Sindhudurg : The Sea Fort
This is a wonder created by Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1664-67 AD. Covering 48 acres of land, the fort was built by lifting huge rock masses on the Kurte Island; simply awestruck tourists to Maharashtra by finding the farsightedness of Shivaji.
History says that almost 500 stone splitters, stonebreakers, 200 blacksmiths, 100 skilled artists and around 3000 labors were employed to finish the fort in three years. The most amazing feature of the fort is it is laid on molten lead, we can surely imagine the strength of the fort’s base. Till date, the Sindhudurg is one of the best maintained forts by the Marathas. The 48 acre fort is extended in a 4 Kms zigzag line. The height is around 9 meters and 3 meters wide. There are 42 bastions in the fort.
Winter is the ideal time to explore this fort in Maharashtra.
How to enter the Fort?
The fort is completely cut off during monsoons. You will always need a guide to get inside the wonder created by Chhatrapati Maharaj. In fact getting inside the fort is pretty adventurous. You along with the team of other tourists will be taken on a boat and have to row through two similar islands Dhontara and Padmagad to enter Sindhudurg.
What to see inside the Fort?
The footprints and palm prints of Shivaji Maharaj are found here that are preserved on lime slabs in a huge tower. There are many temples there inside the Sindhudurg fort. The worth mentioning of them are Shivajeshwar, Shambhu Mahadev, Jirimiri, Mahapurush and Bhavanimata.
Top Attraction
Shivrajeshwar Temple
The hallmark of Maratha architecture is preserved in this enigmatic temple. The height of the temple is 10 meters and breadth is around 2-4 meters. The zigzag blind curves of the temple corridor were designed to confuse the enemies. This is one of the spectacular edifices to see when you are visiting Maharashtra.
How to get at Sindhudurg?
By air: Goa and Mumbai are the nearest airports.
By rail: The nearest railhead is Kudal, which is around 45 k.m. on the Konkan Railway.
By road: Mumbai–Malvan is around 546 k.m. & Kolhapur–Malvan is 160 k.m. State transport and private buses, rested cars and taxis are available from Mumbai, Pune & Kolhapur.