Sindhudurg fort stands on a rocky island, known as Kurte, barely a km, from the Malavan is 510kms south of Mumbai and 130kms north of Goa. Sindhudurg was built in 1664-67 AD by shivaji when all his attempts to take the island fort of Janjira proved futile. The construction was done under the supervision of Hiroji Indulkar, an able architect. Shivaji had invited 100

Portuguese experts from Goa for the construction of the fort. It is also recorded that 3000 workers were employed round the clock for three years to build Sindhudurg. It was the body from the Sack of Surat that went into the building of Sindhudurg.

One of the best preserved forts of the Marathas, the 48 acre Sindhudurg fort has a four kms long zigzag line of 9 metres high and 3 metres wide rampart with 42 bastions. Apart from the huge stones, the building material involved 2000 khandis (72,576kgs)of iron erecting the massive curtain wall and bastions. A notable feature is that the foundation stones were laid down firmly in molten lead.

The fort is approachable from the Malavan pier by a boat through a narrow navigable channel

between two smaller islands of Dhontara and Padmagad. The main gate, flanked by massive bastions, faces the city. On the parapet, close to the entrance, under two small domes Shivajis palm and footprint in dry lime are preserved. Also, in thefort there is the Shivaji temple - the only one of its kind in the country where the image of Shivaji is without a beard! Inside the fort there are some temples, tanks and three wells. It also houses some twenty Hindu-Muslim hereditary families. On a rocky island between Sindhudurg and the coast stood the small for of Padmagad, now in ruins. It acted as a screen for Sindhudurg and was also used for ship-building.

After Shivaji, Sindhudurg passed through the hands of Rajaram-Tarabai, Angres, Peshwa and the Bhosales of Kolhapur. It was briefly captured by the British in 1765 Ad And was renamed by them as Fort Augustus. Later in 1818 AD, the British dismantled the forts defence structures.

Picture: Sindhudurg from the eastern side; the main gate is hidden behind the two bastions (above). Outside the southern wall there is a small beach, called Ramichi Vela in Marathi,

where Tarabai used to enjoy her sea-bath (below)

Sindhudurg (Marathi ) is a fortress which occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in western India. The fortress lies on the shore of Malvan town

of Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, south of Mumbai.[1]

It is a protected

monument.[2]

Contents

[hide]

1 History

2 Structural details

3 Permanent residents

4 How to reach Sindhudurg

5 Image gallery

6 About the families staying in the fort

7 Attractions at the fort

8 See also

9 References

[edit]History

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help by adding to it. (April 2013)

[edit]Structural details

The Watch Tower facing the sea

Over 4000 mounds of iron were used in the casting and foundation stones were firmly laid down.

Construction started on 25 November 1664. Built over a period of three years (166467), the sea

fort is spread over 48 acres (190,000 m2) with a two-mile (3 km) long rampart, and walls that are

30 feet (9.1 m) high and 12 feet (3.7 m) thick. The massive walls were designed to serve as a

deterrent to approaching enemies and to the waves and tides of the Arabian Sea. The main

entrance is concealed in such a way that no one can pinpoint it from outside.

At a time when Samudra Gaman (travelling by sea) was banned by scriptures, this construction

on an island represents the revolutionary mindset of its engineer

[edit]Permanent residents

The number of permanent residents staying in the fort has been in decline since the fort's

abandonment. Most of the residents moved out because of inadequate employment

opportunities, but over 15 families remain in the fort. The Sakpal Naik family (the original

'killedars') still resides in one of the 16 houses in the fort. However, Dr Sarang Kulkarni's

underwater discoveries have led to the establishment of the Indian sub-continent's only well-

established scuba-diving industry. This has provided the local residents with some

employment. Sindhudurg fort is a popular summer destination for Indian and foreign tourists to

explore the island and go scuba-diving and snorkelling to view the coral reef on the outskirts of

the island.

[edit]How to reach Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg town lies in the Sindudurg district to the north of Goa, about 490 km south

of Mumbai (Bombay). Sindhudurg can be reached either by train or by bus

from Bombay, Goa and Mangalore. The Konkan railway has a railway station at Sindhudurg, but

only few trains stop there. Kudal, Kanakvali and Sawantwadi are major railway stations in

Sindhudurg district. There are Maharashtra state government (MSRTC) buses running

fromMumbai, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Kolhapur and Goa state government buses (Kadamba

Transport Corporation) running from Panaji, Madgaon, Vascoand Pernem to Sindhudurg. Nearest

airport is Dabholim (Goa) airport, which is located at approx. 90 Km away from Sawantwadi City

(major tourist attraction) of Sindhudurg.

Sindhudurg Fort

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SINDHUDURG FORT

The name of this fort is given to Sindhudurg district.

Tourists from all over the world visit this great sea fort.

Sindhudurg was built with the help of huge rocks on the

Kurte' island, which amazes people, and one appreciates the vision and foresight of Shivaji.

