Visiting Raigad fort is a kind of pilgrimage for me – President Ramnath Kovind.
Alibag: – The visit to Raigad fort is a kind of pilgrimage for me, stated President Shri Ramnath Kovind here today. President Ramnath Kovind had come to Raigad fort to greet Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he was speaking at the time.
Mrs Savita Kovind, wife of His Excellency the President, Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Guardian Minister Ms Aditi Tatkare, MP Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, MP Sunil Tatkare, Zilla Parishad President Yogita Pardhi, MLA Shri Bharat Gogavale, Aniket Tatkare, Prashant Thakur, Mahesh Baladi, Collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, Chief Executive Officer Dr Kiran Patil, Superintendent of Police Ashok Dudhe, Additional Collector Amol Yadav, Additional Superintendent of Police Atul Zende, President’s daughter Swati Kovind, Princess Sanyogitaraje Chhatrapati, Yuvraj Shahaji Raje Chhatrapati, Revenue and Police Department and others Senior officials of various government departments were present.
In his address, President Kovind said that it is a matter of pride for every Indian to visit Raigad Fort. We consider this visit to Raigad as a kind of pilgrimage. He especially thanked Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje for inviting him for this visit. The Hindavi Swarajya established by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an inspiration to the whole world.
In his address, the President emphasized that Lokmanya Tilak had started the tradition of public unity, cultural pride and patriotism through Ganeshotsav and Shiv Jayanti celebrations.
President Shri Kovind in his speech paid homage to the various functional features of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
President Shri Ramnath Kovind hoped that the Sanskrit language book “Shivraj Vijaya” would be translated from other Indian languages so that the young generation of India would be aware of the greatness of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
In his speech, President Ramnath Kovind paid homage to the special work done by Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Gopalkrishna Gokhale, Lokmanya Tilak, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi for national upliftment in the 19th century.
He was proud of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj while mentioning the war declaration of “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai” of the Indian Army unit “Maratha Light Infantry”.
He concluded that there is more scope for tourism and modernization in the nature-rich areas like the Western Ghats and Konkan and we can realize the concept of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Hindavi Swarajya in today’s 21st century.
After President Kovind arrived at Raigad fort by “ropeway”, he along with his wife and daughter visited the statue of Lord Shiva on the Holi hill. He also paid homage to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajsadar and later to the Samadhi of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
During the visit, President Ramnath Kovind saw a computer presentation on how the Raigad fort is being conserved and preserved. At the same time, on behalf of Raigad Development Authority, Shri Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje presented the books “Raigad Significant Monuments” and “Raigad Fort: -Progress of Work” to the President, while District Collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar presented the illustrated information about Raigad Fort on behalf of the district administration. He gave this book in the form of a coffee table.
Earlier on reaching the fort Raigad, MP Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, MP Sunil Tatkare, Zilla Parishad President Yogita Pardhi, MLA Bharat Gogavale, District Collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, Superintendent of Police Ashok Dudhe welcomed the President.
On the occasion of the reception held at Rajsadar, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje presented to the President and his family a gift of Dandapatta, Hon, a replica of the decree of the Maharaja.
In his introductory remarks, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje expressed the feeling that His Excellency the President’s visit to Raigad Fort today is a matter of great joy and importance for all of us.
