Sindhudurg Fort : Operational Demonstration
The Indian Navy is preparing to demonstrate its operational capabilities in a grand ‘Operational Demonstration’ on Navy Day at Sindhudurg Fort in Maharashtra.
- Sindhudurg Fort is a historical fort that occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in western India.
- The fortress lies on Kurte Island, very near the coast of Malvan town in Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, 450 kilometres south of Mumbai.
- The fort was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj of the Maratha Empire.
- The construction of the fort began in 1664 and took three years to complete.
- The main objective was to counter the rising influence of foreign colonisers (English, Dutch, French, and Portuguese merchants) and to curb the rise of the Siddis of Janjira.
- It is spread over 48 acres with fortified walls that are 29 feet high and 12 feet thick and stretch for two miles.
- As many as 52 bastions with embrasures for cannons guard its walls.
- One can enter the fort through the Dilli Darwaja, the main gate. Because of its architectural design, the gate is visible only from close quarters and seems to be part of the walls.
- It is surrounded by several smaller forts, such as Padmagad, Rajkot, and Sarjekot Forts.
- A handprint and footprint of the Maratha King are embedded on a slab within the fort.
- A small temple dedicated to the Chhatrapati also finds a place within the bounds of the fort.
