Hithakshi inquired at the ST bus stand regarding the
whereabouts of the Devgad Fort.
At the inquiry counter we were advised that the Fort is at
an hour’s distance from here. There are no buses plying there. But rickshaws
would land us there in no time, but we would miss out on the beauty around us.
We then decided to walk it out to the beach hoping to get some wonderful shots.
The road was narrow with houses located near it. These
houses were quite old, I guess around 100 years and above. There was a masala
making factory near the road so we decided to check it out. As we were tourists
here, everyone around looked at us with a suspicious eye though they were very
helpful in guiding us to the Fort.
 |
| Entrance to Devgad Fort.Staircase is from Customs House in near Devgad Port |
It was around 1500 hours and there was not a soul on the
road. Guess too many people don’t visit this place or maybe it’s the heat
that’s keeping the people away.
This is a fishing village with fishing boats all over the
place. Some were on their way back collecting the day’s catch of fish. The view
of the boats in the water against the green hills was simply amazing.
The Devgad Fort was erected by Kanoji Angre in the year
1705. The Fort was built at the confluence of the Devgad creek and the Arabian
Sea. The fort is accompanied by a Harbor at the base where once a upon a time
big ships used to dock.
A staircase near the Customs House Devgad leads us to the
entrance of the Fort. Drinking water is available from a tap near the Customs
House.
 |
| View of the green waters of the Arabian Sea from walls of Devgad Fort |
In no time we were at the entrance of the fort. The walls of
the fort were not very high. As the fort was on a cliff they didn’t require
high walls I guess. The walls were made of black stone with bordering of white.
The stones were huge and were placed one
above the other with no adhesive to lock them.
The fort offered a good view of the sea, that’s the reason a
light house has been built here. It offers a good view of Devgad Beach and the
Windmills in a distance.
Three bastions that are accessible to public offer a good
view of the sea and the area around us.
I noticed that there is no thrash or graffiti on the walls
of this fort. This is good. I guess too many people haven’t heard of this
place.
In the premises of the fort are temples dedicated to Ganesh
and Hanuman.
 |
| View of the Fort from the inside, the light house in the corner and the remains of the houses with stone boundares and dried water cistern |
There are stones which I guess were a part of the walls of
the houses here which no longer exist.
There is also a well up here which is around 5 to 6 stories
deep. And bathing ground which was dried up.
The entire fort can be done by walking on the walls of the
fort.
I could not locate single cannon on the fort. Now this is
strange as this is a sea fort and the danger of being attacked from the sea is
always there and there are no cannons for security. What happened to the
cannons, where did they go, where they stolen or did they never exist here were
some of the questions running in my head.
One can view the lighthouse, daily between 1600 to 1750 hours.
The entry fees are mentioned on a signboard and they are very economical. We
were unlucky that day, as the person in charge had not reported and so we
couldn’t see the light house.
The part of the fort in the premises of the lighthouse is in
accessible to public for security reasons.
After enjoying the beautiful view around and the strong
breeze on a sunny afternoon we headed off to see the Devgad Port.
