The fort Sindhudurg is on an island off the coast of Malvan town in the Sindhudurg district of the Konkan region of Maharashtra State.This fort is a protected monument by the Central Government of India.

Districts/Region

Malvan Taluka, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India.

History

The shape of Malvan beach is a crescent with protruding rocks in the sea. This can be seen as the unique geological feature of this beach. Sindhudurga was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire.The fort is on a moderate rock that is not far from the Malvan coast.  The fort is known for being the coastal capital of the Maratha Empire and a major Naval base during the time of Shivaji Maharaj. The rampart walls of the fort arising from the sea is a unique and surprising feature here. The height and width of the fort walls offer grandeur to the fort structure. The entrance gate of this fort is in the North-East direction.  It is believed that this fort was once full of buildings, but now it is merely a shell with nothing inside except a few small temples.

To the Marathas, Sindhudurg is Shivaji's cenotaph, and in its main temple, Shivaji Maharaj's image is worshipped. The hand and feet prints of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are kept at the temple in reverence and protected by small domes. ைThe fort has few water tanks which provide drinking water.  Realising the importance of the navy in the Arabian sea and coastal security, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj wanted to have a strong fort in Konkan Area. After various unsuccessful attempts to conquer Janjira of Siddhis near Murud, he planned for  this sea jewel, known as Sindhudurga around 1665.  Apart from the main fort of Sindhudurga on the larger island, Shivaji Maharaj fortified the smaller island with a small fort Padmagad to protect the main fort. On the mainland opposite the town and at the mouth of the creek about a mile and a half north, built the forts of Rajkotand Sarjekot.

Geography

Sindhudurg Fort is located on an island with the Arabian Sea in the West, the Malvan Coast in the East about 1.5 KM away.

Weather/Climate

The prominent weather in the  region is rainfall, the Konkan belt experiences High Rainfall (ranges around 2500 mm to 4500 mm), and the climate remains Humid and warm. The temperature reaches up to 30 degrees Celsius during this season.Summers are hot and humid, and the temperature touches 40 degrees Celsius. Winters in the region have a comparatively milder climate (around 28 degrees Celsius), and the weather remains Cool and Dry

Things to do

There are three temples on the fort namely Jari Mari Temple, Shri Bhavani Temple and Shri Shiv Rajeshwar Temple. In Shri Shiv Rajeshwar Temple, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is worshipped as a deity.  This Temple is a popular tourist attraction amongst the people. There is also a beach on the North-Western part of the fort. There is a domical structure that houses the footprint and the hand impression of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Nearest tourist places

● Padmagad Fort - 5.4 KM 

●  Rajkot Fort - 2.9 KM 

●  Malvan Beach - 3.9 KM 

●  Dharan Point (Coral Garden) - 5 KM

Special food speciality and hotel

The cuisine of the particular area is known as Malvani cuisine. It includes mostly seafood and some vegetarian dishes as well.The dishes include all types of fried fish and fish curries blended with the malvani masala. Special mentions include

● Kombadi vade or Vade Sagoti ( Thick puris made of rice flour) 

● Ghavane – Ras ( Rice dosa with sweet coconut milk) 

●  Amboli – Usal ( Fermented rice dosa with spicy curry) \

●  Shirvale ( Noodles served with sweet coconut milk) 

● Ukadya Tandalachi Pej (A semifluid boiled preparation made of brown-red rice variety) 

●  Sol Kadhi (A preparation made of Sol (Kokum) and coconut milk). 

● Dry fish is also a local delicacy like ‘Golma’.

Vegetarian Dishes include:- 

●  Pickle of Carmel, Bimbli, Amba haldi. 

● Appe, Ghavane, Dalimbachi Usal, Kaju Usal, Raiwal Ambyacha Raita.

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

Various local hotels are available for accommodation.

● The closest police station is Malvan Police Station - 3 KM. 

●  The closest post office is the Malvan Post Office - 2.3 KM.

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

● ● The fort opens at 8:00 A.M. and closes at 6:00 P.M.

● The entry fee for Indian tourists is said to be 50 Rupees and for Foreign tourists, it is 200 Rupees.

● The Fee for the Ferry is 90 Rupees ெ per person. Parking spaces are available near the beach only. 

● According to some local people, the evenings from 3:00 PM to 5 P.M. are favourable because of less heat during that time. 

● The fort is closed during Rainy Seasons.

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi, Marathi