Text and photographs: LAKSHMI SHARATH

Published in the Hindu Metro Plus, June 29.

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“See any fort in Maharashtra and people will tell you that it was built by Shivaji Maharaj.” We turn to see a man leaning on a charpai. He grins sheepishly and walks towards us — our guide.

We are in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra gazing at the Konkan coastline where the Vijaydurg fort skirts the Arabian Sea. A lone boat bobs as a couple of fishermen gets their nets ready. We sip cool kokum sherbets to beat the evening sun as our guide begins his pitch. Yeshwanth Dhavi, in his rolled sleeves and denim shorts, looks anything but a guide. But, he soon helps me realise that there is more to the Marathas than Shivaji.

Yeshwanth tells us that the fort was not built by Shivaji, as all guide books and websites claim. It was only strengthened by him after he captured it from Adil Shah of the Bahmani Sultans in the 17th Century. Built by Raja Bhoj in the 12th Century, the fort has been ruled by various rulers, including the Yadavas and the Vijaynagar kings. Shivaji later rebuilt the fort and added the three layers of walls and numerous bastions.

Called Gheriya, Vijaydurg is surrounded by water on three sides. A creek flows around it for almost 40 km. Reddish in colour, the fort has been built using the local Jhambha stone.

Secret gates

A symbol of Maratha power, it was called the ‘Gibraltar of the Konkan’ under the Peshwas. We walk past the huge bastion or the sadashiv buruj and enter the main gate, the secret gates and tunnels until we get to the fortification. Just hiding behind a huge rock is a secret passage that takes you out of the fort.

Cannon balls litter the ground as we walk around the fort. Yeshwanth tells us that some of them were made of five metals. As we pause and examine them, Yeshwanth asks us if we had been to the Rameshwar temple en route to the fort. We had stopped at the almost underground 300-year-old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Now, Yeshwanth narrates the legend — Lord Shiva appeared in the dream of Maratha general Sambhaji Aangre, who was residing at the fort, and asked him to build a temple. And, a cannon was fired from the Vijaydurg fort to determine the location of the temple. As we climbed the bastion, we saw the vast expanse of water lashing against the shores. A couple of Brahminy kites soared in the sky looking for prey. We realised we were hungry too and made our way to the vada pav stall.

Early morning at Vengurla jetty…

(The header image on this blog is also from Vengurla).

And then a beach to ourselves at Sagareshwar. Only crows and a few fishermen for company.

Information: this was last December, over the Christmas break – we were based at Nandan Farms in Sawantwadi, just over an hour’s drive away. More coming up on the destination and Nandan Farms. Watch this space.

For now, more photographs and thoughts from Gargi.

A lazy relaxing time at Pitruchaya homestay, home of the shy but friendly Lokes – at Shirgaon in Sindhudurg district. Quiet unknown beaches, Padagar waterfalls, Vaishali’s home cooking – those modaks, the cashew curry and the solkadi… for the non vegetarians, the fresh fish and the stuffed chicken, starry nights and sunny days…

The home is in the middle of nowhere – or so it seems – despite the fact that it is bang on the state highway that leads to Devgadh. You cross the tiny market of Shirgaon and drive for another 2 minutes and there, in isolated splendor, Pitruchaya stands welcoming visitors.

There are two rooms on the ground floor, done up with great taste in the way of all Culture Aangan homes, using bamboo and other natural materials. The open aangan or courtyard leads to the kitchen and the garden behind the house. And the pillars painted by the same artist who has painted the trees in the Pinguli Arts Complex, a nice touch.

But the best room is the one on the terrace – well ventilated and breezy. Here, the pièce de résistance is the bathroom on the terrace – with a huge bathtub and open to the elements in a way that is utterly relaxing, yet private and secluded.

The garden is large and right now, running a bit wild – but here, we sit up in the mornings spotting birds and other fauna – we even have a regular visitor in the form of a garden lizard. And late in the night, dinner over and feeling completely sated, we sit on the terrace under the open star-lit sky. Till the breeze and the good food lulls us into sleep.

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