# Durgadi Fort

- **Country:** India

Durgadi Fort is a historic hill fort and land battery situated in Kalyan, near Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, India. Constructed beside the Kalyan creek, the fortification was initiated during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and officially completed in 1694 under his successor, Aurangzeb. Architecturally, it serves as a strategic military installation that has evolved over centuries. The site holds profound religious significance as it houses both a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Durga and a mosque within its upper premises. This unique coexistence makes it a sacred landmark for both Hindus and Muslims, though the location has historically been considered communally sensitive, necessitating the permanent deployment of State Reserve Police Force personnel to maintain security and order.

The fort possesses a rich and turbulent history marked by shifts in power between major Indian empires. It was captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1654, who utilized the site as a crucial naval dockyard to construct ships for the nascent Maratha navy, employing hundreds of Portuguese artisans for the task. Following Shivaji's era, the fort changed hands multiple times between the Marathas and the Mughals before eventually coming under the control of the Peshwas, who successfully repelled a Portuguese attack in 1728. During the British Raj, unfortunately, many stones from the original fort walls were dismantled and used to construct piers in Kalyan and Thane, altering its original structure.

Today, Durgadi Fort remains open to the public, although it is currently listed as being under restoration. Local civic authorities, specifically the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, have undertaken efforts to preserve the site by constructing new entrance gates and developing gardens around the perimeter. Despite the theft of the original deity idol in the late nineteenth century and the loss of some masonry during colonial rule, the fort stands as an enduring testament to the region's maritime heritage and complex socio-religious fabric. Visitors can still explore the ancient entrance gates and the spiritual structures that define this unique historical monument.

![Photo of Durgadi Fort](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Durgadi_fort_in_1900%27s.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durgadi_Fort (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)