A tour to Alibaug is not completed without a visit to the Kolaba Fort. Built by Shivaji Maharaja in 1860 AD, is situated 2 km inside the sea and is visited during low tides only. This 300 years old magnificent fort holds several extrinsic carvings of peacocks, elephants and tigers at the entrance.
Kolaba Fort (sometimes Kulaba Fort) is an old military fortification in India. Kolaba Fort is located at the distance of around 1 km from the Alibaug Beach in the coastal town of Alibaug. This sea fort was constructed by Maratha warrior, Shivaji Maharaj, which has 25 ft high, 350 ft wide and 900 ft long walls. The fort dates back to around 300 years and was built in 1680. It gained prominence due to the various battles between the Marathas and the Siddis, the British and the Portuguese.
The entrance arch of the fort has numerous carvings of elephants, peacocks and tigers. Near the entrance gate, many shrines of god and goddesses are present including Padmavathi, Sri Ganesh, Mahishasura, the fort-deity and Kanifnath. In 1759, Shri Ganesh Temple was built by Raghoji Angre in front of the sweet water tank.
The average height of the fort walls is 25 feet. It has two main entrances, one on the sea side and the other towards Alibag. An interesting feature of this fort is that it has freshwater wells in its premises even though it is a seaside fort. In the monsoons, the fort can be reached by wading through waist-deep water at low tide. However, at high tide, boats must be used to reach it.
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