A fort in our backyard and more in Thane City and District
Including a fort that's now a Jail and some others in not so great shape
Volume 1 Issue 16
Thane district's many forts are reminders of the kingdoms that ruled here, from the Portuguese to the Marathas and the British. Fact is, the city and district was ruled even earlier to the 15th century when the Portuguese came to Thane as part of their spice trade with India. Reminder of the many centuries-old occupation of the area, Thane District’s forts are many, but now sadly are, not well-maintained, crumbling reminders of history. The only fort that seems better-off than the rest is not too far from Rustomjee Urbania (and in fact is in walking distance) but is not accessible to the public as you will find out below.
Read on for a walk through history of Thane as illustrated by its forts.
Thane Fort: From Rustomjee Urbania, if we approach the Saket-Kalwa Road via Rabodi, then on our right we can see a tall wall next to the footpath. This is the boundary of the Thane Central Jail spread over 38 acres. If you drive around the structure you can find some semblance of a fort with the boundary-wall along the main entrance resembling walls of a fort. The jail is the erstwhile Thane Fort built between 1730 and 1737 by the Portuguese and captured by Maratha General Chimaji Appa in 1738. The fort was soon after taken over by the British in 1738 and in whose control it remained till India gained its independence in 1947. Many freedom fighters were lodged in the Thane Fort by the British who used it as a jail. The fort is star-shaped when seen from above and has lot of greenery including the farms tended to by the prisoners. In recent times, there have been efforts by local corporators to relocate the Thane Central Jail to a different place and to preserve the structure as a historical monument, a fort, as it was intended to. An unintended consequence of the Thane Fort being used as a jail is that it is among the best preserved forts in the district of Thane and local historians would prefer if the fort continued to remain a jail. The fear is that letting the fort get back into hands of the district administration may lead to its ruination like has happened with the historic Ghodbunder Fort, just 20 km. away from where Thane Fort stands.
Ghodbunder Fort: Located 20 kilometres away from Thane Railway Station in Ghodbunder, this fascinating structure now in shambles is nearly four-centuries old. Made at a time when the Portuguese ruled the southern side of the Thane Creek, it's construction started in 1533. The Portuguese chose the spot at a height on Yeoor Hills near the Ulhas river so that they could keep an eye on intruders from a distance. The fort kept getting embellished and was ready nearly two centuries later in 1730. The Portuguese called the fort Cacabe de Tanna (I suspect the word Cacabe is a corruption of the word Kasba, as Thane was also called Thane Kasba).
The Marathas ruled on the other side of the creek and made many attempts to capture Ghodbunder Fort. Shivaji unsuccessfully attempted to take the Ghodbunder Fort in 1672. His descendants under the Peshwa General Chimaji Appa succeeded in capturing the fort in 1737. The Marathas modified the fort and added more watch towers to it. The British captured the fort from the Marathas in 1812 and had Thane as the district headquarters located at Ghodbunder Fort.
The word Ghodbunder is directly linked to the trade of Ghodas (horses) with people from the middle East that was prevalent when ships big and small plied the Thane Creek (the Portuguese also ruled in Vasai, then called Bassein and had made a fort there too)
Ghodbunder Fort is currently not in good condition due to lack of maintenance and also encroachment. There however are efforts to rope in the Archaeological Survey of India and the district administration to protect the fort. Trekkers frequent the fort and in the recent past there was an event to celebrate the importance of Ghodbunder Fort.
There are two other forts in vicinity of Thane. One is the Nagla Bunder Fort which sadly has been reduced to rubble as rampant mining in the vicinity has excavated the hill on which the 400+ year fort stands. Miraculously, a place of worship Our Lade of Hope Church which is in excellent condition continues to function in the fort area and is used by worshippers even today. A watch tower which helped the Portuguese keep an eye on the creek (at Nagla, the creek is at its narrowest) is long gone having been reduced to rubble. At Kalyan, there is the Durgadi Fort which is well maintained and is popular with visitors. This fort in existence since the 16th century first under Adil Shah rule, then Maratha and finally British rule, contributed stones to the piers of Thane and Kalyan. The fort has within a temple and a masjid with the local administration Kalyan Dombivli Muncipal Corporation setting up a nice garden for recreation within the fort premises. Visiting Durgadi Fort has the bonus of letting you view extensive mangroves, the road bridge to Bhiwandi and the retibunder (sand-port when literally translated) from a height.