Suvarnadurg Fort

En un regard

Le château en bref

Suvarnadurg, the "golden fort", occupies a rocky islet in the Sea of Oman, a few hundred metres off the coast of Harnai, in Ratnagiri district. Its ramparts of large stone blocks follow the outline of the rock, whose edges were levelled to support the masonry, and enclose a platform of about eight acres. The main entrance, concealed between two massive bastions on the gomukh gate principle, is marked by a relief of Hanuman and a tortoise carved on a step. Inside, wells and cisterns, granaries, a stone powder magazine and a small hidden gate on the western side survive. The fort worked in tandem with the mainland works of Kanakdurg, Fattegad and Goa, which watched over its approaches. Once a base of the Maratha navy, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 2025 and is under the Archaeological Survey of India; it is reached by boat from Harnai.