SHIVAJI –The father of Indian Navy “a son of Shahaji, rebel against Adilshah, has captured the areas near Bassein (Vasai) & Chaul. He has grown strong. He has constructed some fighting vessels in the Bhiwandi, Kalyan & Panvel ports of the Bassein region. We are therefore forced to remain alert. We have ordered the Portuguese captain not to allow these vessels to come out of the ports & see that they do not move out on the seas.” Shivaji was threat to all his enemies. He was in full control of kalyan & began to hum with navy – building activities by 1657-58. The work of building 20 fighting vessels started under trained hands. According to Shivaji, ostensibly the navy was to be used against the Siddis, but in reality his aim went far beyond. As the Konkan came increasingly under possession, Shivaji started building number of coastal fortresses such as Padmadurg, Vijaydurg, Suvarnadurg, Sindhudurg & other small to afford protection to his coastal navy & to watch & to curb the activities of the Portuguese. Mughals & Vijapur were land based power. They always neglected building up a navy. Their pilgrim & merchant ships depended on Europeans in the sea. Under such circumstances Shivaji’s stress on naval activities reveals his far-sightedness. He can well be acclaimed as ‘Father of the Indian Navy.’ Shivaji and his people had inherited a great military tradition, but the sea was a new element to them. There is no evidence in the past or in the history of the Yadavas of Devgiri of any attempt to build a naval power to rule the waves. Shivaji is, therefore, rightly hailed as the father of the Maratha Navy. The coast line of the Konkan broken by many creeks, offered excellent shelter for ships, and the rocky islands near the coast presented excellent sites for naval strongholds. Quite early in his wonderful career, he realized the necessity of a strong fighting fleet for the peace of his country, the safety of his subjects, and the prosperity of his ports, which should not be at the mercy of other naval powers – the English, Portuguese, the Siddis and Dutch. A strong Navy, he knew, would ensure for the Maratha merchant vessels free navigation of sea and they would not be required to seek permission of Goa or obtain Portuguese pass-ports, which were given on certain conditions. By possessing a strong Navy, Shivaji could secure for his subjects the same rights and freedom on the seas as the Europeans and also a share in the maritime TRADE , besides ensuring against the possibility of being starved by blockade on land. Having visualized the need of a powerful navy, Shivaji built a number of naval forts – Vijayadurg, Suvarndurg, Padmadurg, Jaigad, Sindhudurg etc. He also provided the naval bases with docks for the construction and repair of armed and trading vessels such as at Ratnagiri and Anjanwel, besides buildings a merchant fleet for conducting TRADE with distant Muskat and Mocha. The strength of Shivaji’s Fleet and ships According to Krisnaji Anant Sabhasad, Shivaji’s fleet had two squadrons, each having two hundred ships of different class. Malhar Rao Chitnis mentions four to five hundred ships. The notices in English, Portuguese and Dutch records mention the number of Maratha ships on particular occasions but do not give the full strength of Shivaji’s Navy. As new ships continued to be built and added to the Navy, from time to time, it seems that Sabhasad’s figures of 400 ships is not exaggerated. The Maratha Navy had different types of fighting ships: Gurabs, Galbats or Gallivats, Pals and Manjhuas. Of his Naval expeditions, four are more prominently mentioned. In February 1665 he himself set out for Basrur with his army in a fleet, which, according to English Factory Records had 85 frigates and three great ships. In November 1670, a fleet of 160 sail was assembled at Nandgaon (in Kolaba district) under Daria Sarang, the Admiral of the Fleet. In 1675 Shivaji sent 40 vessels full of war material by sea to be used in the capture of Phonda, which, along with Karwar, were two important posts south of Goa. Sometime later, his naval forces occupied island of Kenery, but all attempts to subdue the island Janjira, the stronghold of the Siddis, from where thry carried out plundering raids against the mainland, failed. The Coastal Forts of Maharashtra Travelling along Maharashtra’s dramatic coastline, one is struck by the beauty of the region where land and water meet on palm-fringed beaches and dense palm groves that waft floral aromas highlighted by the enticing perfume of the Kewada flower that permeates the air. If one is also tuned to the historical flow of time it is likely then that one will become aware that there are more than eighty forts strung along the 750 km length of the coast. These remnants of the past present not just a variety of architectural styles but pieces of history from bygone times when the region saw the presence of a number of different settlers including the Dutch, French, Portuguese, Siddis and those from India. There are three types of sea forts. The first being those referred to as Janjira in Marathi. This word has been derived from the Arabic term ‘Jazira’ which means an ‘island’. Forts like Arnala, Khanderi, Sindhudurg, and Janjira of Murud are some of those that have been built on ‘jaziras’ in the Arabian Sea. The second type of fort is commonly known as a coastal fort, built on a hill close to the coast. Vijaydurg, Kanakdurg, Devgad, Goa