# Kelve Fort

- **Country:** India

Kelve Fort, also known as Kelva Fort, is a historic sea fort situated in the Thane district of Maharashtra, India. Located approximately 12.5 kilometers from Palghar within the Mangelwada area of Kelve village, the structure rests amidst a Casuarina plantation on Kelwa Beach. Constructed originally by the Portuguese Empire, the fort is built from black basalt stone and features a rectangular design with four triangular bastions at its corners. Its entrance consists of an east-facing gate followed immediately by a second gate positioned at a right angle. A unique geographical feature of the site is that nearly half of the fortification lies buried below the level of the surrounding sandy beach.

The historical significance of Kelve Fort spans several centuries of colonial and regional conflict. In 1727, Portuguese records indicated a small garrison stationed there with largely unserviceable artillery. Following the siege of Vasai Fort by Chimaji Appa, the Maratha Empire successfully captured the installation on January 10, 1739. Control later shifted to the British Army in 1818, remaining under British rule until Indian independence in 1947. After years of neglect, the half-buried structure was notably unearthed during excavation efforts between 2008 and 2009, revealing its submerged foundations.

Today, the fort exists in a ruined condition but remains under the ownership of the Government of India and is open to the public. Despite its status as a ruin, the outer walls, steps, parapets, and bastions retain solid masonry and are described as being in excellent order, making them worth visiting for history enthusiasts. As a former military installation on the Konkan coast, it serves as a tangible reminder of the region's strategic maritime past and the successive powers that vied for control over the western Indian shoreline.

![Photo of Kelve Fort](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Kelve_Fort_03.jpg)

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