Mazgaon Fort
| Mazagaon Fort | |
|---|---|
मज़गओं किल्ला | |
  Location within Mumbai | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fort |
| Location | Mazagaon, Mumbai |
| Elevation | 32 m (105 ft) |
| Completed | 1680 |
| Demolished | 8 June 1690 |
| Client | British |
The Mazagaon Fort was a fort in Mazagaon built by the British around 1680. The fort was razed by the Siddi general, Yakut Khan in June 1690. The fort was located at the present-day Joseph Baptista Gardens, atop Bhandarwada Hill outside the Dockyard Road railway station.[1]
History
Up to the eighteenth century, Mumbai consisted of several small islands. In 1661, seven of these islands were ceded by the Portuguese to the British as part of the dowry of Charles II of England. The harbour proved eminently apposite, and the British planned to shift base from Surat to Mumbai. The Siddis, who were of African descent and noted for their navies, had allied themselves with the Mughals. The British, under the East India Company and the Mughals were constantly waged war on each other. As allies of the Mughals, the Siddis also declared the British as enemies.[1]
Faced with relentless attacks by the Siddis in 1672, several fortifications were constructed in Mumbai, and in 1680 the Sewri fort was complete. It stood on the island of Mazagaon, on a hill overlooking the eastern seaboard.
In 1689, the Siddi general, Yakut Khan, with an army of 20,000 men, invaded Mumbai. The fleet first captured the Sewri Fort, then the Mazagon Fort, before sacking the town of Mahim. In April 1689, the Siddis laid siege to the British fortification to the south. The British governor Sir John Child appealed to the Mughal Aurangzeb to reign in Sakat for a price. In February 1890, the Mughal emperor agreed, on the conditions that rupees 1.5 lakhs (150,000) (Over a billion USD at 2008 conversion rates) be paid, and Child be sacked.[1] Child's untimely death in 1690 however, resulted in him escaping the ignominy of being sacked.
Enraged at barter, Sakat withdrew his forces on 8 June 1690, not after razing the Mazagaon Fort.[1]
In 1884, the British developed Bhandarwada Hill as a major water reservoir. It supplies water to South and Central Mumbai. A popular recreation ground, the ground is named after Joseph Baptista, a freedom fighter and close aide of the Indian freedom movement activist, Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Nandgaonkar, Satish (2003-03-22). "Mazgaon fort was blown to pieces – 313 years ago". Indian Express. Express Group. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
