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Sindhudurg Fort

Wednesday, February 26, 2014



Sindhudurg Fort 
Standing nautical miles away from Malvan Jetty on the Malvan Beach, this fort looks so massive, Imagine if I was near it how massive it would be. The walls of this fort are made of stone.

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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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:

R Niranjan Das said...

Wonderful fort. You have described it beautifully.

MERWYNSRUCKSACK said...

Thanks R Niranjan Das

Unknown said...

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.

Perviz Surti said...

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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