To visit Kore fort, take the Western Railway local train to Safale station. S.T. buses and private rickshaws are available from Safale station to Edwan and Kore. The road splits into two forks, just beyond Edwan Naka. The road on the left leads to Datiware and the road on the right leads to Kore village. Kore fort is 13 km from Safale station and 2 km from Edwan Naka. Due to the lack of historical documents about the name of the fort, it is known as Kore fort by the local village. Kore fort is a densely populated village and as there is no information available and the locals do not have much information, one should take complete information before going there. When you go to Kore village, you can see the remains of Kore fort near the Datta Mandir. ... A partially remaining wall of the Kore fort is the only remains of this fort that exist today. The construction of one house on this wall has resulted in a modern cement wall. Considering the available remnants of this fort, it should be a small Portuguese governmental and administrative office. Lead stone, clay, lime have been used in the construction of this fort. As the locals refer to this building as Madi, it must have been two-storied and has been used for living in later times. Its appearance has changed as the walls around it have collapsed. According to the locals, the building was two-storied and it can be seen from the carving on the walls of it. The forts, fortress, and structures in the area from Datiware to Shirgaon have been built in parallel with the creek. Originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the main use of these forts was to supply essential supplies to large and small forts from Datiware to Manor. Using all these small forts, watchtowers, and long-range cannons, the Portuguese established their empire on the sea lanes of North Konkan. After the conquest of Mahim fort in the Vasai campaign of 1739, on 10th January 1739, this area came under the control of Marathas. The current condition of the fort is very poor and 5 minutes is enough to see the entire fort. People coming here with an expectation to see the fort are likely to be upset, but those who want to see the Portuguese outpost on the ancient maritime trade route and its geographical importance can visit this place. The representative of ‘Kille Vasai Mohim’, Dr. Shridatta Raut, and his colleagues are working to preserve the past glory by introducing this fort and its history to people.
© Suresh Nimbalkar