A total of 11 forts were built on Mumbai Island, namely Bandra, Mahim, Worli, Kala Fort, Riva, Sion, Shivdi, Mazgaon, Dongri, Fort St. George, and Bombay Fort. Out of these forts Bombay fort, Mazgoan, and Dongri fort do not exist today. Shivdi fort is located west of Shivdi station on the Harbor Railway. Take the straight road to the Colgate Palmolive Company exit from Platform No. 2 at Shivdi Station. After walking for 10 minutes on this road, we reach the base of Shivdi fort. The fort is in good condition in Mumbai and has been preserved by the Archaeological Department. To reach the fort, there is a stairway through dense trees. This is the way we come to the shrine of Syed Jalal Shah. While the fort of Shivdi was under the control of Bahadur Khan, the Dargah of Sufi saint was built near the entrance of the fort. ... The same buildings were used as a prison and later as a warehouse. The ramparts around the fort are still intact. The special feature of the fort is the triangular bastions. The fort can be reached by a wide staircase built on the base of the fort. The Mumbai Islands, a group of seven islands, have been inhabited since the Stone Age. The first written mention of the Mumbai Islands was made by the Egyptian geographer Ptolemy in 150. During the Satavahan period, trade with foreign countries was carried on from the Mumbai islands. In the 5th and 6th centuries, this region was ruled by the Mauryan kingdom and their capital was 'Puri' i.e. today's Gharapuri Island. After the Mauryas, the Chalukya, Rashtrakuta, Shilahar dynasties ruled over Mumbai. In the year 1140, Pratap Bimba of Gujarat defeated Shilahar and established his capital at Mahikavati aka Mahim. In 1320, Sultan Mubarak Shah of Gujarat conquered Mumbai. In a treaty between the Portuguese and the last Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, in 1534, the Portuguese took control of the islands of Mumbai and Vasai. The fort was rebuilt in 1534 when it was captured by the Portuguese. In 1662, King Charles II of England married the Portuguese princess Braganza, in which the British acquired the island of Mumbai as a gift from the Portuguese. Even after the capture of Mumbai Island in 1665, it took 1680 years to build the fort of Shivdi. After the invasion of Mumbai by Siddi of Janjira, in 1672, the British built many new forts and strengthened the old ones. The forts of St. George, Dongri, Mazgaon, and Shivdi were built to protect the eastern shores of the Mumbai Islands. The fortification of the Shivdi fort on the hill on the east coast of Paral Island was completed by the British in 1680. In 1689, Siddi Yakut Khan of Janjira conquered the forts of Shivdi, Mazgaon, and Mahim in his attack on Mumbai and documents mention that during that time there were 1 Chief, 50 soldiers, and 10 cannons on the fort. It was later handed over to the British again through the mediation of Aurangzeb. It was later strengthened in 1768 because in 1739 the Marathas had wiped out the Portuguese from Sashti. The fort has been used mainly as a prison since 1789 when the British overthrew the monarchy and later as a warehouse for the Mumbai Port Trust. This fort was used to keep an eye on the trade and ships in Panvel, Uran, Thane, and Gharapuri hill. The seaside of the fort has a swamp. This place is a favorite destination of the flamingos and between December and April each year, thousands of flamingos flock here.
© Suresh Nimbalkar