“Explore, Experience, Then Push Beyond.”
Aaron Lauritsen
Fort Bassein, Vasai, Mumbai
For a settlement so close to the megapolis of Mumbai, the northern suburb of Vasai is a quiet hamlet with an old-world charm, coexisting with modernity. Over the years, people have called this Mumbai suburb, named after the Vasa Konkani community, Baxay, Bassein, and Bacaim (all of them pronounced Basai). Today, ruins of massive Bassein Fort, a few churches, and villages of the original inhabitants mark this settlement.
History
What is surprising is its history dating back to the prehistoric era. Trade relations with Babylon and Egypt existed from 2000 BC to 500 BC, and then with Persian and Muslim traders till 1200 AD. Sopara in Vasai finds mention in an inscription of the Ashoka Pillar. Discovered here was a fragment containing a few lines of the Major Rock Edict VIII, in 1882. From 315 B.C. to the end of the 13th century, the Mauryas, the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, revived Chalukyas, and the Yadavas of Devagiri ruled the Vasai region. Later came the Sultans of Gujarat, followed by the Portuguese, Marathas, and British.
It was the Yadavas who built Fort Bassein (then, Baxay) in 1184 AD. The Gujarat Sultanate also built upon the existing fort.
The Portuguese connect
It is during the Portuguese acquisition of the land through the Treaty of Bassein (1534 AD) that Fort Bacaim (a name given by Portuguese) resurrected. The Portuguese bombed the 12th-century fort and built the Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaim or the Fort of St Sebastian of Vasai. Also called the Northern Court or “Corte da Norte”, its southern counterpart being Goa.
Worli, Mahim, and Bandra forts trinity, along with Fort Baçaim, remained the stronghold of Portuguese until Marathas took over in the late 18th century.
The layout of Fort Bassein
The imprint of Portuguese architecture is heavy on the layout and the internal structures of the decagonal fort. Stonemasonry makes the coastal citadel stand as tall and proud as it did in its heyday. For an abandoned military post, Fort Baçaim tells its story well through its ruins.
Spread over an extensive area, the fortifications have eleven bastions and two primary entrances. The west entrance from the land – Porta Da Terra and the sea gate to the east – Porta Do Mar. The bastions of the complex are the only remnants from the Sultanate rule.
Within the fort, the Portuguese constructed seven churches, four convents, two colleges, a citadel, two palaces, a pond, a tank, temples, and several smaller structures. Of the churches, convents, and colleges, only five remain in decent shape. The citadel is intact, so are the tanks, the pond, and temples. Except for some parts, the palaces are in ruins.
The Citadel and Palaces
Close to the Porta Do Mar and the Koli settlements is the citadel of San Sebastian. Named after Portuguese king Dom Sebastian I, it is a fort within Fort Baçaim constructed in 1535-1536 AD. The walls and bastions of this pentagonal citadel are in good shape and it encloses a pond, few wells, and some chambers. On one side, remnants of an enormous chimney mark the site of a kitchen ( see featured image).
The primary entrance to the citadel is from the seaside. It has the Portuguese coat of arms – arrowed weapons, The Cross of Christos, and a Sphere. A smaller entry also exists opposite the ruins of the palaces of the Captain (Governor) of Baçai.
The architecture of the palace is comparable to the one in Basavakalyan Fort. Ruins of many chambers, including a dancing hall and perhaps a bath, soldiers’ barracks, and a town hall exist on the fort grounds.
The Maratha imprint
1739 AD, the year of the Maratha victory over the Portuguese, led to a few temples within the fort. One of them is opposite the town hall, next to Captain’s Palace. Ahead, the statue of Chimaji Appa, the man behind this victory, stands tall within a park. For the brief period of Maratha rule, Baçaim got the name of Bajipur.
The victory was short-lived as the British annexed Bajipur through signing the Treaty of Bassein (1802 AD) with Baji Rao II, the Maratha Peshwa of Pune (Poona) in India. By this time, the renamed Bassein had lost its importance for the British and they moved to establish their reign in Bambaim, (Bombay and later, Mumbai).
The Churches and other religious structures within Vasai Fort deserve an honest and detailed description.
Pls provide for further details about fort
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