Sindhudurg
Sindhudurg is a fortress which occupies an islet in the
Arabian Sea, just of 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.
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. Shivaji himself was one of the 6000 skilled construction workers on this massive maritime fort project.
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 long rampart ,and walls that are 30 feet high and 12 feet 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 mind of its builder.
