Create awareness about the glorifying history of Vijaydurg Fort ! – Advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, National President, Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad
Vijaydurg, the powerhouse of the Maratha Empire, is the fort in Sindhu-Durga district which is the witness of our glorifying history. Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre worked for strengthening Maratha naval power and fought back the other naval powers in the form of the British, Siddhi of Janjira, pirates and the Portuguese; but till today, enough material is not available for giving detailed information on this fort; not just from the viewpoint of tourism but also from the historical and naval viewpoint. The people of Maharashtra do not know the way very few sailors could defeat the East India Company’s invasion. There is one board of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation that is in dilapidated condition and is inadequate. Vijaydurg’s victory should be known to all and its glorifying history should be revived, stated advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, the national President of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad (HVP).
Chhatrapati Shivaraya took over this fort in 1653 and named it Vijaydurg. The stone wall built for safeguarding this ancient fort from attacks from the sea is one of the best examples of architecture. In 1998, the National Institute of Oceanography, a government institution in Goa had inspected Vijaydurg and its surrounding areas and published an important report on the same which says, ‘the construction of the wall by arranging stones below water for building 122 metres long and 3 metres tall wall is very unique. This compound wall created problems of dashing and breaking for the big ships owned by the Mughals, the British or the Portuguese. The ships, which Marathas had, were light and small; therefore, they didn’t face any problem. Such construction should be considered as wondrous planning in the construction history of the Marathas. Nothing has, however, been discussed about it so far. The construction of a dockyard in Waghotan River which is 3 kilometers from this fort and the construction with stones for anchoring the ships is also quite special.
Advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar has submitted a memorandum to Maharashtra’s Tourism and Cultural Minister and the President and Secretary of the committee set up for preservation and maintenance of the forts, with the following demands.
1.The Government should extensively advertise the research carried out on Vijaydurg Fort.
2.Further research should be undertaken using the latest technology, based on the research report of 1998.
3.The glorifying history of historical places should be published in school textbooks and available even on the Government’s websites.
