Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg(Marathi सिंधुदुर्ग) is a fortress which occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in western India. The fortress lies on the shore of Malvan town of Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, south of Mumbai.

History

Sindhudurg ("Sindhu" = sea, "Durg" = fort) was built by the great Maratha warrior leader Shivaji in 1664. Shivaji selected the strategic rocky island location, 'Kurte' for the fort himself, to counter foreign forces, and to keep the nearby Siddis of Murud-Janjira in check. .

tructural details

Over 4000 mounds of iron were used in the casting and foundation stones were firmly laid down in lead. The construction was started on November 25, 1664. Built over a period of three years, the sea fort is spread over 48 acres with a two-mile (3 km) long rampart, and walls that are convert|30|ft|m high and convert|12|ft|m thick. The massive walls were designed to serve as a deterrent to approaching enemies and to the waves and tides of the Arabian Sea. The main entrance is concealed in such a way that no one can pinpoint it from outside.

At a time when Samudragaman (travelling by sea) was banned by scriptures,this construction on an island represents the revolutionary mindset of its builder.

Permanent Residents

Since the fort was abandoned, the number of permanent residents staying in the fort are on decline. However, since Dr. Sarang Kulkarni's discoveries lead to commence of Indian Sub-continents only well established Scuba diving industry. Though most of the residents have been moved out due to absence of employment opportunities. Today, more than 15 families stay in the fort, though with very little other employment opportunies but the underwater treasure around the fort discovered by Dr. Sarang kulkarni, today enable the local residents to earn more than $15 (Around Rs. 420). Today, Sindhudurg Fort is the popular destination amongst tourists from within India and abroad.

How to reach Sindudurg

Sindudurg town lies in Sindudurg district to north of Goa. Sindudurg can be reached either by train or by bus from Bombay, Goa and Mangalore. The Konkan railway has a railway station at Sindudurg. Only few trains stop here. There are state government( ST )buses running from Mumbai,Ratnagiri and Panaji.

Image Gallery

See also

* List of forts in MaharashtraABOUT THE FAMALIES STAYINF ON THE FORTfamalies staying at the ford are known as malvas who were the soldiers in the kings regien & they are known to be their ansestors.basic occupation for them are farming ,fishing ,and guiding tourist in the fort.amonge the 15 famalies there are 2 muslim families who are given the responsiblity of playing the drum (nagada)in the evening at the time of prayers and that is since the kings regiem & no one else can do that as shivaji maharaj never discriminated among relegion. The houses the locals stay on the fort are very much the same since they were built & as a caution to the locals they cannot renovate the house exterior ,but can do some interior ,and also they cannot sell this house .There are no hospitals,no shops ,no facalities so life is difficult on the fort & the only mode of transport is on water which is again risky.

ATTRACTIONS ON THE FORT(1)There are 3 sweet water reserviour in the middle of the arabian ocean where the fort is built ,and even if the water in the near by villages dries in summer but these wells do not dry there is allways water in it.(2)There is a coconut tree which has a branch ,if u see a coconut tree it will never have a branch but this tree not only has a branch but also gives fruit .(3)There is a passage which is hidded in a temple which looks like a water reservior ,this passage goes under the fort for 3 kilo meters & 12 kilo meters beneth the sea ,and from there 12 kilo meters in a near by village which was used as a rescue door if the enemy entered the fort this way was for the women to move out .(4)The entrance gate cannot be seen from any where and unless you are not a regular visitor,and if u r not and u are trying to enter thrua boat which is the only possible option apart from air you would bang at the rocks around the fort which cant be seen to a nacked eye ,hence u have to be very familier to the fort to enter ,

External links

* [http://www.konkanonline.com Sindhudurg on Konkanonline]
* [http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&om=1&z=17&ll=16.042122,73.459246&spn=0.007403,0.010064&t=k&q=Mumbai Sindhudurg Satellite image] in Google Maps
* [http://www.geocities.com/ggavaska/vengurla.htm Sindhudurg Site Seeing]
* [http://www.konkanyatra.com Sindhudurg Travel Information]
* [http://www.konkandarshan.com/tourist/f_sindhudurg.htm Information]