran.
Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University is a unitary, autonomous university
located at Lonere in Raigad district, Maharashtra, India. Established in 1989
under the 'Government of Maharashtra Act 1983'.