A Visit to the Suvarnadurg Fort In Search of History and Adventure
My friend from work told me a fascinating story about a fort in Maharashtra that remains hidden within forbidden territory. Locals there dissuade visitors from entering the fort as it is home to many wild animals. And indeed, there are carved figures of elephants, eagles and even tigers inside. I was frankly wonder struck. A fort right here in Maharashtra rich in history, and one that’s full of wild animals! It seemed incredible. And so I decided to visit the fort, come what may. My historian friend assured me though, that it was safe to visit the fort. So off I went with my camera and rucksack.
I am referring to the Suvarnadurg Fort, which is sometimes also referred to as the Harnai Bunder. It is located on a small island on the Arabian Sea in the Konkan coast. There are some other forts in the region. I had plans to visit some of them at least.
I took a train and reached Harnai. I went to the fishing village and arranged a boat to take me there. I didn’t have to do too much coaxing. That’s a good start.
It looked like an imposing structure as I was approaching the island. With waters of the Arabian Sea surrounding the fort, the setting was certainly impressive. There is no landing jetty here. There’s just a small sandy beach. There are two gates in the fort – one from the sea, and the other towards the land. I entered through the sea gate.
My first impression was that Suvarnadurg was an extremely strong fort. I couldn’t find any mortars on the walls. Huge squares were used to raise the ramparts. I noticed several gates and bastions on the western side. Inside the fort, I came across many water tanks, buildings, and a place where ordinances were held. They are all in ruins now of course. But the two bastions, though broken, stand to this day. I took quite a few pictures of the bastions, the sandy beach, gates and ramparts.
I was told that Suvarnadurg was constructed by the Bijapur Kings during the 17th century. It eventually became a Maratha stronghold after Shivaji captured it. The fort was also used as a naval base by the English. So it’s got quite a history.
Yes, indeed, I could see the carved figures of elephants, tigers and eagles inside Suvarnadurg. However, call me lucky, or unlucky, I couldn’t see any living wild animals inside.
