Cite
MLA
“Shivaji’s navy and the sea forts.” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/samudra/shivaji-navy/. Accessed .
APA
Hindu History. (2026). Shivaji’s navy and the sea forts. Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/samudra/shivaji-navy/
What defines it
- 01
Shipbuilding begun at Kalyan–Bhiwandi after 1657
- 02
Sindhudurg founded at Malvan, November 1664
- 03
Khanderi held against the English, 1679
- 04
Indian Navy ensign of 2022 draws on Shivaji’s seal
01Ships from Kalyan
After taking Kalyan and Bhiwandi in 1657, Shivaji began building ships in their creeks. He saw that whoever held the sea held the Konkan: the Siddis of Janjira raided from their island fort, and the Portuguese and English sold passes for the right to sail. His fleet grew into gurabs, the larger gun-carrying ships, and galbats, fast oared craft. Its commanders included Mainak Bhandari and Daulat Khan.
02Sindhudurg
On a rocky island off Malvan, Shivaji laid the foundation of Sindhudurg in November 1664, and it was finished in about three years. Its walls run nearly 4 km around the island, and its bastions are hidden from the sea by the rocks around the entrance. Inside stands the Shivrajeshwar temple, raised by his son Rajaram, with impressions in lime said to be Shivaji’s hand and foot. Vijaydurg, Suvarnadurg and Khanderi were strengthened or built as part of the same chain.
03On the Navy’s flag
In 1679 Shivaji’s men fortified Khanderi island off Bombay and held it against the English. On 2 September 2022 the Indian Navy adopted a new ensign whose crest sits in an octagon drawn from Shivaji’s royal seal, and in December 2023 Navy Day was held at Sindhudurg.
