Sindhudurg,Malvan.(padmagad)

Sindhudurg (sindhu = sea, durg = fort) was built by the Hiroji Indalkar (Deshmukh) – Shivaji's Master Architect & builder, built several forts in Maharashtra two notable are Sindhudurg fort and Raigad in 1664.Sindhudurg, Shivaji constructed this ocean fort in 1664 Advert on a very low rocky 48-acre island off the Malvan coast. Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg are twin forts from the days of Shivaji's time that's a historic place with its serene coastal magnificence. It is thought that Shivaji personally chosen the site for the construction in the fort. , then known as 'Kurte' for the fort, himself - to counter foreign forces, and to keep the nearby Siddis of Murud-Janjira in check.
Sindhudurg One of the best preserved forts of the Marathas,There are 42 bastions to the fort along the boundary wall. The wall is built with Mixture of jaggery, lime, udad dal and molten lead. It is so strong that after facing strong waves for centuries they are still intact. There are three sweet water reservoirs namely Dhudhbaon, Dahibaon and Sakharbaon (baon means well in Konkani). Besides there are temples of Bhawani, Mahadev(Shiva), Mahapurush and Shivarajeshwar. Shivarajeshwar is the temple of Shivaji, built by his son Rajaram. This is also the only place where palm and foot print of Shivaji, taken in lime mortar and preserved. These were taken when he came to visit the fort after its completion.. Apart from the huge stones, the building material involved 2000 khandis (72,576 kg) of iron erecting the massive curtain wall and bastions. A notable feature is that the foundation stones were laid down firmly with 5 khandis (181.5 kg) of molten lead. The main entrance is concealed in such a way that no one can pinpoint it from outside.
At a time when Samudra Gaman (travelling by sea) was banned by scriptures, this construction on an island represents the revolutionary mindset of its engineer
 There's a temple devoted to Shivaji within the fort. This is the only shrine of its type in the country, which was constructed by his son Rajaram. 

Other temples dedicated to Hindu deities renowned in the Maratha pantheon (as Maruti, Bhavani, Mahadeo, Jarimai, Mahapurush, etc) lie inside the limits on the fort. The Vijaydurg or 'Victory Fort' along with the Padamgarh Fort are other sights inside the vicinity. 

After Shivaji, Sindhudurg passed through the hands of Rajaram-Tarabai, Angres, Peshwa and the Bhosales of Kolhapur.  It was briefly captured by the British in 1765 Ad And was renamed by them as ‘Fort Augustus’.  Later in 1818 AD, the British dismantled the fort’s defence structures.

 It is built offshore is protected by chains of forts which are described below.  The sole approach lay through a narrow channel, which ran between two small islands, on which the forts of Padmadurg and Dhontara were built. Otherwise the area consists of rock reefs.

The location makes a stealthy approach impossible. It is one of three large coastal forts intended to protect the Maharashtra coast.At this point in our research, we are not aware of why sea approaches had to be covered: as far as we know, the Moguls and their tributary kingdoms were without navies. Nonetheless, the coastal and Arabian Sea trade was vigorous, and the Europeans had begun taking territory in India.

It appears likely, however, that the sea forts must have provided anchorages for Shivaji’s navy. We know that the fort of Vijaydurg, off Bombay, was used in this manner, and capable of taking in vessels of up to 500-ton within its walls. We will see below that Sindhudurg was also capable of protecting inland anchorages.

This wonderful photograph clearly shows the reefs and the gun embrasures. Except for some temples, all the buildings inside the fort have fallen down and disappeared though barely 350 years have passed. The traditional Indian indifference to history is very much to blame.the availability of three natural streams of water was probably a key factor in the choice of the site.Sindhudurg’s walls are about 3.2 kilometers in length. The foundation walls are 4 meters thick and laid in lead; the rampart walls rise to 10 meters. The enclosed area is about 15 hectares.

 Sindhudurg As Part Of a Coastal Fort SystemA fascinating aspect of Sindhudurg’s location is that it lies at the center of a fort system.Immediately protecting the fort from the landward side was the fort of Padmadurg, now almost disappeared into the sea. Padmadurg lay between the Sindhudurg and the coast, and featured a dry dock – a narrow tongue of water between two rock walls. It was Shivaji’s main ship construction yard as well as being part of Sindhudurg’s defenses.

