Some of the forts in Konkan have been destroyed with time and some forts have been recorded only in the pages of history. The question arises as to whether these forts, which appear to be mentioned in the historical documents, did exist or not? The fort that holds some secrets about its existence is the fort of Tondavli. As the location of the Tondavli fort in Malvan taluka is not exactly known, this fort is like a question mark for historians today. Tondavli village is at a distance of 18 km from Malvan city and 8 km from Sarjekot. The remains of this fort are not to be found in the village of Tondavli, although, the path of a stone staircase at the back of the Vagheshwar temple in the village leads to a 150 feet high hill at the back. At the end of the road is a hill plateau with a flagpole. The part on the edge of the plateau appears to be separated from the ridge in some places. ... It seems that these rocks were probably separated from the plateau to make the path coming from the ridge to the plateau more difficult. But no firm statement can be made about the existence of the fort. A 5x8 feet cave can be seen carved in the rock near the road near the Vagheshwar temple. A 2x3 foot door has been carved to enter the cave. After the conquest of Vijaydurg by Tulaji Angre in 1756, the region came under the control of Peshwas. Later, in 1761, Dhulap started building a wooden rampart at Tondavli on the bank of the kolamb Bay. The fort is mentioned in a treaty signed between Karveerkar and the Peshwa on 19 January 1773. In it, Karveerkar has suggested that the construction of the fort be prohibited as it is near Sarjekot in his possession, over this, the Peshwas assured him that the fort won’t be continued to build here. But since this treaty wasn’t finalized it is not sure if he built the fort or not.
© Suresh Nimbalkar