Sindhudurg district has been lined
with forts, big and small built for defense or trade purposes
over the past centuries. While the ruins at Devgad, Yeshwantgad,
Niveti and Teracol still stand, Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg are the
most prominent and historically significant amongst all the forts
within Sindhudurg district.
VIJAYDURG
Vijaydurg has been identified with Ptolemy's Byzantium. Vijaydurg
was called Khare Patan after a village way into the interiors
by the same name by the early Europeans, while it was Gheria
to the Muslims.
Location
The small village of Vijaydurg, lies on the banks of the Vaghothan
River where it meets the sea. It boasts of one of the better
harbors on the western coast of India, although ironically it
never attained the status of a great trading port. The main
attraction of Vijaydurg is the historic Vijaydurg fort.
Architecture
Considered one of the strongest forts on the western coast,
the Vijaydurg fort was protected with a triple row of fortifications
interspersed with bastions for mounting guns and three gates.
The sea surrounded it on three sides and a ditch which is now
filled up protected it on the fourth. The main gate to this
architectural marvel was on the east and the path within twisted
and turned dexterously towards the inner gate. This arrangement
was typical defense architecture applied by Shivaji especially
in the forts that he built.
Down the regimes
After Shivaji's reign, Kanhoji Angre made the fort one of the
main naval bases, as he successfully defended Vijaydurg from
the English and the Siddis. However when the Angre territory
was divided between the two brothers, Manaji and Tulaji, Vijaydurg
came under the control of Tulaji in the mid 18th century.
It is said the acrimony between Tulaji and the Peshwa Nanasahed
reached its climax in 1755 when the latter sought the help of
the British East India Company in Bombay and undertook a joint
expedition against Tulaji.
Siege of Vijaydurg
In 1756, Colonel Clive and his 500 marines along with Admiral
Watson attacked Vijaydurg from the sea front, while the Peshwa
forces occupied the coast and camped in front of the fort, thus
surrounding it from all sides. Watson destroyed the Maratha
fleet anchored at the mouth of the creek and Clive landed with
his marines and captured the fort.
Fall of Vijaydurg
The effect of the Battle of Vijaydurg was far reaching and incisive,
as it implied the destruction of a large portion of the Maratha
Navy. It thus weakened the Maratha Confederacy and naval superiority
along the western coast was thus passed on decisively into the
English hands.
The last commander
The fort was eventually handed over to the Peshwa who placed
Admiral Dhulap as commander-in-chief. The Anandrao Dhulap wada
(or residence) still stands in the village and his descendants
continue to stay there. This is a traditionally built structure
which encloses a large square courtyard flanked by rooms on
all four sides. The main door faces the west and leads to an
intricately carved second door. On the first floor, one can
still see wall murals dating back 200 years, depicting images
of Ram and Vishnu and some battle scenes. Justifiably this old
residence is a heritage site which merits restoration and preservation.
SINDHUDURG
Location
Sindhudurg also known as the Malvan Fort is a magnificent citadel
afloat, located just ½ km from the mainland port of Malvan.
It is most likely that the Milizegaria of Ptolemy and Zegerius
of Pliny had referred to Malvan. Although its early history
is not certain, Malvan gained prominence in the medieval period
especially after Shivaji Maharaja built the marvelous historic
fort of Sindhudurg. At the time, the creek flowing north of
Malvan was navigable to a considerable distance right up to
Masura which was known then as the trading mart.
Shivaji built this fort in 1664-65 and it remained with the
Marathas until the Maratha territory was divided between what
is now Satara and Kolhapur districts. It was ceded to the East
India Company in 1818. However due to the rocky coast around
the fort, with the passage and inability of ships with a deep
draft to sail in, Malvan lost its former importance and prominence.
Shivaji wanted to build an island fort, at a considerable distance
from the unconquerable Janjira fort built by the Siddis at Murud-Janjira,
which lies fairly north of the Konkan coast. He therefore selected
the rocky island of Kurute, off the Malvan coast and deputed
his lieutenant Hiroji Indulkar to supervise the construction
of this admirable fort.
Architecture
The 3 km ramparts of this fort follow the undulating peripheries
of this large and rocky island. The construction of the fort
was strengthened by using molten lead mixed with mortar. It
is believed that the warrior king himself lent a hand in building
the fort. The defense of the fort was critical and hence thirty
two towers were constructed at distances ranging from 40-120
yards apart. The ramparts are around 10 feet wide and enabled
constant patrolling as cannons could be mounted safely. The
top of the ramparts were accessible by stone staircases at various
points.
This fort was ear marked to become the naval headquarters of
the Marathas, a distinction that it never achieved.
The main gate faces the north east and is well camouflaged
within the folds of the rampart, hence visible only at really
close quarters. As soon as you enter, there is an idol of Goddess
Jarimari, a favorite amongst the married Hindu women of the
region. There appears to be a Portuguese influence which comes
to light in the arches which are normally uncommon in Maratha
architecture. On the right, perched atop the main gate, is the
fort's most prized relic- the footprint and palm impression
of the much revered Shivaji Maharaja which is set on a slab
of dry lime. There are some ruins of temples, wells and cisterns
within this fortress. Although Sindhudurg missed out on its
glory, it still remains an important historical site in Maratha
history as within its 48 acres stands the temple of Shri Shivchhatrapati,
the only temple where the idol of the warrior king is worshipped.
This temple was built by Shivaji's son Rajaram in 1695. It's
interesting to note that the statue bears little resemblance
to the warrior king and is more akin to the characteristic features
of the locals in Malvan.
Some of the temples are still in use and are maintained by
the 20 odd families that live on this island fort, which contribute
to the living legend of an over 200 years past. The presence
of these locals renders a certain hustle and bustle to the fort
rather than a mere testimony to an erstwhile military encampment.
