Khanderi, a small island off Thal near Alibag, is the island fort Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built at the mouth of Mumbai harbour in 1679, and one of the 12 UNESCO World Heritage forts. Officially it is now Kanhoji Angre Island, with a lighthouse on top. Visits are controlled: book the lighthouse visit online and take a boat from Thal in calm weather, between November and April.
Why Khanderi matters
By the 1670s the English held Bombay (today’s Mumbai) and the Siddis of Janjira held the sea to the south. In 1679 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj sent his naval commander Mainak Bhandari to fortify Khanderi, a rocky island just off the mainland at the entrance to Mumbai harbour. The English attacked with ships to stop the work, and there were several sea fights through late 1679, but the Marathas held on and finished the fort.
The Siddis answered in January 1680 by occupying Underi, the smaller island next door, and fortifying it. The two forts faced each other for years. In 1713 Kanhoji Angre brought the coast, Khanderi included, under Maratha naval command, and the island stayed in Maratha hands until the British took over in 1818.
The lighthouse on the island’s hill was built by the British in the 1860s and still guides ships into Mumbai harbour. In 1998 the island was renamed Kanhoji Angre Island in honour of the Maratha admiral.
In July 2025 UNESCO inscribed Khanderi as one of the 12 forts of the “Maratha Military Landscapes of India”, one of its three island forts with Suvarnadurg and Sindhudurg.
How to visit Khanderi
Khanderi is not an open, walk-in fort like Kolaba. The island is under the port and lighthouse authorities.
- Book the lighthouse visit through the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships’ online portal (the Kanhoji Angre Lighthouse page). Check the current timings and rules there.
- Get to Thal, a fishing village a few kilometres north of Alibag.
- Take a boat from Thal jetty. Local fishing boats make the crossing of a few kilometres in calm weather; agree the fare and the waiting time before you set off.
Boats do not run in the monsoon, and even in season they depend on the sea. Go on a calm morning.
Getting to Alibag:
- From Mumbai: the quickest way is a ferry from the Gateway of India (or a Ro-Ro from Ferry Wharf) to Mandwa, then about 15 to 20 km by road to Thal. By road the whole way, Mumbai to Alibag is about 100 km.
- From Pune: about 150 km, 4 hours, via Khopoli and Pen.
What to see on Khanderi
- The fort walls and bastions circling the island, much of them still standing.
- The lighthouse, an octagonal tower on the island’s hill, with views back to Alibag and across to Mumbai.
- Old cannons on the ramparts.
- A small Vetal temple and the tomb of a local saint, Daud Pir.
- Underi, the Siddis’ fort, just across the water.
Tips for your visit
- Confirm before you travel. Access rules can change, and boats depend on the weather and the boatmen at Thal.
- Carry water, a hat and sunscreen. There is little shade on the island.
- Pair it with Kolaba fort at Alibag, which you can walk to at low tide.
Places near Khanderi
Kolaba fort (Alibag), Underi, Kihim and Nagaon beaches, and further south Korlai and Murud-Janjira, the island fort that never fell.