are among the coastal forts. The third type of fort is built on a hill near a creek, a little away from the seashore. Gopalgad, Purnagad and Ratnagiri forts fall into this category. In Maharashtra, coastal forts are found in Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. In the district of Thane alone there are as many as twenty eight forts which include the ones at Dahanu, Chinchani, Tarapur, Shirgaon, Bhavangad , Arnala, Aagashi, Vasai, Versova, Thane, Belapur and seventeen sea forts at Kalave-Mahim. Among them those at Arnala and Vasai are significant. Arnala fort stands on an island which is also occupied by a small village. Built by the senior Bajirao Peshwa (according to a stone inscription in the fort) in 1737 AD., its structure resembles Pune’s Shaniwarwada.However, there are also ten bastions which are unlike Shaniwarwada. For example there is an isolated bastion which once hosted cannons. This type of structure is known as a “Martello Tower”. Many other structures like this can also be seen on the French shoreline. To the south of Arnala, on the banks of the Ulhas river, stands the Vasai fort. Once surrounded by sea, creek and marsh land, this fort built in the 16th century by the Portuguese is unique. With pentagon shaped bastions, massive fortifications and a secret emergency underground tunnel running for a length of a hundred and sixty metres. The Maratha army is said to have laid twelve mines, two of which exploded causing a breach in the fort wall on the morning of 5th May 1739, heralding a fierce battle between the Marathas and Portuguese. The latter surrendered to the Marathas before dusk. Chimaji Appa, the Maratha army chief gave asylum to the surrendered Portuguese. On 12th May, the remaining Portuguese soldiers headed off on a route march through the breach and went back to Goa.. The Marathas captured the Vasai fort. This was a significant victory for them as it helped them drive the Portuguese out from the north Firangan. An equestrian statue of Chimaji Appa has been erected at the fort as a tribute to his bravery. There are also few forts erected by the British in Mumbai. The area north of Colaba is known as Mumbai Fort, as the old fort was once located there (today, most of the fort is in ruin). They had also built forts in Mazgaon, Shivadi, Wadala, Mahim, Shiv and Warli. Unfortunately they too are in a miserable condition. In the sea between Mumbai and Alibaug, there are two forts built on two islands. One of them, built by Shivaji, is known as ‘Khanderi’. The other one was raised by the Siddis on an island, which is between Thal and Khanderi. The British called these two islands Hendry-Kendry. In 1679 A.D. Shivaji started building a fort on the Khanderi island. The British tried to impede the work and sent in their navy to drive away the Marathas from the island. Under the command of Captain William Minchin, Captain Richard Kewin, John Bradbury, and Francis Moliver their frigates ‘Hunter’, ‘Revenge’ and ‘Guraba’ fought against the Marathas. They set up marine blockades between the mainland and the island, and tried to halt Maratha supplies. But their efforts were in vain when Maratha soldiers, taking advantage of the darkness and with the help of their small and swifter boats, made it to the island unnoticed. When British attempts to capture the fort failed, they signed a treaty with Shivaji in January 1860, offering him the island. Today, remnants of the fortification and a lighthouse exist. Near Alibaug’s shoreline, there is a coastal sea fort. When the tide is high, waters surround the fort and when it is low, one may approach the place on foot. It is said, however, that sharp shells were placed on the rocks to make it difficult for the enemy to cross them on foot. Murud is another village that stands not far from a number of forts. For example, not far from here are two se forts. One of them had been built by the Siddis, who were in the service of the Nizamshahi of Ahmednagar. ‘Janjira’ is an imposing fort that holds a significant place in history. Its fortification consists of twenty-one bastions which were built between 1567 and 1572. The Siddis (referred to as ‘Habshi’ people by Marathi speakers) were Abyssinians who came to India from Ethiopia. This imposing edifice which was built by them had twenty-one bastions which were equipped with 400 cannons (of course, only a hundred of these survive today). A fort of such prominence was a prize that the Marathas could not ignore and so they launched a number of attempts to seize it – in vain. And so Shivaji adopted an alternative plan – to build another fortified structure nearby. This led to the rise of Padmadurg fort on the nearby Kansa island. This fort was built to keep a close watch on the Siddis of Janjira. Shivaji in a letter writes, “Building the Padmadurg fort is to lessen the importance of Rajpuri.” Not far from Dapoli is the village Harne. This area is well known for four forts that remain from the past. Among them, Suvarnadurg is the principal fort built on an island. The remaining three are the coastal forts of Kanakdurg, Fatehgad and Goa which were during their time used as support forts. Shivaji had built Suvarnadurg and later Kanhoji Angre was its administrator. The fort had been carefully constructed and a great deal of thought had been given to its architecture. Some parts of the island are not fortified. The unfortified parts of the fort