Exploring Sindhudurg Fort – A Jewel of Maratha Empire

Nupur P

Pune, 28th June 2024: Just like every birthday, this year, too, I decided to take a trip. After several spirited discussions on the destination, we finally settled for our favourite region – the Konkan coast.

Our Konkan trips are most of the time to the northern part as it is merely four hours away from Pune. So this time, we decided to head to the south of Konkan.

Konkan coast is a long, narrow strip of land between Arabian sea and Western Ghats. The region is famous for its lush vegetation, laidback life and pristine beaches that dot the 720 km-long coastline.

An 8 hour drive later, we reached Kelus, a small fishing hamlet near Kudal in Sindhudurg district for our stay. The next day, we decided to explore the region and headed to Sindhudurg Fort.

Although I had visited the fort several years ago, I was eager to return and revisit history as an adult. Plus, this was my kid’s first time at a sea fort.

About Sindhudurg Fort

Sindhudurg Fort is a sea fort built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, on the rocky island of Kurte in Arabian Sea just off the Konkan coast near Malvan.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was admired for his strategic thinking and visionary approach. He set up a naval arm, known as Maratha Navy, to strengthen the coastline. He commissioned several forts in the sea along the Konkan coast and started constructing naval bases to protect the borders, right from Mumbai in the north to Sindhudurg in the south.

The sea forts were built to safeguard the Maratha empire from foreign invasions, such as English, Dutch, French and Portuguese and also to keep an eye on Murud-Janjira – one of the strongest sea forts in India – which was under the control of Siddis.

The other sea forts built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj include Vijaydurg Fort, Kolaba Fort, Suvarnadurg Fort and Padmadurg Fort.

A Ferry Ride Away

We headed to Malvan jetty to catch the ferry that leaves for the fort. Since it was a Sunday, there was a huge rush, and we had to wait over 30 minutes to board the boat.

Once onboard, each person got a life jacket, even the kids, which was impressive. It took us approximately 15 minutes to reach the fort, with people hollering chants of Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji and Har Har Mahadev.

Building The Massive Structure

It wasn’t easy to build the fort. The Marathas had to transport every brick and nail to the island by boats, and the choppy sea proved to be a challenge.

It took Marathas around four years to build Sindhudurg fort. The foundation stone was laid on November 25, 1964, and the work ended in 1667. It has an area of over 48 acres, with around 3 km-long fortification. The defensive walls are massive and are 30 feet high and 12 feet thick.

According to records, more than 3,000 people worked tirelessly to build the fort.

Architecture and Vision

The massive fort is visible from the coastline, but it is almost impossible to find its entrance without help.

The main entryway is skillfully concealed to deter enemies from entering the fort easily.

We got off the boat at the jetty and made our way to the entrance. A twisting, curving and rocky path with high walls led us inside.

The curvature at the main entrance is specially designed to make it unfavourable and disadvantageous for the enemy to barge in.

As we made our way inside, we crossed a small, south-facing Hanuman Mandir and reached the entry arch, which further led us to the Sindhudurg Fort Tourist Information Centre. We hired the services of a guide to show us around the massive fort. They have a wealth of information, stories and folk tales to narrate for us to learn and understand history better.

The guide fees are Rs 500 for a group tour, and I recommend hiring one.

Temples and Ruins

Sindhudurg Fort has a beautiful temple dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was constructed by his son, Rajaram, in memory of his father.

The Shivrajeshwar Temple is the only such temple for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on a fort.

The idol in the temple looks like a local boatman, and in front of the idol is Tulja, his battle sword.

Several other temples on the premises are dedicated to deities like Jarimari and Bhawani Mata.

The fort also has imprints of Shivaji’s hand and foot encased in glass on one of the ramparts. The imprints have faded over time, and one needs to look closely through the glass to see them.

As we explored the fort, we could see several ruins strewn across.

A grand palace once stood at the spot, with a broken compound wall carved with intricate lotus flowers, the only structure left as a stark reminder of the glorious past.

Calling It A Home  

Sindhudurg Fort was inhabited by several families, many of whom continue to call the fort their home.

The residents indulged in limited forms of agriculture and primarily depended on ferry boats to transport necessary goods and supplies. But Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ensured the residents were never left wanting for water. He built three wells — Dudhbav (milk well), Sakharbav (sugar well) and Dahibhav (curd well). One of the unique features of the fort is that despite being surrounded by the salty sea, the three wells provided fresh water and continue to do so even today.

Access to the fort is closed during monsoon, so plan a trip accordingly. Winter months are best as the fort offers limited shade and it takes over an hour to properly explore it.

Don’t Miss These Spots

• Imprints of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the ramparts

• Shivrajeshwar Temple dedicated to the Maratha king

• Three freshwater wells on the premises

• Ruins of the place

(Nupur P writes regular blogs at www.tuggingmyluggage.com)