Maharashtra presents an unparalleled geographical setting with about 740 kilometres of the Konkan coastal stretch, Western Ghats along with the Sahyadri Hills recognised globally as World Heritage Site for its biodiversity, and the Deccan Plateau moving from the western to the eastern edge of the state. This extraordinary cultural landscape was judiciously used for defence through centuries of its history. The fortifications of Maharashtra, largely unknown and unexplored are spread as a guarded network of a defence system across the panoramic natural setting, while each fort exhibits extraordinary individualistic planning and distinctive style pertaining to its typology. This book is one of the first to document and showcase the fortified cultural landscape of the state of Maharashtra. The book not only narrates the military strategy of the Maratha Kingdom and the extraordinary contribution of Chhatrapati Shivaji to guerrilla warfare and naval forces, but also outlines the range of forts typology in the state, including complete documentation, technical analysis and recommendations of specific forts for promoting this exceptional heritage of Maharashtra. Contents: Preface – Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati I. Maharashtra Region and Its Military Landscape 1. Maharashtra Forts: Terrain, Lifestyle and Military Tactics – Rajendra Shende and Aanand Kharade 2. The Vision of Chhatrapati Shivaji: Forts Network and Guerrilla Warfare – Pramod Mande (Late) II. Coastal and Sea Forts 3. Coastal and Sea Forts: Maritime Military Landscape of Central Konkan – Archana Deshmukh 4. Historic Forts of Mumbai – Komal Potdar III. Sahyadri and the Hill Forts 5. Rajgad: Glory of the First Maratha Capital – Malojirao Jagdale 6. Raigad: Capital Fort of Chhatrapati Shivaji – Kirtida Unwalla and Sasmit Acharekar IV. Guards of the Trading Routes in Desh and Marathwada 7. Shivneri Fort: The Birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji – Sachin Vidyadhar Joshi 8. Devgiri to Daulatabad: Conservation and Management – Tejas Garge 9. Lesser Known Forts in Marathwada: An Introduction – Tejaswini Aphale V. Conclusion 10. Positioning the Western Strongholds within Military Landscape and World Heritage in India – Shikha Jain Appendix Architectural Elements in the Forts of Maharashtra – Archana Deshmukh Bibliography Index