The Mahim Fort is a fort in

Mahim Mahim (, ) is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Mahim Junction railway station on the Western Railway zone, Western Railway and Harbour line (Mumbai Suburban Railway), Harbour Railway of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Mumbai Suburb ...

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state,

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. Strategically located in the Mahim Bay, the fort overlooks

Worli Worli (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Varaḷī'', Help:IPA/Marathi, �əɾ(ə)ɭiː is a locality in central Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai with the others being Colaba, Bandra and Malabar Hill. The sea connect ...

to the south, Bandra to the north, and Mahim to the east. The origins of the fort are unclear, but it occupies a strategic location that has been frequently contested. The fort is currently in disrepair, suffering from administrative neglect, encroachment of slums, and exposure to tidal erosion.

History

In 1516, Portuguese commander

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entered the Mahim Creek and defeated the commander of Mahim fort. The fort was the site of frequent skirmishes between the Portuguese and a Gujarati ruler before the island of Mahim was appropriated from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat by the Portuguese in 1534. In 1661, the Portuguese ceded the island of Mahim as dowry to

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. After the English gained control of the fort, it was strengthened by Sir Thomas Grantham in 1684, and became a strategic watchtower against possible Portuguese attacks, and later from the

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. In 1772, the Portuguese attempted to attack this fort, but they were repelled by the

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with cannonballs. The Mount Mary's Basilica was damaged during this encounter. According to historical accounts, the fort had 100 soldiers and 30 cannons at that time. The fort was captured by the British during the First Anglo-Maratha War.

Encroachments

The fort lies off the Mahim Causeway which links the suburbs to the city. The fort is heavily encroached by slums, and parts of the fort have caved in due to tidal erosion and neglect. Though the site is classified as a Grade I heritage structure, nothing much has been done to maintain it. Large boulders are strewn on the sand and crevices as high as three metres (fifteen feet) are visible. Responsibility of the fort is shuffled between the state government and the

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, although the fort lies of state government land. In 2004, rupees five lakhs had to be returned as the encroachments were not removed by local authorities. Later, in 2008, Jairaj Phatak, the Municipal Commissioner had proposed a makeover to the fort.

Gallery

File:Castella de Aguada 4.jpg File:Mahim Fort 6.jpg File:Mahim Fort 7.jpg File:Mahim Fort 9.jpg File:Mahim Fort 10.jpg

References

External links

Mahim Fort on maharashtra Tourism website
{{Forts in India Archaeological sites in Maharashtra History of Mumbai 1516 in India 1772 in India 1534 establishments in the Portuguese Empire

History

Encroachments

Gallery

See also

References

External links