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Sindhudurg to

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Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg 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.

Origin of name

The district is named after the fort of Sindhudurg (which means "fort in the sea"), which lies on a rocky island just off the coast of Malvan (मालवण).

Location

Sindhudurg is bordered on the north by Ratnagiri District, on the south by the state of Goa, on the west by the Arabian Sea, and to the east across the crest of the Western Ghats or Sayadhris is Kolhapur District. Sindhudurg is part of Konkan (coastal) region, a narrow coastal plain in western Maharashtra which lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.

Climate

Sindhudurg has a semi-tropical climate and remains warm and humid in most of the year. It has three clear seasons : Rainy (June - October), winter (November-mid February) and Summer (mid February–May). Temperatures vary between Max. 32°C and monsoon winds bring heavy rains (average rainfall 3240.10 mm).

Major crops are = Rice, Mango, Cashewnut, Coconut, Vari, Nachani, Groundnut, Jackfruit, Beetlenut and spices. Sindhudurg has lot many tourist attraction spots / temples as well as historical places. Among them are the famous Sindhudurg Sea-fort at Malwan built by the Great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & other forts like Padamgad, Sarjekot, Rajkot, Nivti, Bharatgad and Bhagwantgad. At a distance of 7 km from Malwan is "Tarkarli " beach. Dhamapur lake, near from Malwan has become an attraction now. Malwan is also famous for its Seashore, Cashew nuts and the Jatra (Annual Festival) of BharadiDevi at Aangnewadi- Masure. In Devgad region, major attraction spots are– the Seashore, Vijaydurg Sea fort, & Kunkeshwar temple (Shiva, about 15 km from Devgad). Sawantwadi is famous for its Wooden Toys, Narendra Hill, Moti lake & Amboli hill station (Hiranyakeshi & Nagartas waterfall). Great Saints like Shri Satam Maharaj of Danoli, Shri Raul Maharaj of Pinguli, Shri Tembeswami of Mangaon, Shri Bhalchandra Maharaj of Kankavli belong to this Sindhudurg district. In & around Vengurla, there are lot many places to see like its clean & beautiful Seashore, Sagareshwar (Shiva) Temple, which is built in the Sands, Shri Mauli Devi Temple at Shiroda & Redi, Shri Navadurga Temple at Redi, Shri Ganesh Temple (with only two hands), Shri RamPurush Temple & Swayambhoo Shiva Temple at Redi. Also Shri Vetoba & Shri Sateri Devi Temple at Aaravali-Shiroda, shri dev giroba temple ,navladevi temple and karnekhol temple [MOCHEMAD],the Shiroda Seashore, and Shri Vetaleshwar Temple at Ajgaon are worth visiting among the others. Rameshwar (Shiva) Temple is the Gramdaivat of Vengurla. Also there is a beautiful temple of Sateri Devi in Vengurla. Shiroda has a historic importance that the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 took place here. Salt is still produced here in plenty. Soil in this Konkan region is very different, with rich greenery everywhere and a pleasant atmosphere.

People

The people of Sindhudurg District mostly speak a distinct Konkani dialect Malvani, though Marathi, Konkani and English are also spoken and understood by majority of population. Cities in the district include Sawantvadi, Kudal, Oros, Kankavli, Devgad, Vengurla and Malvan. Smaller towns include Talere, Vaibhavwadi, Shirgaon, Kharepatan, Achara, Banda and the hill resort of Amboli.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the district is popularly known as Malvani cuisine. Coconut, Rice and Fish assume prime significance in the Malavani cuisine. Seafood containing fish, especially Bangada (Soloman) Paplet (Pomfret), Prawns, Bombil (Bombay Duck) and Tisrya (Mussels) is very popular. "Kombdi Vade", a chicken savoury, is the most popular dish here. Others include Ukadya Tandulachi Pej (उकड्या तांदळाची पेज - a semi-fluid boiled preparation made of brown-red rice variety) and Sol Kadhi (सोल कढी - A preparation made of Sol (Kokum) सोल and coconut milk). Dry fish is also a local delicasy like "Golma" (dried prawns).

Mango is a major factor to the life of Sindhudurg. Varieties of Alphonso Mango (हापुस आंबा ) from Devgad are particularly popular. Other varieties of mango: Mankur (मानकुर), Pāyari (पायरी) and Karel (करेल - used for preparing Mango Pickle) are also popular for their distinct taste.

The Malvani cuisine also has many vegetarian dishes, including garyache sandan, pickle of karmal, bimble, amba halad, karadichi bhakri, kanyacha sanja, appe, ghavan, dalimichi usual, and kaju usual.

Places of attraction

• Tilari Dam (Dodamarg)
• Vengurla Website
• Redi Ganesh Vengurla
• Navadurga Temple at Redi
• Navdurga Redi
• Amboli Hill Station Sawantwadi
• Sindhudurg Fort Malvan
• Vijaydurg Fort Devgad
• Dev Kaleshwar Temple, Nerur
• Kunkeshwar temple Devgad
• Lakshminarayan Temple, Walwal
• Shri Bramhanand Swami Math, Ozar
• Shri Sai Baba Temple (oldest in India), Kudal
• Napapne Waterfall, Vaibhavwadi
• Bharadi Devi temple, Aangnewadi
• Konkan Tourism
• Achara Beach
• Shree Dev Rameshwar Temple, Achara
• Bhalchandra Maharaj Ashram, Kankavli

Beaches

• Redi
• Shiroda
• Tarkarli
• Malvan
• Vijaydurg
• Velagar
• Bhogve
• Nivti
• Khavne
• Devbaug
• Wayaangani
• Achara
• Mochemad
• Mithbaon
• Sagaareshwar(Ubhadanda)
• Chivla
• Baagayat

Divisions

The 8 talukas of this district are Devgad, Kankavli, Malvan, Kudal, Savantwadi, Vengurla and Dodamarg and Vaibhavwadi.

There are 3 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. These are Kankavli, Sawantwadi and Kudal. All of these are part of the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha constituency

Sindhudurg Fort

Sindhudurg (sindhu = sea, durg = fort) was built by the great Maratha warrior King Shivaji in 1664. Shivaji selected the strategic rocky island location, then known as 'Kurte' for the fort ,himself - to counter foreign forces, and to keep the nearby Siddis of Murud-Janjira in check.

One of the best preserved forts of the Marathas, Sindhudurg fort has zigzag rampart with 42 bastions. Apart from the huge stones, the building material involved 2000 khandis (72,576 kg) of iron erecting the massive curtain wall and bastions. A notable feature is that the foundation stones were laid down firmly with 5 khandis (181.5 kg) of molten lead.

Structural details

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 m2) 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 builder.