Anjidiv, Tal. Canacona , Dist. Salsette (South Goa)

Island Fort

Things to see:

The island is located off Binaga village near Karwar. The island has small fort which is built in Portuguese style. There is one church in the fort.

Past:

The name of the island comes from the Sanskrit word Anjani Dweep. The island has been visited by many foreigners in the history especially explorers and traders and finds its mention in Arab and Roman records. The island was under the rule of Kadambas of Goa who built a small temple on the island reamins of which have been found duirng some archeological excavations. Anjidiv island was visited by Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer in 1498 and was the first region which came under Portuguese control during his visit. In 1505 they constructed a fort on this island. The temple of Aryadurga was converted by Portuguese into a church. The idol of the goddess was moved by the local Hindus to Ankola in nearby Karwar district. The building of fort made Sultan of Bijapur Adilshah to feel threatened and it resulted into an attack on this island fort. It was unsuccessful and so were all the attacks made by the native Indian rulers which include Shivaji's son Sambhaji, Peshavas and Haidar. The fort later on lost importance as the possibility of attack on the island was least after complete control of British over the remaining territory of India. To mock Indian anti Liqour policies, Portuguese government of Goa started operating liquor shop on the island and it was mostly sold to the people who used to come from the mainland which was part of India. The fort was the first part of the Goa which lost to Indian forces on 18 December 1961 during Goa Freedom Movement. The whole operation is known as Operation Vijay.

Present:

There is naval base on and around the island. It is known as Project Seabird and it is the largest naval base on the eastern side of Suez.

Nearby attractions:
Karwar town, Kali river creek

How to reach:

By your own vehicle:

Follow the route as given below to reach,

A causeway connects Anjidiv with Karwar.

By public transport:

Karwar can be reached Karnataka ST buses operating from Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur and Goa. It is also connected to Mumbai and Goa by Konkan Railway route and has direct trains from these places to Karwar.

Nearby Places for stay:

Karwar