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Surat Castle (Surat Fort)

Surat Castle (Surat Fort)

heritage site · Gujarat

State
Gujarat
Type
Heritage Site

Surat Castle's four-metre-thick walls and 12-metre corner bastions were built specifically to withstand Portuguese naval cannon, after repeated raids on the city in the early 16th century. Restored by Surat Municipal Corporation between 2015 and 2022 at a cost of roughly ₹55 crore and reopened in 2022, it now shows visitors the original iron-strapped, lead-jointed masonry alongside a reinstated moat and drawbridge.

Surat Castle (Surat Fort) is known for

4.1m-thick cannon-proof wallsIron-strapped, lead-jointed masonry2022 restoration with reinstated moat and drawbridge

A short history

Built between 1540 and 1546 CE under Sultan Mahmud Shah III of Ahmedabad, commanded by the Turkish soldier Khudawand Khan, following destructive Portuguese attacks on Surat in 1512, 1530 and 1531. A smaller fort had existed on the site since the Tughlaq period (c. 1351-1388). [Source: Surat Municipal Corporation, official city government site]

Why Surat Castle (Surat Fort) matters

A rare case of a completed, fully documented modern Indian fort restoration — reopened by the Prime Minister in September 2022 after a seven-year, ₹55-crore project.

When to go

October to March

How to reach

In central Surat city, Gujarat, near the Tapi riverfront.

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