Again Mademoiselle Bombay called me. This fourth dimension it was through my cousin, when she declared, she's getting married!
Obviously a trip to Bombay calls for its ain listing of places to go visited. Much unknown to many, is that Bombay has its ain bunch of ancient caves & 15-17th C AD forts. That includes caves inwards Kanheri, ii caves inwards Jogeshwari etc together with forts inwards Sewri, Sion, Mahim, Bandra, Madh, Vasai etc built yesteryear Portuguese & British. I wanted to run into at to the lowest degree 1 of these forts if non all, together with Vasai Fort was offset inwards the list.
The Vasai Fort was built yesteryear the Portuguese together with was called The Fort of St. Sebastian of Vasai. From the Portuguese, the Marathas won it over yesteryear King Baji Rao Peshwa, inwards 1739. From the Marathas, it went over to British Raj who called it Bassein Fort.
This is the offset always fourth dimension I saw a fort of this kind. I've seen the Chenji / Gingee fort inwards Tamil Nadu together with Golkonda Fort inwards Hyderabad, but the structure of those were really different, built amongst huge boulders of granite. This was built amongst some smaller granite, bricks, etc. The architecture is a major difference. The before places were South Indian together with Nawabi architecture, spell this was purely western, Portuguese to go precise. It was awesome. It was inwards ruins, yet it was majestic.
I managed to spot the Fort beside a temple. An ASI component subdivision is at the entrance. It was fenced yesteryear ASI. After spending almost to a greater extent than than 15-20 mins inwards there, I realized this was only 1 of the 2-3 sections of the fort. I moved over to the 2d one.
This was much to a greater extent than maintained amongst a garden inwards the forepart together with a swivel door together with heavier fence. It was all the to a greater extent than royal & bigger than the before one. I couldn't assistance but wonder how fabulous it would cause got been when it was inwards use. I was visualizing people dressed inwards Portuguese & Indian outfits of dissimilar races, walking close & talking inwards the huge premises!
The flooring has been re-done yesteryear the ASI together with some broken places cause got been filled together with renovated. There were some petty openings & paths that led nowhere. Earlier powerfulness cause got been doors, who knows?!
Some planks amongst reliefs sculpted on them were kept aside. Some to a greater extent than panels of relief sculptures were yet intact on the walls.
Some had written words - No I couldn't read the language! All of the windows together with doors were arched inwards truthful arches - that's 1 fabulous appear of architecture.
One affair that totally astonished was in that location were no bats, no monkeys, no mongrels together with no stupid humans likewise (read - smoking drunkards or only college bunking brats). Not fifty-fifty broken whiskey bottles - that's astonishing, I hateful really, actually astonishing. Just a few pigeons, zippo else!!! Behind this edifice was a huge wild mango tree. I had seen wild mango trees solely inwards Parappalaru before this!
Further walking ahead atomic number 82 to a schoolhouse here, spell is located inside the chemical compound of the fort!! Beyond that is the village. Women clad inwards traditional Marāthi saree mantle amongst Mangalsutras together with Men inwards the traditional triangular lungi tie-dyed inwards brilliant colors were walking about. Enroute was a mini dhobi-ghat amongst close xx women washing clothes hither - that itself was a colorful sight amongst their colorful outfit together with all the to a greater extent than colorful garments that they were washing. In a greenish environment, amongst granite fort background, together with thus much of colors, was an amazing visual treat!!!
TO REACH THERE:
Nearest Railway Station inwards Mumbai: Vasai Road station inwards Western Railway Line of Bombay Local.
Trains to Virar transcend through Vasai.
Autos tin go taken from the station to the Fort. Bombay autos run on metre.
Refer to the fort locally equally Vasai Khila, equally inwards the local language, together with thus they understand!
Dedicated to my Mom & Pop...
Written yesteryear Bhushavali
