Shivaji built Sindhudurg on a rock. The fort stands on a small island just off Malvan, on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, a great enclosure of black stone walls, about three kilometres around, built between 1664 and 1667 to guard against sea raiders and to project the power of the young Maratha state. Its walls rise straight from the surf, with bastions, gateways and hidden entrances, and inside lie temples, wells of fresh water, and the remains of old houses. A short boat ride from Malvan's jetty takes you across, and the view from the ramparts, over the blue Arabian Sea and the coconut-fringed coast, is superb.
The coast road here is a pleasure. The Konkan runs in a long strip between the Western Ghats and the sea, with red laterite soil, cashew and mango orchards, small fishing villages and pale beaches. Roads rise and fall in gentle curves, passing through villages with tiled roofs and temples, and the surface is mostly good, though monsoon rains between June and September can wash out sections and make riding hazardous. The best season is November to February, when the air is dry and the sea breeze cool. March and April are hot, and the Alphonso mangoes that ripen in the orchards, especially around Devgad, are famed across India.
Malvan, under two kilometres away, has nearly nineteen thousand people, so fuel, food and rooms are no problem, and Kudal, about twenty-five kilometres inland, is the larger service town on the main road. Malvan is famous for its cuisine, a spicy, coconut-rich style of cooking centred on fresh fish, prawns and rice, served with a tart red sauce and a flatbread. Eat in a small family restaurant, and you will understand why.
Heading south, the ride continues to Goa, with its Portuguese churches and convents, and north to Vijaydurg, another coastal fort. If you can, stay for sunset and watch the fort turn gold across the water. The walls, the surf and the long, slow light of the evening fill the scene with calm.