To visit Khatale Fort, take a local train of Western Railway and get down at Safale or Kelve station. ST buses and private rickshaws are available from Safale station to Madhukarnagar. If you get off at Madhukarnagar by these vehicles or if you come from Kelve station, you can reach Khatale Fort in 15 minutes by walking through Danda Khadi. Khatale Fort is 10 km from Safale station and 12 km from Kelve station. As no historical documents are available about the name of the Fort, it is known as Khatale Fort after the local village. Khatale Fort is mostly inhabited and there is no information available and the local people do not know much, so one should acquire full information before going there. There is an old well on the left side when going from Safale and next to the main road in Khatale village when coming from Kelve. ... There is an old place still in use at this well to store the distilled water. A small cement road has gone in front of this well. After about 50 steps on this road, the remnants of Khatale Fort can be seen. Only the foundation and a partial wall of one side of the Khatale Fort remain in ruins. This fort is divided into two parts in the middle by a cement road. Looking at the remains available in the said fort, this must have been a small place which has been used for living in later times. Its appearance has changed due to the collapse of the surrounding walls. This structure may have been built to store the grain collected as tax in the Khatale area as well as the goods brought by waterways. According to the locals, this structure was two-storied and it can also be seen from the groove on the fort wall for the wooden foundation. Carved stone, cement, lime have been used in the construction of this fort. Forts, Fortresses, in Datiware to Shirgaon area are built in a parallel line to the creek. Built by the Portuguese around the 16th century, the main purpose of these fortress and forts was to provide necessary logistics to small forts in the Datiware to Manor region. Using all these small forts, watch towers, the Portuguese established their empire along the North Konkan sea route. After the victory over the Mahim fort in the Vasai campaign of 1739 AD, the area came under the control of the Marathas on 10 January 1739. The present condition of the fort is very poor and 10 minutes is enough to see the fort. Those who come here with an expectation to see a fort are likely to be disappointed, but those who want to see a Portuguese outpost on the ancient sea trade route and its geographical importance must visit this place. Representative of Fort Vasai campaign Dr. Shridutt Raut and his colleagues are doing a great job of preserving the past glory of Khatale village by introducing this fort to the people and keeping the history alive. The “Kille Vasai” Mission, which strives to convey the architecture and prowess of the Vasai region to the coming generations, is commendable.
© Suresh Nimbalkar