History: In 1664-67 AD, Shivaji erected this fort on 48 acres of

island. Shivaji Maharaj personally selected this site, a rocky island,

Kurte. It took 500 stone splitters and stonebreakers, 200 black smiths,

3000 laborers and 100s of skilled artists who toiled very hard to complete this fort in three years. A notable

feature is that the foundation stones were laid down firmly in molten lead. This is evident from the stone

inscriptions. One of the best preserved forts of the Marathas, the 48 acre Sindhudurg fort has a four kms

long zigzag line of 9 meters high and 3 meters wide rampart with 42

bastions. SHIVRAJESHWAR TEMPLE

Initially, 3 kms. long outer wall (Tat) was built. Average

height of wall is 10 meters and breadth is 2 to 4 meters.

The design of main door is an enigma. It has been a

hallmark of Maratha Architecture of fort building. It

defies detection of its location to the attacker. The

technique was so deceptive for the enemy that they could

not even realize where the entrance was due to blind

curves. Zigzag pattern of outer wall was so built that the enemy would be visible from

any point inside the fort and the troops inside could fire their guns and cannons

effectively and humble the enemy. Cores of hones (gold coins) form Surat bounty, were

spent to built this wonderful fort.

How to get inside the fort:

The fort is approachable from the Malvan pier by a boat through a narrow navigable channel between two

smaller islands of Dhontara and Padmagad. There is even a guide to take you around inside. Fort is

completely cut off during the monsoons.

What to see:

Shivajis palm and footprints are preserved here on dried lime slabs in a tower. Inside the Fort, temples of

Bhavanimata, Shambhu Mahadev, Jirimiri, Mahapurush and Shivajeshwar are worth seeing, all of which are

in good condition.

Shivrajeshwar Temple:

Chatrapati Shivajis younger son Rajaram in his remembrance built this temple. Shivajis idol stands in a

boatmans attire inside the temple and probably only one of its kind in the country where the image of

Shivaji is without a beard. Outside the southern wall there is a small beach, called Ranichi Vela (Queens

private beach), where Queen Tarabai, daughter-in law of Shivaji, used to enjoy her sea-bath. The fort also

houses some twenty Hindu-Muslim families, who have been living there for generations. Side the fort there

are three wells of drinkable water, which is a natures marvel as sea surrounds the fort on all four sides. On

a rocky island between Sindhudurg and the coast stood the small fort of Padmagad, now in ruins. It acted as

a shield for Sindhudurg and was also used for shipbuilding.

Interesting fact:

To be seen in Malvan is the auction of days fish catch in the evening between 5 p.m. when all the trawlers return after days fishing in the deep sea. The catch is then sold to the highest bidder.

Gallery: Sindhudurg Fort Photo Gallery

Map: Sindhudurg Fort Map

Getting There: By air: Nearest airports are Goa, Mumbai.

By rail: Nearest railhead is Kudal, 45 k.m. on Konkan Railway.

By road: MumbaiMalvan, 546 k.m. KolhapurMalvan, 160 k.m.

State transport and private buses ply from Mumbai, Pune and Kolhapur.

Places to see nearby: Tarkarli Beach

Dhamapur Lake

Bharadi Devi Angnewadi

Bhagwati Temple

Jay Ganesh Temple

Bhalachandra Maharaj Ashram

Kunkeshwar Temple and Beach

Bhogve Beach

Nivati Beach

Shiroda Velagar Beach

Amboli Hill Station

Sindhudurg Fort was Chatarpati Shivajis answer to the growing threat from the

marine forces (Navy) of Portuguese and Siddis. It is said that the selection of the

place and the Fort layout was done by Shivaji himself and he personally supervised

the three years of its construction phase which was completed in 1667. From the

outside view, it looks like a simple Fort, but once inside, one realises that it is almost

like a mini township spread over 50 acres of land.

The east facing main gate of the Fort is not visible as it is hidden between two

bastions. It is only after getting down from the boat and walking towards the wall

that one can see the gate. Inside the fort, there are water supply wells, residence

quarters, godowns for storing grains, provisions and some temples. The 40 odd

circular bastions constructed over the 10-15 feet wide outer wall were the watch

towers which also served a repository of guns and cannons. Most of the bastions and

other places are in ruins now. At some places, outer wall has crumbled. The only

places which are still intact are a dozen or so residential houses, sweet (fresh) water

wells and temples. The thick vegetation inside the Fort is stated to be partly

responsible for decaying walls and other remaining structures. We could not see the

famous two branch coconut tree as it was damaged in a lightning strike few years

back. Refreshments and cold drinks/mineral water are available at 2-3 places inside

the Fort. It is advisable to use head caps as even in December, the day time was

very warm.

After finishing our one hour of ramblings inside the Fort, I felt great about Chatrapati

Shivaji who had farsightedness in constructing such Forts at various part of

Maharashtra. Shivajis professional approach is evident in one of his letters to the

Construction Engineer in charge of constructing Sindhudurg Fort. The instructions

and guidelines were very clear - from the'how' and 'why' of specifications of

foundation and outer walls, to checking the raw materials and how to negotiate for

the materials with Englishman traders who, in his view, were very smart. Finally, his

dictate was that the labourers must be paid their wages daily without fail.