documents in 225 BC. Around 130 AD, Mahad was under rule of Buddhist king Vishnu Pulit of Kambhoja dynasty. He built the Gandharpale caves opposite to Mahad port. Under his rule, Mahad was a port and business centre which continued until British Raj. The development of Mahad as a business centre continued under the rule of Yadavas of Deogiri in the 13th century. Yadavas were the first make Marathi the official language of Maharashtra. Mahad was taken by British in 1818 and was a place of administrative work when Raigad fort was made the capital of Shivaji. Chavdaar Tale Satyagraha and Freedom Movement Mahad is considered as the land of freedom fighters. Many revolutionary freedom movements of India originated in Mahad. It is famous for the Chavdaar Tale Water Satyagraha of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for Dalits at Chavdar Tale, which played as a turning point in Indian sociopolitical history. Dr. Ambedkar and his followers of over 2,500 dalits marched to the tank. Dr. Ambedkar was the first to take his hand and sip water from the tank, followed by the rest. This was a revolutionary step for the time and broke the taboo of caste discrimination. This came to be known as the Mahad Satyagraha. Many disciples of Lord Buddha and followers of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar visit Chavdaar Tale every year on Kranti Din (Day of Revolution). However, this was not the end of the struggle. There was tremendous backlash from the rest of the community and some even performed a purification ritual to counter the act of revolution. Dr. Ambedkar made another statement by burning the Manusmriti at the very same spot on 25 December 1927. Shivaji and Raigad fort Mahad has a glorious history during the rule of the Maratha king Shivaji. The capital of Hindavi Swarajya and Samadhi of Chhatrapati Shivaji is at Raigad fort. which is around from the city. It was part of Birwadi Subha (Tehsil) and was ruled by Birwadi Subhedar's Kadams (Mahamunkars). The village Umarath of Tanaji Malusare & Kinjaloli of Murarbaji are also in the vicinity of Mahad. Shivtharghal and Daasbodh The Shivtharghal is the birthplace of Samarth Ramdas, author of the spiritual book Dasbodh. Mahad Port Mahad was a flourishing port in the past. The Gul (Jaggery) of Shahupuri Kolhapur and Satara was exported to Gujrat via Mahad. Since the banks of Savitri river changed during the course of time, only