are chiselled out and their surfaces are made so smooth that if the enemy ever tried to climb up from that side, they would slip into the sea. Moving now, towards the mouth of the river Vaghotan, in the district of Sindhudurg, one comes across the fort of Vijaydurg famous for its amazingly built ‘invisible’ fortification. Around 1720, Charles Boon, Governor of Bombay province made several attacks on the fort. The Maratha admiral Kanhoji Angre, who was also the fort administrator of Vijaydurg, was not present in the fort at the time Boon attacked. Instead Rudraj Anant was temporarily in his place. In order to launch a successful attack on the fort, Boon had an enormous ship (much like a floating fortress) built in the Dabhol dockyard. He had it hauled out to sea for battle but the ship was too heavy for its sails. To remedy this he used two ships to pull it towards Vijaydurg. The ship reached a certain point and then could move no more, despite a lot of effort. The Maratha navy, under the leadership of Kanhoji Angre, was in the Vaghotan creek. Caught between their inability to physically proceed any further or even face the Maratha navy, they retreated. Centuries later, in 1991, the truth emerged. the answer as to why the British navy failed to cross a certain point was discovered. The Western Naval Command and National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, in their joint venture made a startling disclosure. When their divers went into the sea, they saw a wall, built parallel to the seaside fortification of Vijaydurg. The wall had been constructed by piling up stones. It is 120 to 150 metres away from the fort, running to a length of 122 metres, with a width of 6 to7 metres. The wall is 3 to 4 metres high and cannot be seen from above, nor is it visible at low tide. This wall stopped the English from reaching the fort. Another notable fort is Sindhudurg which stands on the island of Kurate, off Malvan. This was established by Shivaji, (in the words of Sabhasad), ‘as an invincible fort built to nullify the pride of the versatile topikars (Europeans).” A base for the Maratha navy, this fortified area stood as a direct threat to the Portuguese of Goa. Within the fort there are three wells – Dahibhav, Dudhbhav and Sakharbhav, and on entering the fort one will see two domes made of rock. On one dome, we can see an imprint of a hand and on the other, an imprint of a foot, believed to be Shivajis. Kanhoji Angre : The Admiral of the great Maratha Navy Kanhoji Angre (1667–1729), was the first notable chief of the Maratha Navy and popularly known as “Samudratla Shivaji” (Shivaji of Indian ocean). Kanhoji Angre occupies a unique position in the history of Bharat and in the annals of Indian ocean history. For four decades a terror to the maritime powers of the western coast, he led his sailors from victory to victory and raised the naval prestige of Maharashtra to an unprecedented height. Today largely forgotten, Angria The Marathas were said to be the first and perhaps the only to employ a navy; indeed, as the saying still goes that Shivaji Maharaj carried the capital of his empire on the high seas. Kanhoji Angre’s name struck the terror in the hearts of all the European TRADING Companies which were active in India in the 17th and 18th centuries. The fishermen community on the western coast who knew the sea-coast like the palms of their hands and who were born seamen provided excellent material for the Maratha navy. CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ – THE LEGEND He founded the Hindu kingdom in the Deccan against all odds , fighting against the mighty Mughals.He inspired and united the common man to fight against the tyranny of Mughal ruler Aurangjeb, by inculcating a sense of pride and nationality in them. At the age of 16, he took a pledge to establish a sovereign Hindu state. He clearly outstands all the rulers and generals of India by the exemplary life he lived and is thus respected by the entire cross section of Indians. Shivaji’s military skills could be compared to those of Napoleon. He raised a strong army and navy, constructed and repaired forts, used gureilla warfare tactics, developed a strong intelligence network, gave equal treatment to the people from all religions and castes based on merit, and functioned like a seasoned Statesman and General. He appointed ministers with specific functions such as Internal security, Foreign affairs, Finance, Law and Justice, Religious matters, Defense etc. he tiny kingdom established by Chhatrapati Shivaji known as “Hindavi Swaraja” (Sovereign Hindu state) grew and spread beyond Attock in Northwest India (now in Pakistan)and beyond Cuttack in East India in course of time, to become the strongest power in India. After the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji & his son Sambhaji, their prime ministers or ‘the Peshwas’ became the defacto rulers. The Peshwas and the Maratha Sardars (Chieftans) like Shindes of Gwalior, Gaekwads of Baroda & Holkars of Indore contributed to the growth of the Maratha Confederacy. The history of India is incomplete without the history of Marathas and Shivaji is the nucleus of Maratha history. Shivaji has been a source of inspiration and pride to the past generations and will continue to inspire generations in future.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:01:46 +0000
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