Khanderi (officially ''Kanhoji Angre island'') is an island with a fort, located south of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, along the coast of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Location

Khanderi is located 5 km off the coast of

(off Thal, Kihim) and 20 km south of

. Khanderi, along with its sister fort

Underi Underi (also called Jaidurg) is a fortified island near the mouth of Mumbai harbour south of Prong's Lighthouse. It is a companion fort to Khanderi and currently lies in Raigad district, Maharashtra. These islands of Khanderi and Underi served ...

(Jaidurg) formed the major fortification along the Maharashtra coast, the former falling under Shivaji's control and the latter under his opponents, the Siddis. The island consists of two high hills, one facing north and the other facing south. Initially, the islands of Underi and Khanderi were uninhabited. It contained two wells to supply water to the forces within, and a temple of Sri Betal. The fort is a restricted area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. Additionally, the fort has a few old metal canons, the tomb of Daud Pir, a local saint and a musical stone that emits metallic musical notes when struck. There is a one secret way for going on the Kulaba fort of Alibag.

History

In 1679, Khanderi was occupied by the forces of Shivaji under the leadership of

Maynak Bhandari Maynak Bhandari was one of the first chiefs or Admiral of the Maratha Navy under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and helped in both building the Maratha Navy and safeguarding the coastline of the emerging Maratha Empire. Under his leadership, Marat ...

, who oversaw the building of the fortifying walls. Subsequently, Khanderi fort was built during the reign of the

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

king

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

Maharaj in 1679 CE to keep a check on the

Siddi The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, or Habshi are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa and Ethiopia, most whom arrived to ...

s at

Murud-Janjira Murud-Janjira () is the local name of a famous fort and tourist spot situated on an island just off the coastal town/city of Murud, Raigad, Murud, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. Origins of the name The word Janjira is a corrupti ...

fort and was the site of many battles between Shivaji's forces and the navy of Siddi. In 1813 Manaji Angre handed over the fort to Peshve in return of the support given against Baburao. The fort was subsequently ceded in 1818 to the forces of the

British East India company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

as part of the Peshwa territory. Most of the fort is still intact, with the most prominent structure being a lighthouse built by the British in June 1867 and the two storey building upon which the lighthouse is located. The lighthouse is 22 feet high and can be seen from up to 13 km away. In 1998, Khanderi island was renamed Kanhoji Angre Island in honour of the

Admiral

Kanhoji Angre Kanhoji Angre (Marathi: कान्होजी आंग्रे, Help:IPA/Marathi, anʱod͡ʒiː aːŋɡɾe, also known as Conajee Angria or Sarkhel Angré (August 1669 – 4 July 1729) was a chief of the Maratha Navy in present-day Ind ...

. In September 2013, The Indian Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Shipping drew up plans to develop Khanderi island and its octagonal

light house A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

as a tourist destination.

References

{{Forts in Maharashtra Forts in Raigad district Islands of Maharashtra Sea forts