Information About Sindhudurg Fort

‘Sindhudurg‘Fort -  the naval headquarter of the Maratha Empire. This fort is an ocean fort surrounded by the Arabian Sea. Standing on one of its islet known as the Kurte Island in Malvan town of ‘Sindhudurg ‘district, the fort is just around 450KM south of Mumbai and 130 KM from Goa.

Historical Overview:

The beautiful location of the fort, where it stands today is said to be chosen by Shivaji Maharaj himself. The Emperor had himself gone and chosen the location for the fort to be constructed and had asked one of his exceptionally skilled architect or engineer, Hiroji Indalkar Deshmukh, to construct the fort.

With an aim to keep intruders away from finding ways to the land through water ways, the fort was build and named ‘Sindhudurg’; meaning the fort of the waters.

Architectural Description:

As the fort is surrounded by water on all sides, a strong and mighty construction was imperative. It took around 3 years and 100 Portugal architects, who together worked to build this mighty and beautiful fort.

 

The fort spreads over 48 acres and has 30 feet high walls with a thickness of 12 feet. It is said that around 70,000 KG of iron was consumed in its construction, thus giving it the structure and strength it possesses.

One very interesting part of the construction is the main entrance of the fort. It has been constructed in such a way that, the gateway could confuse intruders for a wall, as it was intelligently constructed to appear as a wall from a distance. It was only when people could see it from close, they could realize the true structure of it.

Places of Visits:

The fort with its picture perfect ambience is in itself a treat to your eyes. The mighty fort and the soothing water combination could give a tough competition to many tourists spot in and around the state and the country as a whole.

Temples within the Fort:

Besides, there are a few temples within the fort. The designs of the temples and the carvings on them are no less than the construction of the fortress. The three important temples in the fort are - Temple of Goddess Bhavani, Hanuman Temple and Jarimari.

Shivaji Maharaj Temple

However, the greatest attraction within the fort is the temple of Shivaji. Rajaram, son of Shivaji had constructed this temple within the premises and it is only one of its kinds till date.

Coconut tree with branches:

Another very interesting attraction of the fort is the coconut tree that has branches. It is one of the rarest of the coconut trees that has branches and also bears fruits. It is because of this tree that many tourists and biologists visit the place from around the world.

Water Sports:

The fort also provides number of water sports to visitors who love adventure and explore the deep beautiful ocean. This serves as a major earning source for many residents of the place.

Thus, it would not be wrong to say that ‘Sindhudurg ‘is one of the exotic holiday destinations in Maharashtra and therefore a trip to ‘Sindhudurg ‘in the mid part of the year is a must for all history and water lovers.