Wednesday, February 26, 2014
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| Sindhudurg Fort |
A few coconut trees grew in its premises, it looked like
hair on the face of the fort. Hehe.
A few rocky patches too were near the fort and a few sand
patches which made my photos desktop material.
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| Boat plying to Sindhudurg Fort from Malvan Jetty |
We got ourselves a ticket to fort on the Malvan Jetty at a
cost of Rs.37 each and the boat was our mode of transport to take us there.
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving sessions are also conducted
here. The rates differ from season to season, so it’s better to check out the
rates before venturing into it. Hithakshi wanted to try both of them but the
cost worked out to Rs.1700 for just 30 minutes, which I guess is highly priced.
The boat in which you travel doesn’t look appealing at all.
It takes around 20 minutes to reach to the fort. The boat is
small but can accommodate 20 people along with two crew members. The boat has
got a side car placed; it helps in turning the boat so that the boat does not
capsize.
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| HIthakshi and Me on the fort premises |
For Example, when you learning to ride a cycle, you have two
additional small wheels attached to the back wheel so that you don’t fall while
trying to balance. Something similar.
Be prepared to get drenched in water when the waves are high
at sea the way I did. There are no life jackets provided and I don’t know how
to swim. There are many who don’t know how to swim. God alone knows how they
will manage if the boat capsizes. Hope it doesn’t happen.
There is no jetty near the fort so have to alight on the
rocky patches and from there we need to proceed to view the fort. The crew said
“you have an hour’s time to view the fort. You should be back here at 1305
hours as the time now is 1205 hours.” The crew said the above in Marathi, I
just translated in English. And an hour
is not enough to view this fort looking at the size of this fort.
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| Fortification |
We started off to see the fort to make the best use of it.
As we had loads to explore and capture on camera and we were short on time.
Sindhudurg Fort is built on Kurte Island. In 1664 – 67 AD
Shivaji Maharaj had constructed this fort on the 48 acre island. The fort has
42 bastions.
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| Print of the Palm of Shivaji |
The walls made of stone were cold in the hot weather. Like
the heat has no effect on the stone. Felt cooler when we entered the fort
premises. The stone used to build the walls were big and huge, wondering how
they might have put them together as no adhesive is used to join them and the
stones were places in such a peculiar way that they interlocked each other.
At the entrance of the fort there is a broken cannon placed.
Near the door is placed the Hanuman Mandir painted bright orange. Which catches
your eye?
There are many broken down structures in the fort premises.
Imaging how bustling this place would be in its hay days. Now it lies in a
state of despair.
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| One of the many steep stairways |
There are many temples on this fort, what caught my eye is
the temple dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj. Even at Panhala there is a temple
dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj. The temples though old are still in use.
There are a few water bodies here which supply fresh
drinking water on the fort.
We decided to explore the fort by walking on the walls of
the fort. As from the walls we can see both the inside and outside of the fort.
The walls of the fort were very broad, six people could walk easily on it, side
by side.
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| View of the green waters of the sea from the walls of Sindhudurg |
This fort has got the footprints and print of the palm of
Shivaji, placed in a small temple like structure on the walls.
A team of individuals dressed in white shirts and blue pants
look after the fort, as in the caretakers of the fort. It’s good to see that
some parts of the fort are being restored. This bought a smile across my face.
The fort offers a beautiful view of the sea, green waters a
few rocky patches and a breath taking view of the Malvan Beach.
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| Shivaji's Temple |
The water near the fort was so clear that from the walls I
could see the small rocks placed at the bottom of it.
Another unusual thing I noticed is these multiple staircases
that I noticed all over the inside of the fort. These were narrow and huge steps and were
extremely steep.
A few broken down walls made of stone with no roofs
appearing like houses too were placed on the walls.
This fort has many bastions which offer a good view of the
sea and the land around it.
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| Ruins in the fort premises |
A part of the wall was broken; I guess this was the impact of
cannon being fired on the walls of the fort when it was attached was taken into
custody.
There is a small rock patch in it which has got bullet marks
on it. Maybe the soldiers used it for firing practice.
I enjoyed exploring this fort with Hithakshi. It bought back
memories of my exploration of Murud Janjira.
Please do visit this fort whenever you pay Malvan a visit. A
must for all history lovers.
4 comments:
Wonderful fort. You have described it beautifully.
Thanks R Niranjan Das
Hi..Thanks for writing about Sindhudurg Fort situated in Malvan. Go at sunset, when the view from the fort is breathtaking. Apart from it Malvann has plenty of tourist attractions. For accommodation, check out these hotels in Malvan.
The Sindhudurg Fort is a tangible example of the Maratha foresight and resourcefulness. Built by none other than Chhatrapati Shivaji, this construction utilizes the natural protection of the surrounding rocks to their advantage.
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