Echoes of the Marathas: A journey through Vijaydurg's  fort

It’s been around 20 days since I shifted to Devgad. This place is filled with sukoon. I visited nearby places, and the sea has stolen my heart.

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Jasmine and I planned to visit Vijaydurg Fort. I heard it’s surrounded by the sea. We rode on my bike and started our journey to Vijaydurg Fort.

The Konkan region is beautiful the green, lush fields and forests, the peaceful, less populated roads, and the raw beauty of the surroundings made our journey wonderful. We were listening to music and enjoying this rare sunny day. Usually, it rains nowadays, but today was a bright day.

We reached Vijaydurg Fort around 2:30 pm. The Arabian Sea looked majestic. There was a big jetty in the sea, and the area was quiet.

We entered the fort. At first, it looked like there were no explorers around, but then we found some people curiously exploring the underground passages inside. The fort had 36-meter-high walls with 27 bastions. I’ll come back to visiting those bastions later in this blog.

The walls were so high, and the fort felt grand. The flora was flourishing. We climbed some stairs and entered through the main gate-it’s called Jibhicha Darwaja. I was amazed by the moss-covered gate; it looked beautiful and raw.

We saw more stairs and took them to reach a place where there was a Shivaling. From this spot, I could see the beach, a temple, and some construction. There seemed to be a way leading down and another straight path, but we didn’t take the straight one-it looked dense with vegetation and unknown.

We also saw giant waves crashing toward the shore with incredible intensity. The sun was beating down hard, and I was lost in the moment when a slow shower began. It felt so good when the rain touched my skin in the scorching heat.

Jasmine and I ended up talking about life. There are some moments in life amidst nature when you feel extremely calm just by connecting with the pure nature around you.

Then we got up and walked toward all the bastions. From each one, we witnessed the roaring sea. While returning, we lost our way and found no clear path to exit the fort. But we weren’t mindless-we searched for another way. I remembered noticing a path earlier that looped around the fort and sloped downward. We decided to go back and try it.

We went to the beach and sat near the shore. The sea was far, so I told Jasmine either we should leave or go closer to the water. She chose to stay by the beach and enjoy her alone time. Being a water baby, I went near water, tried not to step into the waves… but eventually gave in. I let the water enter my shoes, soak my cargos.

I stood still and observed the gigantic waves for at least half an hour. They were so powerful, beaming brightly under the sun. The sun was burning my face, but the water cooled my feet. It peeked from behind the clouds, at times looking like the moon. What a breathtaking view it was. I started to introspect about many things in life. I don’t know if I found any answers, but in those moments, I felt minuscule, like nothing is truly in our control when we’re standing before the vastness of nature.

This fort a true masterpiece that showcases not only the naval strength but also the unimaginable strategic brilliance of the Marathas. This fort is known as the Eastern Gibraltar for being nearly impregnable. It should definitely be on your travel list if you’re visiting Konkan and love exploring historic monuments.