Kelva Fort

Kelwa, Maharashtra, India

---

Kelva Fort (also called Kelve or Kelve Fort) is a ruined coastal fort in Palghar district of Maharashtra, located about 12.5 km from Palghar town at Mangelwada in and near the village of Kelve/Kelwa, amidst casuarina plantation on Kelwa Beach and at the southern end of Kelwa Lake.

Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the fort was originally a strategic sea fort surrounded by water and later used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; it was captured by the Marathas in 1739 during the Vasai campaign and by the British in 1818, and much of it was buried in sand until a local unearthing and partial conservation work in 2008–09 brought back its features.

The fort is rectangular in shape with an east-facing entrance gate followed by another gate at a right angle, and it has four triangular bastions at the corners, each with openings for guns, while the outer walls, steps, parapets and bastions are still solid masonry and in excellent condition despite being partly below the sandy beach level and in a ruined state.

Visitors can reach the fort by walking north from the Kelve Shitaladevi temple along the beach, or by local boat during low tide when the water recedes and the fort becomes directly accessible from the lake side, and the site is open throughout the year with no fixed entry fee, making it a popular but offbeat destination for photography, pre-wedding shoots, vlogs and short heritage exploration near the famous Kelwa Beach.