Good Morning!

Trek to Khanderi Fort

16th Nov 2008

Boat

Launch

Train

Autowalk

Taxi

Car

Small Creek

Khanderi Fort Underi

Fort

Khanderi Fort

UnderiFort

Khanderi Fort

Launch from Gateway of India (715AM)

Gateway of India and Taj Hotel

Yuvi, Hitesh, Soumya, Amar and Sandesh

Hitesh, Soumya and Amar

Early birds

Sea Gulls shot by Aba

Welcome to Birdwatchers Club

Aba, Rajeev, Rujula and Yuvi

Rujula feeling cold

Mandava Jetty (Alibag) - After 45 min

Mr. Babu Rane’s house for breakfast and lunch

Alibag – Boss, yeh apun ka area hai …Sandesh

Garam Garam Pohe

One has to time the boating with this time table

Trees on beach save land erosion and also from Tsunami

Long walk to boat pick up point at Awas beach

Boat can be seen on other side, bring brought to this shore

Till the boat arrives…

Soham with MoKa (Motha Kaka)

Now I know, I can

Fishing for breakfast?

Inviting younger ones to water

Hmmm, we are thinking.

OK….we give it a try

Its Sandesh and not ABA for a change (its Alibag, Boss) doing

the stunts this time

O Maazi Re….

Trek Starts

Category: Leisure

Altitude diff: 0-5 ft

Whats that?

Chacha - Bhatija

I AM LOVING IT.

Khanderi Fort

The Khanderi Fort is 3-4 km into the sea from Thai beach. The fort was built in the year 1678. The Fort stands on a small island. A lighthouse was constructed later on. The fort

was under the British control for a long time.

The various attempts made by the British to capture the island fort of Khanderi were not fruitful till the year 1750. The Fort was finally handed over to the British as part of the

Peshwa territory.

Today the Khanderi Fort is under Bombay Port trust administration. The fort can be visited in local boats with the permission of the Bombay port trust.

After 1.5 hr of boating

Shivaji’s Naval Commander

Small jetty

Sandesh is enjoying (?)

Horizontal trek this time

Vetaal Mandir –Firshermen’s Local God

Around the Fort

Cannons everywhere

Fun time

Soham enjoying a Cannon

Yuvi’s replacement (without the Bak-Bak)

Underi fort as seen from Khanderi Fort

Hello

Other side of the fort

Waves hitting the walls of the fort

There is a room here

2 BHK Flat with 24 hrs load shedding

Small well for drinking water

Size of the stones is too big

The fallen walls of fort on the right side

Sandesh facing the Cannon

Looking back

Opening in the fort wall to sea –Note the width

Light House

Mumbai Port Trust office

(Entry restricted)

A confused tree (where to grow?)

The tree has grown horizontally (it’s not a fallen tree)

Everything is Horizontal here

Banyans have been called "trees that walk”.Roots become new trunks.

A small Kabar

Back to square one.

The jetty and our boat can be seen here

An apple for each one

Nature

Underi fort

Soham is enjoying thoroughly.

Kite on the beach shot

by ABA

Tired, us?

Its 330 PM

Lunch – Pomphret, Surmai and Prawns

From Mandava to Gateway of India

Everybody is tired

DOSTANA

Sea Gulls superbly shot by ABA

Sea Gulls superbly shot by ABA

Around 18 km into the sea from Mumbai’s east coast and 5 km from Alibaug, one of the twin scenic island forts Khanderi and Underi is now back into the state government fold

after it was illegally sold by its caretakers nearly two years ago.

The state has now officially declared the Underi Fort—that was sold at a paltry Rs 2 crore to a businessman—as a reserved monument.

A little towards the north of Alibaug and just 300 meters from Khanderi fort, the Underifort was built by Siddi Qasam Johar of Janjira in 1680 to defeat the Maratha who ruled Khanderi. In 1732, Sekhoji Angre first attacked this fort but Siddi temporarily handed it

over to the British to save it from the Marathas. However, in 1759, the Marathas defeated the British and Siddi and won the fort. After an end to the Peshwa rule in 1818,

it went to the British who later handed it over to India after Independence.

The Khanderi was fortified by Shivaji in 1678-79 by building a wall along the entire perimeter of the island. In total ruin, there is a functional lighthouse.

Khanderi is under the control of the Mumbai Port Trust. The beautiful twin forts of Alibaug are now being eyed as the next major tourist destination due the lush green

beauty of the coast and its scenic surroundings.

Jai Hind

Jai Maharashtra