Padmadurg, Sea fort in Raigad district, India

Padmadurg is a sea fort on a low, elongated island in the Arabian Sea, built of dark grey stone with a continuous row of rounded, crenellated battlements along the outer wall. Six squat bastions project from the corners and along the rampart, and a single flat-roofed building stands on the highest central part. A narrow, slanting channel cuts down to the waterline on the far left.

Shivaji Maharaj built Padmadurg in 1676 on the turtle-shaped island of Kasa, about 4 km northwest of Janjira, to curb the Siddis' naval power. In 1759 Maratha forces under Raghuji Angre retook it from the Siddis together with Underi. It also served as Shivaji's main shipbuilding yard.

The name Padmadurg likely comes from the lotus-petal shape of the large bastion facing the main gate. The fort's two parts, the main fort and the detached padkot, are joined by lime mortar between stones; after three and a half centuries of salt spray the stone has worn 5 to 10 cm, yet the lime joints hold. Local Koli fishermen from Dandarajapuri take visitors across by boat after reading the sea and weather.

Access to the island is possible only by boat from the mainland, so plan your transportation ahead of time. You will also need official permission from authorities before entering the fort complex.

Excavations in 2012 uncovered around 250 historical cannonballs scattered throughout the fort, indicating fierce naval combat once took place here. These discoveries reveal the intensity of armed conflicts the site experienced in earlier centuries.