 

North of Malwan were two additional forts, Rajkot and Sarjekot. Rajkot was northwest of the town, and stood on a promontory, and three of its four faces was protected by the sea.  Sarjekot was also on a hilly headland, and it lay 2-km north of Rajkot. Its north face looked seawards; a ditch protected the other three sides.

 

Sarjekot was constructed in 1668 at the mouth of Kalavali Creek. The creek was navigable inland for 11+ kilometers, and it runs in zig-zags, thus producing natural safe inland anchorages. Presumably many of Shivaji’s ships could shelter in the creek during storm season.

 

But even these three forts were not enough for Shivaji. The two forts to the north of Malwan had two counterparts to the south of the town, Nivti and Yashavantgad. The latter was at the mouth of a creek like Sarjekot.

 

There were two more forts, Bhagavantagad to the north and Bharatgad to the south of the creek near Masure.

 

Attractions at the fort

• There are three sweet water reservoirs in the fort ramparts. Even if the water in the nearby villages dries up in summer, these wells always contain water.
• There is a coconut tree which has a branch and also gives fruit. (No other coconut tree has a branch.) The tree was struck by lightning a couple of years ago.
• There is a hidden passage (that starts in a temple that looks like a water reservoir) that goes under the island for 3 km, under the sea for 12 km, and from there 12 km to a nearby village. The tunnel was used as an escape route for the women if the enemy entered the fort. However, the British partially closed this passage after the fort was abandoned.
• The entrance gate is almost invisible, and only regular visitors are likely to find it.
• A handprint and a footprint of Shivaji Maharaj is also embedded in one section of the fort. There is also Atmeshwar Mandir, a famous Shivling, and is beautiful place for adhyatmik sadhana (spiritual activities).
• There is the only temple of Shivaji Maharaj in the world; the temple was built by Shivaji's son Rajaram. Festivities such as Shivaji Jayanti (birthday of Shivaji), Ram Navami, Janmashtami, Mahashivrathri, Ganesh Chaturthi, are celebrated.
• Daily puja (worship)and maintenance is done by mainly two families that were assigned this job since the fort was built; one of them is Shriram Sakpal.
• Along with the navy, Shivaji maharaj also realized the importance of a sea fort. One of the sea fort that he built was this Sindhudurga Fort at Malvan.

Permanent residents

The number of prmanent residents staying in the fort has been in decline since the fort's abandonment. Most of the residents moved out because of inadequate employment opportunities, but over 15 families remain in the fort. The Sakpal Naik family (the original 'killedars') still resides in one of the 16 houses in the fort. However, Dr Sarang Kulkarni's underwater discoveries have led to the establishment of the Indian sub-continent's only well-established scuba-diving industry. This has provided the local residents with some employment. Sindhudurg fort is a popular summer destination for Indian and foreign tourists to explore the island and go scuba-diving and snorkelling to view the coral reef on the outskirts of the island.

View Larger Map How to reach

By Air :

For those arriving by air, the Dabolim Airport in Goa is the best option. The airport is around 80 km away from Sindhudurg and can be easily reached through taxis. Other airports situated near Sindhudurg are : Kolhapur Airport (Aerial Distance : 91 km) Lohegaon Airport, Pune (Aerial Distance : 276 km) Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai (Aerial Distance : 344 km)

By Train :

sindhudurg is well connected by railway too. It has a rail station, however only a few trains stop here. Sawantwadi and Kudal are two major stations situated closest to Sindhudurg, at a distance of around 35 km and 25 km respectively. The place is located along the Konkan Railway line, and taxis are available to help you reach your destination. From Goa (MAO) and Mumbai (CSTM), you have the Mandovi Express and the Konkan Kanya Express running on all days. While the train journey from Mumbai takes close to 9 hours to reach Sindhudurg Station, from Goa, it is merely 2 hours away

By Road :

State run buses are available fro many cities in Maharashtra, like Mumbai, Panaji, Pune, Kolhapur and Ratnagiri. The frequency of these buses is good, and is also the cheapest option in terms of travel. However, this means of commuting is not highly recommended as the buses are usually crowded and relatively uncomfortable for long journeys.