To visit Mathane fort, take the local train of Western Railway to Safale station. S.T. buses (to Edwan Naka) and private rickshaws are available from Safale station to Edwan and Mathane. The road on the left from Edwan Naka leads to Mathane village. Mathane fort is 13 km from Safale station. Edwan is 2 km from Naka. Due to the lack of historical documents about the name of the fort, it is known as Mathane fort after the local village. Mathane fort is located in the dense village itself and as there is no information available and the locals do not have much information, one should take complete information before going there. Mathane fort with a little of its remains is located behind ‘Aamchi Shala’ named school. The fort can be counted as one of the extinct forts. ... The roots of the trees growing on the wall of the fort hold the wall tightly and it is because of these increased roots that these walls are still erect. In the remains of Mathane fort, you can only see these walls, the quadrangle structure of the fort, and the large windows in the wall. Considering the available remnants of this fort, this fort should be a small Portuguese governmental and administrative office. Lead stone, clay, lime have been used in the construction of this fort. Since the locals refer to this building as Madi, it must have been two-storied. According to the locals, the building was two-storied and this can be seen from the carvings on the walls of the fort. As Mathane fort is close to the sea, the sound of waves crashing on the shore can be easily heard. 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 present condition of Mathane fort is very poor and 10 minutes is enough to see the fort. The representative of ‘Kille Vasai Mohim’, Dr. Shridatta Raut, and his associates are working to preserve the past glory of the fort by introducing this fort and its history to the people.
© Suresh Nimbalkar