Since the Portuguese ruled North Konkan for a long time, many small and large forts and fortresses built by them can be seen in the stretch from Vasai to Daman. Most of these forts have been extensively eroded and very few remains remain. One such unfamiliar fort is Khamloli Fort, a Portuguese creation near Safale. The distance from Safale station of Western Railway to Khamloli Fort is 20 km and from Warai fork on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route it is 7 km. Private rickshaws are available from Warai Phata as well as Safale station to Khamloli village. While going through Safale, first take Tandulwadi fork then Pargaon fork then Dahisar village fork. Khamloli village is about 4 km from this fork and there is not much facility for vehicles on this route, so a private vehicle should be used if possible. ... On reaching the village, one should ask “Madi” to go to Fort. The remains of this fort can be seen in the premises of a house on a hill about 100 feet high. The original size of this building is 60 x 40 feet and the current height of this building is 30-35 feet. Looking at the overall height of this building, this building must be a watch tower. Rough stones and lime have been used in the construction of this building. The structure must have been 3 to 4 floors, considering that only two walls of the building are left and there are grooves in them for the upper floor. Looking at the location-size and ruins of the structure, this structure must be a fort like watchtower. A stone barn can be seen at some distance from this structure. The extent of this fort is likely to be up to that barn but the remains have been completely leveled due to agriculture. The current condition of the Fort is very poor and due to its high height, the upper part is likely to collapse anytime. The upper part of Fort, which collapsed before this, is lying next to this wall. Inside the Fort is a dry water tank filled with stones. 15 minutes is enough to see the fort and the adjacent barn. As no historical documents are available about this fort, it is known as Khamloli Madi after the local village name. Khamloli village is situated near the confluence of Vaitrana and Surya River and the importance of this fort can be realized only from it. During the Portuguese period, this fort may have been built to monitor the maritime traffic through these two rivers. Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the main purpose of these lookout forts was to protect the waterways and provide necessary logistics to small and large forts in the province. Using all these small forts, watchtowers and long-range cannons, the Portuguese established their empire along the North Konkan sea route. During the Vasai campaign of 1739 AD, this area came under the control of the Marathas. This fort should be visited before it is completely destroyed.
© Suresh Nimbalkar