The Fearsome Vijaydurg Fort Europe Called the Eastern Gibraltar

Every year or during special occasions, we visit my paternal ancestral house in Devgad, Sindhudurg. I have always wanted to see Vijaydurg Fort but never had the chance to visit it. This year, we decided to explore it. The day was full of surprises, shock, and chaos, but I loved being here. Ask most people what fort they want to see in Sindhudurg, and you’ll get the same answer: Sindhudurg Fort in Malvan. It is spectacular and easy to reach.

But there is another fort up at the northern end of our district, and it is older, stronger, and more impressive. Vijaydurg Fort has stood the test of time, and European navies threw everything they had at it and went home. And in 2025, UNESCO finally put it on the World Heritage list as part of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India. If you have room for one more fort on your Konkan trip, make Vijaydurg Fort part of it.

Why is Vijaydurg Fort worth seeing?

‘Eastern Gibraltar’ aka Vijaydurg Fort was built in the 12th century by Raja Bhoj II of the Shilahar dynasty. It is one of the oldest forts on the Sindhudurg coast. It was built between 1193 and 1205 and called Gheria then, after the nearby village of Girye. Later restructured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was taken from the Adilshahi rulers and given the name it carries now: Vijaydurg, the fort of victory. A Maratha naval stronghold that held off the British, Dutch, and Portuguese for decades, it earned a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2025. It stands on laterite ramparts with the Arabian Sea wrapping around three sides; you understand instantly why its enemies called it unconquerable.

Why does Vijaydurg feel different from other forts?

The coastal fort holds its grip on the land and fiery ocean waters. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj rebuilt it into the backbone of the Maratha navy, and later, under the admiral Kanhoji Angre, it became the base from which the Marathas held the Arabian Sea. Try to walk inside, and you are on the wall people actually died trying to climb. I climbed up on one side with my dad (all thanks to my Army genes). It felt surreal to be at the top of the fort, seeing the structure from above and, on the other side, the vast ocean and beach.

How do you reach Vijaydurg Fort?

The fort is at the tip of Vijaydurg in Devgad taluka, and the last leg is always by road.

Pune to Chipi by air. Sindhudurg Airport at Chipi is the nearest airport.

Chipi to Vijaydurg. Around 90 to 100 km, roughly two and a half to three hours by road, heading north through Kankavli and Devgad. Book a car in advance.

Pune to Vijaydurg. About 370 km, eight to nine hours. Most drivers go through a common route: NH-48 to Karad, then Kokrud, Anuskura ghat, Rajapur and down. Try to leave early and cover the ghats in daylight.

Mumbai to Vijaydurg. Roughly 440 to 485 km depending on route, nine to eleven hours, mostly NH-66 through Chiplun and Rajapur.

By train. Rajapur Road and Kankavli on the Konkan Railway are your best stations, and you can cover the rest by car.

Two things I tell everyone before they go

Wear proper shoes. I mean it. This is not a landscaped monument; it has uneven laterite, rampart edges with a genuine drop beside them. Closed shoes with grip.

Do not come in peak summer or heavy monsoon. The fort has locals who graze their herds inside, and the age-old strong trees give amazing shade. October to March is the window: kind light and proper view right down the coast. Always carry a water bottle and a cap or umbrella.

I say the rain part with feeling, because of what happened to us here.

My mom lost her phone somewhere on this fort. We realised it partway back and turned, but by the time it had started pouring, the kind of Konkan rain that arrives and does not stop at all for an hour. All of us searched. Wet laterite underfoot, water running off each surface, and a fort that is very large and unhelpful when you are looking for one small object in it. We did not find it. On the way home, we stopped and registered a police complaint.

And then, three months later, the police traced it. We still haven’t received it yet, but we will soon.

My techno-savvy husband did it all, right from tracking it online via Google Find Hub and filing the complaint. So the memory of Vijaydurg is a bittersweet one for me: that panicked rain search and today’s joy of relief of getting it back. Don’t forget to keep your phone safe in your pocket or bags.

Vijaydurg is not a fort you take a small peek at and tick off. It is eight centuries of coastal defence that you can walk straight into and relive history by stepping foot on the land. Vijaydurg Fort still gets my strongest recommendation.

Also, read this.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Mister Tikku.