DEFENDERS OF SWARAJYA

EXPLORING THE MARATHA FORTS

- TDG NETWORK

India marks a heritage high point this year with UNESCO inscribing the Maratha Military Landscapes.

In July 2025 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Maratha Military Landscapes of India to its World Heritage List.

This serial site - designated entry 1739 - consists of twelve forts stretching from Raigad in Maharashtra to Gingee in Tamil Nadu. They were built, adapted or expanded by the Marathas between the late seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries. Their strategic placement on hilltops, plateaus and sea islands created a defence network that supported Maratha military dominance, trade protection and territorial control. For history students and heritage lovers, this designation is an invitation to revisit the rise of the Maratha state, understand its fortification technologies and appreciate the ongoing challenges of conserving vernacular military heritage.

POLITICS, STRATEGY AND IDENTITY

Shivaji built his kingdom by leveraging the rugged topography of the Western Ghats. Forts served as operational bases for ganimi kava, the Maratha doctrine of guerrilla warfare. Instead of engaging large Mughal armies head-on, Maratha troops used mobility and local knowledge to raid supply lines, quickly retreating to their hilltop strongholds. The near-impenetrable forts offered safe storage for grain, weapons and treasure. For example, Pratapgad’s dense forest and hidden paths allowed Maratha soldiers to lure Afzal Khan into a fatal ambush in 1659, while Salher in 1672 witnessed a rare open-field Maratha victory. These episodes illustrate how fort architecture and military strategy were intertwined.

Swarajya and cultural memory