Vijaydurg

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Vijaydurg (formerly also known as Gheriah) is a seaport 425 km from Bombay on India's West Coast. It boasts a safe harbour with average depths in excess of 100 feet.

From Vijaydurg, Goa is a four-hour drive South along the National Highway 17. The beach facing the Arabian Sea has a historic fort (approx. 800 years old) from which the town/seaport derives its name. The region offers a very panoramic view of the creek and the fort. It has a number of virgin beaches close by.

Vijaydurg sports a peace-loving cosmopolitan population. There is a historic temple, a church and mosque. Other locations include:

• Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre's Naval Base and Dry Dock.
• A vast Mango Research Institute that has developed hybrids like a Ratna, a cross between the Alphonso and Neelam variety, as well as the Kesar hybrid.
• Vijaydurg also has a large number of coconut palms in addition to Kokum (Cochina) to boot, and is the home of the famed Alphonsos.

Wildlife including the hyena, fox, barking deer, sea otter, dolphins, porpoises, whales, kite fish, hammer-headed sharks and flying fish are routinely spotted there. Types of birds include the kite, cormorant, stork, egret, robin and cuckoo. Endangered species include the vulture, Great Indian Bustard, Langur (Black faced Monkey), Giant Squirrel, Red-eyed Pheasant and Tern.

Fish and other sea creatures around the region include prawns, lobster, catfish, kingfish, and tuna. Since the mouth of the estuary opens into the Arabian Sea, the water is clean due to inter-tidal flushing. Vijaydurg also has a Port Trust, Sea & Land Customs Outposts, and a large State Transport Depot. Up until 1983, Vijaydurg was a port of call for the Konkan Steamer service, which ran two ships: Konkan Sevak and Konkan Shakti, which were later sent to supply the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Forces) in Sri Lanka.