Vasai’s gigantic fort city

India is known for its gigantic forts that not only served as a line of defence for many centuries, but also proved to be architectural enigmas. However, due to prolonged negligence, these marvellous forts have become prone to encroachments or have been taken over illegally. Most of the forts are in a grave condition today, and despite this, the authorities refuse to pay attention to them. In our ‘Fort Series’ of the last surviving forts of Mumbai, this week, we feature Vasai Fort.           

Factopedia
Vasai Fort or Bassein Fort is a large fort in Vasai located across the Ulhas River. In fact, it was used as a fort city by the Portuguese. It had seven churches, hospitals, colleges and similar other administrative and community places. Its 4.5 km long robust stone wall had 11 bastions, two gates and a small citadel.    

Present state
This fort lies under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and is maintained well. According to Nagar NGO’s survey, the site spans 109 acres approximately. Currently, the fort is protected by the 35–40 feet walls that surround it.

The information and the pictures for this article were sourced with the help of NGO Nagar.