“Study the past if you would define the future.”
Confucius
The Coastal Forts of Malvan
From Alibag near Mumbai to the borders of the state of Goa, my five-day road trip covering coastal Maharashtra took me through the maritime history of Marathas and their counterparts. I got blessed by the revered state deity Ganapati at many locations. The raw beauty of the coastal road took my breath away and allowed me small adventures and downtime from the routine.
Moving south from Ganpatipule, we have the cities of Ratnagiri and Malvan. In this post, I present to you two of the coastal forts of Sindhudurg, Ratnadurg and Vijaydurg. Vijaydurg stands out for being the oldest on the southern coast of Maharashtra. The ancillary fort of Vijaydurg is Devgad and further down towards Malvan, we have the Sindhudurg Fort. As we reach the Ganapati temple at Redi, we are almost at the border of Goa. You can read about the forts of Goa here.
Ratnadurg – Jewel of Ratnagiri
A Bahmani origin fort of the 12th century, it came into Maratha possession in 1670 AD. Strengthened by Admiral Kanhoji Angre; the horseshoe shaped fort has many bastions and watchtowers overlooking the Arabian Sea. The temple of Goddess Bhagwati gives it the name Bhagwati Fort. A fort of vast proportions, it also has a lighthouse to its South that dates from 1867 AD. The current structure is from 1940 though.
The fort has three parts to it – Peth, the part where people live, a smaller fort that houses the temple and the lighthouse. The smaller fort has 9 bastions, whereas the entire fort has 29 bastions. Entrance to the fort is through multiple levels of steps that lead to a large courtyard housing the temple. The path leading to the lighthouse has the tomb of a local saint, Ratnagiri Baba.
History of Vijaydurg
A minor port in the 1st and 2nd century, Gheria (as known then) had trade contacts with the Mediterranean regions, Sopara and Kalyan. Its importance reduced during the Satavahana period (200 AD). The fortifications date back to the reign of King Bhoja II around 1200AD. Later, the Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur took control of the fort. Chhatrapati Shivaji won it in 1653 AD and restored its past glory. Named after the year Vijay (Victory) in the Hindu Almanac when Marathas captured it, the Britishers credit this Eastern Gibraltar as the graveyard of many ships.
The fort boasts of a dockyard built by the Maratha naval commander Kanhoji Angre. But even more unusual is the discovery of stone anchors and other port installations by marine archaeologists surrounding the fort walls and the dockyard areas. These anchors were prevalent in the sea-faring regions in the Early Historic Period and historians believe them to be from 200 BC to 8th century AD.
Vijaydurg’s false claim to fame is that the British Astronomer, Norman Lockyer, discovered the Helium element right here while observing the eclipse. But the true claim is that it is only one of the three forts that has a Khalbatkhana (a meeting room like a Judge’s chambers). The courtroom and the King’s quarters, along with the granary, temple and ruined fortification, are what remains of the fort.
Beyond these two, I will wrap up the Coastal Road Trip with the forts of Devgad and Sindhudurg, and the Ganapati temple at Redi. Until then, stay safe and travel virtually!
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