Raigad district

Raigad District (: रायगड जिल्हा), also known as Raigarh District, is a in the n state of. It is located in the region. The district was renamed after, the fort and former capital of the leader , which is located in the interior forests of the district, on a west-facing spur of the  or Sahyadri range. The district had a population of 2,207,929 of which 24.22% were urban as of 2001. 

The district is bounded by to the northwest,  to the north,  to the east,  to the south, and the  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. Part of the district is included in the planned metropolis of, and its port, the.

The district includes Kashid and Kihim beaches, besides the towns of. , , , , , , , , , ,

The district also includes the isle of Gharapuri or, located in Tehasil which has ancient Hindu and Buddhist caves.

History
The district was called Kolaba or Kulaba during British rule, a name that is derived from it ancient form, and which means the "Land of the Koli". The Koli are a fisherman community.

The district was called Kulaba OR Kolaba during and also after the British Raj ended. It was only during late 1970's that it was renamed Raigad, after a fort with same name & situated in the southern part of the district near Mahad. The fort of Raigad was the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the founder of Hindavi Swaraj.

Alibag a costal town (quite big now) was its headquarter when it was Kulaba & also when it has become Raigad.

The fort of was being built by minor Koli chieftains as part of their defense against piracy when, by a stratagem, Siddis (African Muslims from Somalia), slaves and employees of the, seized it and made it their headquarters.

The tiny Muslim state of Murud-Janjira withstood attempts by many local powers, such as the Portuguese, English, Marathas, etc. to seize it but was never conquered. It allied at different times with different powers, often with the and thrived off piracy. The Siddis even attempted to seize from, and actually succeeded in overwhelming the English force but were driven out by a militia organized by a  settler from among the natives who had immigrated from. Finally, it entered the system of with Britain, becoming a  of British India, in which condition it remained until 1947, when it acceded to newly-independent India.