Tarapur_fort
Tarapur fort
Fortress in India
Tarapur Fort is a fortress situated in Tarapur in Palghar District in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
| Tarapur Fort | |
|---|---|
| Tarapur, Palghar District, Maharashtra, India | |
| Coordinates | 19°51′49″N 72°40′56″E |
| Site information | |
| Owner |
|
| Open to the public | Yes |
Early history
Tarapur Fort is first mentioned roughly around the year 1280, where the ruler of Mahikavati, or modern day Mahim, Bhima of Mahikavati, captured the fort from the Naiks.[1]
Portuguese occupation
In the year 1553, the Portuguese captured Tarapur Fort and the surrounding area. Tarapur, being a trading town, generated much wealth to the Portuguese, and served as a lucrative outpost for trade in the Western Coast of Maharashtra.[1] The Portuguese were able to repel attacks from the Abyssinians in 1559 and the Mughal Empire in 1612.[1] The Portuguese built a stockade made of palm trees to house the Governor of the fort, with bamboo matting and scaffolding. They also constructed an artillery fortification, and established a Mission of Dominican Friars to convert the local residents. The Portuguese overhauled the fort one last time in 1733.[2]
Maratha control
In the 1730s, Chimaji Appa, a commander of the Maratha Army and brother of Baji Rao I, began a campaign to conquer the Western Coast of Maharashtra under the Maratha Empire, such as attacking and controlling Belapur Fort in the year 1733.[1][2] On, January 24, 1739, Chimaji Appa lead an assault on the fortress. 4 mines were placed in the fortress for the Marathas to breach inside. The explosion of the mines damaged a bastion and a curtain wall.[3] The Portuguese attempted a heavy resistance, however, the battle was won by Chimaji after the Portuguese were diverted away from the attacking Maratha force.[1] The Marathas repaired the walls of the fortress following the battle.[2]
British occupation
After the successful assault on the fortress and the following Maratha control for 64 years, the British attacked Tarapur in 1803, gaining control of the fortress.[1]
Modern day
Approximately after the fort's capture by the Marathas, The Peshwa granted the fortress to the custodianship of Vikaji Mehrji, whose descendants, the Chorge family, continue to hold.[3]
Not much is known about the Tarapur Fort's composition before the Portuguese occupation of the site. A description of the fort in the year 1728 by the Portuguese yielded that it was heptagonal in shape, and had 4 redoubts. The fort's walls were of low height and had no parapets.[2] After the Maratha siege, the south and southeast sides of the fort were changed or repaired by the Marathas, due to the presence of differently arranged stonework.[2] 2 graineries, a guard room, and several wells are also located within Tarapur Fort.[2]
- Sadasyula, Ratnakar (2020-01-24). "Capture of Tarapur Fort-Chimaji Appa". History Under Your Feet. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- Losa Mendiratta, Sidh. "Tarapur (Tarapor/Trapor), Maharashtra, India".
- "Tarapur Fort | District Palghar, Government of Maharashtra | India". Retrieved 2023-05-20.