Vijaydurg Fort

Vijaydurg Fort stands at the tip of the Vijaydurg peninsula in Devgad taluka of Sindhudurg district, said to be the oldest fort on this coast. It was first built under the Shilahara king Bhoja II around 1200 and was known as Gheria after the nearby village of Girye. Shivaji took it from the Adil Shahis of Bijapur in 1653, renamed it 'fort of victory', added three tall walls on the east and 20 bastions, and made it a base for Maratha warships. The shallow Waghotan creek beside it kept out large ships but hid Maratha vessels from the sea.

Kanhoji Angre made Vijaydurg his capital in 1698, and under him it held off British and Dutch attacks, earning the name 'Eastern Gibraltar'. In 1756 a British force under Admiral Watson attacked; fire destroyed the Angre fleet at the creek mouth, and Colonel Clive's marines took the fort. Today the sea surrounds it on three sides, it covers about 17 acres, and fishermen still use the harbour beside it.