Kolaba was considered one of the most important naval bases of Shivaji Maharaj. The fort situated to the south of Mumbai is about 35 kms away from Mumbai in the konkan region of Maharashtra. The fort is inside the sea at the distance of about 2 km from the shores of Alibaug beach. It is now the most popular tourist attractions on Maharashtra. It is said that Shivaji Maharaj made the fort in 1680 making it about 300 years old but still it is very strong.
As mentioned earlier it was one an important naval base of Shivaji Maharaj. He used to raid British ships from these fort for which he renovated the fort and made it more powerful. Darya Sagar and manik Bhandari were in charge of this fort and under their regime, the fort got its power to raid many of the British ships. There are two entrances to this fort one at the seaside and other towards the beach of Alibaug. The most interesting feature of this fort is that it contains fresh water well inside its premises. In monsoon, season boats are used to reach the fort during high tide however, during low tide it can be reached by walking. The fort has 25 ft walls on all its side making it very safe for Shivaji Maharaj’s army.
Like a normal fort Kolaba fort also contains numerous number of guns facing sea to destroy the enemies before they get to fort. Also the fort contains number of temples including the Siddhivinayak Temple.
Kolaba Fort Map
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How To Reach
Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai (BOM) 73 km.
Nearest railhead is Vir Dasgaon 47 kms.
Situated in the sea, at a distance of 1-2 km from the shores of Alibag, stands the magnificent sea fortress named Kolaba. This ancient military fortification in the Konkan region of Maharashtra is an extremely popular tourist destination.
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