Vijaydurg fort is located in Devgad Taluka, of district Sindhudurg, Konkan region of Maharashtra. It is 350Km away from Pune.
It is the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, was constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty (construction period 1193-1205) and restructured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
It is the largest fort on the coast and stands mighty due to its fine architecture.
How to reach?
Nearest route to follow is via Anuskura Ghat.
Pune - Satara - Karad - Take Right at Narayanwadi for Malkapur - Anuskura Ghat - Rajapur - Vijaydurg
We went to Ganeshgule, Pawas first and then Vijaydurg so chose Kumbharli ghat route.
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| Vijaydurg town and port view from the fort |
Earlier, the fort encompassed an area of 5 acres and was surrounded by sea on all four sides.
Over the years the eastern trench was reclaimed and a road constructed thereon. Presently the area of fort is about 17 acres and is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides. Shivaji Maharaj extended the area of the fort by constructing three walls on the eastern side and he also constructed 20 bastions making the fort formidable.
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| Hanuman Temple at the fort |
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| Indian flag |
Vijaydurg Fort was called the "Eastern Gibraltar", as it was virtually impregnable. Its architecture is impressive and unique, designed to withstand attacks from enemy forces. Its locational advantages include the 40 km long Vaghotan/Kharepatan creek. Large vessels cannot enter the shallow water of this creek. Maratha warships could be anchored in this creek and yet remain invisible from the sea. It is a protected monument. and stood testimony to the naval prowess of the Marathas.
It is believed that the region around the banks of the Vaghotan River was a dock, used by the Marathas for building and repairing their ships. The port adjacent to the fort is a natural port and is still used by local fishermen.
A few years back, Oceanographic experts have discovered a submerged wall of length 100 meters east of the fort. This under-sea wall is 3 meters high, 7 meters wide and 122 meters long. The wall is composed of Laterite rock and has a depth of 8-10 meter under the sea. So when enemy ships tried to attack the fort, they collided with this underwater wall and shattered into pieces! Portuguese had lost their 2 ships in an attempt to capture Vijaydurg fort.
We visited the fort on 11th March 2024. As it was our sudden plan to visit the fort during Ganeshgule trip so we did not get much time to explore accommodation options at Vijaydurg. We booked a room at Hotel Darya (earlier name was Hotel Vijaydurg Palace), its a resto bar and we reached the place around 8pm. Honestly speaking we did not like the place and surrounding after reaching there; we felt that it was not a good place for a family to stay even for a night. But as we were not having any option as we were so tired and could not think to travel again so decided to stay as leave the place as early as possible in the morning.
But a special thanks to Hotel owner Vivek, he understood our feelings and made us little comfortable, he interacted so nicely with us. He stays there in the same building at the top floor and told us to call him in case required.
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| Sunrise seen from the fort |
We started exploring fort around 7am, there is no any time restriction to visit the fort. One can visit the fort anytime after sunrise and before the sunset, it is because there is no light arrangement in the fort.
As soon as you enter you can see Hanuman temple and fluttering Indian flag at high.
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| Way to main entrance |
The main entrance of the fort faces the north, and its structured like Gomukh (cow face) as you can see it once you reach near to it. This made it difficult for enemy to find out fort entrance from long distance. You can see cannon fireballs and some broken cannons after entering into fort area.
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| Main Entrance |
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| Jibi Gate |
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Fort wall
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| Information board at the fort |
Most of the fort walls and bastions are still intact.
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Baston at the fort
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| Making memories with my little one |
Out of the original imposing structure, some of the structures still remain including the storage area for food grains, prison, a huge water tank, and cannon.
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| Grain storage |
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| Jakhanichi Tof (Cannon) |
For the supply of water there were several wells and large tanks.
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| Well (water storage) |
The Vijaydurg fort is considered the birthplace of helium. In the 19th century, a British scientist Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer discovered the element while observing a total solar eclipse from the fort.
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| Board about Helium birth |
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| Vaghotan Creek |
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| Nice place to spend sometime |
There is a tunnel which is partially damaged now. The strong triple line of fortifications had 27 bastions, some of them two-storied. Within the citadel there were many buildings and storehouses, now all in ruins except a structure called Rest House.
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| Fort wall stands strong |
Most interesting fact about the fort is the underground escape way(hidden gate). There was also a 200 m long tunnel for evacuation during an emergency. Another end of this tunnel was in the Dhulap’s palatial house in the near village. Few caves like structures are also present inside the fort.
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| Way to hidden door |
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| Chor Waat (hidden door) |
We were back around 9.30am and pampered ourselves with lassi and ice cream at a small shop near Hotel Suruchi.
2-3 hours are enough to explore the fort properly. Carry your own water bottle, sunglass, goggles , hat & sunscreens. There are few restaurants near the Vijaydurg fort area to have food & refreshments.
Hotel Suruchi offers Konkani foods.
I recommend this place to visit during the Konkan trip if you are interested in seeing costal line fort architecture.
Useful Contacts -
Hotel Darya (Hotel Vijaydurg Palace) - 9920986532
Hotel Suruchi - 9420789482
