Mahad ( [məɦaːɖ]) is a city in Raigad district (formerly Kulaba district) situated in the North Konkan region of Maharashtra state, India. It is located from District's headquarter Alibag, and from Mumbai. Mahad is known for Raigad Fort, the capital of the Maratha Empire in Shivaji's era and the revolutionary Mahad Satyagraha launched by (Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar) at Chavdar Tale (Testy Lake) in the wake of modern India. Geography Mahad is situated at southernmost tip of Raigad district in Konkan region at an altitude of and is surrounded by Sahyadri Mountains. Savitri river originates from Savitri Point in Mahabaleshwar and flows through Mahad to the delta in Arabian sea via Bankot. Mahad has a tropical climate and witnesses heavy rainfall during monsoon. Summers are very hot and winters are cold with a thick fog lay over city during morning hours. Mahad receives the highest rainfall in Raigad district because of the rain catcher forest of Raigad Fort Natural Reserve and famous hill station Mahabaleshwar. Mahad receives an average annual rainfall above . Mahad has a favourable climate for the growth of alphonso mango and coconut trees. Demographic As of 2011 India Census, Mahad has a population of 1,80,191. Natural Disasters The Savitri River Bridge Incident In 2016, a major flood hit Mahad because of the collapse of the British era bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway and caused great losses. The incident resulted in the loss of 42 lives. Several disasters like floods and landslides have continuously devastated markets and old houses, specifically classic Konkani-styled architecture, causing great loss of life. This is primarily due to lower elevation of the city compared to surrounding areas and being surrounded by rivers on all sides, making the city like a triangular island. Also, Konkan, receives predominantly very heavy rainfall in comparison to rest of Maharashtra. Tourist attractions nearby Raigad, popularly known as "Gateway of Konkan", is among the city's tourist destinations. Other attractions include: Raigad Fort Pratapgad Fort Gandhar Pale Buddhist Caves Shivthar Ghal Lingana Fort Birwadi Fort Warandha Ghat Mulshi-Tamhini Ghat (Bhira) Poladpur Mahabaleshwar Vireshwar Temple Chavdaar Tale Park Walan kond Mandala waterfall Sav hot water spring Kol caves Mangad Hari-Hareshwar, Shrivardhan and Diveagar Beach Dapoli-Mandangad Beach Etymology The word "Mahad" is derived from Konkani-marathi words "महा" (Mahā) and "हाट" (Hāt)."महा" meaning "Great or big" and "हाट" meaning "market", collectively meaning "a big market". The oldest reference of Mahad is found in historical