Rock Solid SINDHUDURG:Black And White

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 .
It is a protected monument.

History:
This fort was constructed by
Chhatrapati Shivaji, Today also we
can See His foot & Palm print in
fort. The construction was done
under the supervision of Hiroji
Indulkar, in the year 1656.

Structural details:
The Watch Tower facing the
sea
Over 4000 mounds of iron were
used in the casting and
foundation stones were firmly laid
down. Construction started on 25
November 1664. Built over a
period of three years (1664–67),
the sea fort is spread over 48
acres (190,000 m 2 ) with a two-
mile (3 km) long rampart, and
walls that are 30 feet (9.1 m) high
and 12 feet (3.7 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 Samudra Gaman
(travelling by sea) was banned by
scriptures, this construction on an
island represents the
revolutionary mindset of its
engineer.

Permanent residents:
The number of permanent
residents staying in the fort has
been in decline since the fort's
abandonment. Most of the
residents moved out because of
inadequate employment
opportunities, but over 15 families
remain in the fort. The Sakpal
Naik family (the original 'killedars')
still resides in one of the 16
houses in the fort. However, Dr
Sarang Kulkarni's underwater
discoveries have led to the
establishment of the Indian sub-
continent's only well-established
scuba-diving industry. This has
provided the local residents with
some employment. Sindhudurg
fort is a popular summer
destination for Indian and foreign
tourists to explore the island and
go scuba-diving and snorkelling to
view the coral reef on the
outskirts of the island.

How to reach Sindhudurg:
Sindhudurg town lies in the
Sindudurg district to the north of
Goa, about 490 km south of
Mumbai (Bombay). Sindhudurg
can be reached either by train or
by bus from Bombay, Goa and
Mangalore . The Konkan railway
has a railway station at
Sindhudurg, but only few trains
stop there. Kudal, Kanakvali and
Sawantwadi are major railway
stations in Sindhudurg district.
There are Maharashtra state
government (MSRTC) buses
running from Mumbai , Pune,
Ratnagiri, Sangli , Kolhapur and
Goa state government buses
(Kadamba Transport Corporation)
running from Panaji , Madgaon,
Vasco and Pernem to Sindhudurg.
Nearest airport is Dabolim Airport
in Goa, which is located at approx.
90 km away from Sawantwadi City
(major tourist attraction) of
Sindhudurg.