Forts of Bombay: Castella de Aguada - Part II

Bandra ('Bandora' to the Portuguese and 'Vandre' in Marathi) is located on the western tip of Salsette island, a name derivative of 'Shashasti' or the island of sixty - six villages. While Bandra, and in fact, most of Salsette, is now considered an inalienable part of the city of Bombay (except by people residing south of Haji Ali), things were slightly different in the 1660s. Suffice to say that the famed dowry of Bombay promised by the Portuguese to Charles II in 1661, did not turn out to be quite what the English expected. Ultimately, Salsette, and consequently, Bandra Fort, was retained by the Portuguese but that was soon to change.

One cannot live in Bombay and feign unfamiliarity with the name or countenance (specifically, side profile) of Chhatrapati Shivaji. He is ubiquitous. Omnipresent. Deified, even. Shivaji rose to prominence in 1659 when he took control of Bijapur after disposing of Afzal Khan by embracing him with steel claws attached to his fingers.[1] To be fair, that alone is probably reason enough to have the railway station and the airport named after him. However, he did not stop there and was remarkably successful in harrying the Mughals throughout his life. By the time of his death in 1680 he had established the core of the Maratha kingdom on the western coast (image below).

 

Source: Wikipedia Commons

Contrary to what may be popular perception, Shivaji did not represent the zenith of the Maratha empire. It was in the decades following his death that the Marathas capitalised on the disintegration of the Mughal empire and captured large swathes of the country. While most of the Maratha rulers who expanded Shivaji's fledgling empire seem to have lost their way in the annals of history, we must thank Mr. Bhansali for making one name more recognizable than others - Peshwa Baji Rao.

Though the Peshwa was notionally the Prime Minister to Chhatrapati Shahu (Shivaji's grandson), he was, in fact, the de facto ruler and wielded great authority. During the first half of the 18th century, Baji Rao exponentially increased Maratha ruled territory and even had the temerity to march (albeit, unsuccessfully) on the Mughal throne in Delhi.[2] 

It was during his reign that the Marathas attacked the Portuguese territories of Bassein (Vashi) and Salsette. The Maratha onslaught was led by Chimaji Appa (image below), the younger brother of Baji Rao. While the Portuguese (supported to some extent by the British) fended the Marathas off for a while, they soon lost control of Salsette (and with it, Bandra Fort) to the Marathas in 1739.

  

Source: Marathi Box Office

This was a very critical time for our protagonist, the Bandra Fort. There exist a number of reports (of which I have been unable to locate an academic source) which state that the Fort was "partially demolished" by the retreating British - Portuguese forces in early 1739, to scupper any possibility of the Marathas using it as an offensive base in the future. However, one source suggests that the plans to demolish the Fort were stymied by the Portuguese Jesuits of Bandra, and that no damage was in fact, done to the Fort.[3]

Having captured Salsette, it is somewhat surprising that the Marathas did not press their advantage home to acquire the British - controlled Bombay islands. Perhaps the invasion of Delhi by Nadir Shah (the original purloin-er of Kohinoor) in 1739, gave them pause.[4] It could also have been diplomacy and the attraction of trading with the British, that stayed their hand.[5] In any event, an uneasy peace prevailed in the region.

By 1760, the Marathas were the single largest kingdom in the land (image below - Maratha territories in yellow) and could have founded an empire for generations. However, defeat to the Afghans in the third battle of Panipat in 1761, dealt a crushing blow to the Marathas and slowly changed the power dynamics in Bombay as well. The British were now waiting for an opportunity to expand out of the Bombay islands.  

Source: Wikipedia Commons

Finally, the opportunity presented itself in the form of a Peshwa succession dispute which led to the First Anglo - Maratha War (1774 - 1782). The capture of Salsette was the first act of the war, which turned control of the Bandra Fort over to the British. The war went on intermittently for several years and was finally concluded in 1782 (by way of the Treaty of Salbai). While this war is generally considered to have created something of an impasse, it did lead to the British gaining control over Salsette. 

There would be two more Anglo - Maratha wars which would lead to the establishment of the British Raj in India until August 15, 1947, when the Indian flag unfurled on the ramparts of the Fort would signal the advent of the fourth sovereign to claim dominion on Castella de Aguada.[6]

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[1] A History of India Vol. II, Percival Spear

[2] Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803), G.S.Chhabra

[3] The East India Company and the Portuguese loss of the Província do Norte, Pedro Nobre (Available at: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1413-77042015000100007&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en#aff2)

[4] Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803), G.S.Chhabra

[5] Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency, Thana District (Volume XIII, Part II) (Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20090704003608/http:/www.maharashtra.gov.in:80/pdf/gazeetter_reprint/Thane-II/histroy_marathas.html#1)

[6] I have no idea whether the Indian flag was, indeed, unfurled over Bandra Fort on August 15, 1947 but to be completely honest, it seemed like the best way I could end this post and I couldn’t care less if it were true.