Khanderi Fort - tourmet

Views:

Sight Address : Khanderi Fort is located in Alibaug, 4 Km from Main Town, Raigad, India. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Khanderi Fort is an ancient sea fortress that is situated in Raigad District in the state of Maharashtra. The island fortification is almost 20 km off the coast of the city of Mumbai. The structure was built in 1660 CE by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire. The geographical coordinate of the site is latitude 18.7042°N 72.8131°E. Khanderi and Underi are the forts built on two Islands near Thal, very near to Alibaug. The forts still stand proud in the Arabian Sea as they stood against the British and the Siddi in 17th century, and their walls are still intact. We can see the iron canons with cart wheels on Khanderi, which are rarely found in Maharashtra.

Khanderi Fort

HistoryEdit

Shivaji Maharaj selected the island of Khanderi to fortify it to keep a check on the British trade route to Mumbai and northward ports. He tried building the fort in 1672, but the British were sceptical and tried to siege the fort. The Marathas retreated, only to return back in 1679. Under the leadership of Maynak Bhandari, 150 men were garrisoned on Khanderi to complete the fortification. The English warned the Marathas, who did not pay heed to them. The Marathas continued their work without hindrance. The British then deputed their warships to block the supplies to the Marathas and stop their work. The Marathas till then had improvised a lot in their naval strategy, and deployed shallow vessels that could travel in low tide. Daulat Khan, another brave naval officer of Shivaji, defended the British from Khubladha fort of Thal and dispatched the supplies in the small boats during low tide, when huge British ships could not sail. Finally, Khanderi was completed and the British signed a truce with Marathas in 1680. On 8th March 1701, Siddi Yakut Khan attacked Khanderi, but had to retreat. In 1718, the British attacked this fort with a big fleet of warships. Mankoji Suryavanshi defended the fort with 500 men for almost a month, due to which the British had to retreat back. In 1814, the Peshwas took over the fort from Angres, who got it back in 1817. It went into the hands of the British in 1818.

Must SeeEdit

Popular

Visiting TimeEdit

N.A.

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

October to March

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

1-2 Hours.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

Aparanta ; Radisson Blu Resort & Spa – Alibag, 402209, India ; Ph/M – N.A. ; Food Serve – Indian.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Taxis are another way to get around town. They can be hired from nearby cities and used for local transport as well. Taxis charge around Rs 1500 per day. A/C taxis and SUV’s such as Toyota Qualis are also available.

BUS : By bus : MSRTC buses should be available from various parts of Maharashtra. If you are leaving from Mumbai, then you have an option of boarding MSRTC buses, leaving every 30 mins – 1 hr from the Mumbai Central Bus Station. Though they might be uncomfortable, they top in terms of punctuality. Remember to grab a window seat!
Private buses can be chartered – a good option if you are going in a large group.

Train : The nearest station is at Gholvad Station (2 km) from which one can take bus, taxi or rickshaw to Alibaug. Train services between Mumbai and Surat stop at this station. Panvel is another nearest station which is at a distance of 49 kms from Alibaug.

Air : The nearest airport is Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, which is 179 km away.

Others : By boat : There are ferries and catamarans available from the Gateway of India, Mumbai. The journey takes 2 hours. However, service is suspended during the rains, i.e. May-October. The ferry takes you to Rewas and you are taken on a bus to Alibag. The cost of the bus trip is usually included in the ferry fare. This is the recommended way of getting to Alibag.