Vijaydurg

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Vijaydurg (formerly also known as Gheriah) is a seaport 485 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 ( 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 of Tourist interest include:

Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre's Naval Base and Dry Dock. In 1698, Angre located his first base at the Maratha fort of Vijaydurg ('Victory Fort') (formerly Gheriah) located about 425km from Mumbai. The fort which was originally built by Raja (King)Bhoj in 1208, is located on the coast, and has an entrance hollowed out in it to accommodate entry of a vessel from the sea.

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 (Garcinia indica) to boot, and is the home of the famed Alphonsos.

[edit] Wildlife

Wildlife including the hyena, red fox, barking deer, sea otter, dolphin, porpoise, whale.

A wide variety of fish including Surmai, ladyfish, Pomfret,sting ray, hammerhead shark, puffer fish, Mullet,Great white sharks, carp, eel, seer fish, swordfish and the seemingly rare sailfish are routinely spotted here. Shellfish like lobster, clam, mussels, periwinkle, oyster, crayfish and many types of crab are abundant. Commonly occurring birds abound like the Barn Owl, kingfisher, kite, cormorant, stork, egret, Red-whiskered Bulbul and cuckoo. Endangered species include the Great Indian Hornbill, vulture, Langur (Black faced Monkey), Giant Squirrel, Red-eyed Pheasant and Tern.

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.