First time since independence, Mumbai’s Mahim fort to get a new lease of life

Spread across 3,796 square metre area, the fort comprises strong walls along with an elevated watchtower-like platform. The basement of the fort became encroached post-Independence and with time 276 hutments were set up inside the structure. As a result, multiple portions of the fort were demolished and altered and owing to the encroachments, the authorities couldn’t carry out any conservation or restoration work.

“We had initiated the Mahim beach beautification project in September 2021. In the first phase, we constructed a watchtower-like viewing deck and beautified the promenade. This project was completed in December 2021 and since then the administration proposed taking over this fort and conserving it,” Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner, told The Indian Express.

Despite being declared a state-protected monument in the 1970s, the fort has suffered severe decay and encroachment due to lack of maintenance since Independence. (Express Photo/Amit Chakravarty)

Following this, the civic authorities started correspondence with the state government and the customs department. Next year, the BMC relocated all the 276 families of encroachers from inside the fort to different locations. Vispute said these encroachers have been relocated to houses allocated by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. The BMC has spent nearly Rs 60 crore in providing alternative accommodation to them.

At present, the BMC has sent a proposal to the customs department’s board to enter into a MoU for conservation and restoration of the fort. The BMC has already prepared a restoration plan for the fort and Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner (city), has reviewed the process in multiple meetings. Last month, Mumbai’s municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani also visited the fort to check the status of restoration.

“Our idea is to conserve the fort in its entirety. The BMC has already spent its resources to remove the encroachments even though the civic body didn’t own the structure. Therefore, it’s fair for the process that there is only one agency taking care of the project,” Vispute added.

When contacted, a senior customs official said, “The MoU is in the final stage and will be signed in the next one month. We are working on the final act of conditions which is the last stage before coming up with the final draft.”

The BMC has appointed conservation architect Vikas Dilawari for the restoration project. Speaking with The Indian Express, Dilawari said that the existing structure will not be altered by any means.

“The idea is to restore the fort in its original form. The civil works will be bare minimum as per requirement and we will not alter any structure. Several parts of the fort are still inaccessible and we are currently studying matters like how erosion can be stopped from affecting the walls of the fort. We are also carrying out a study to identify the origin of stones that were used,” Dilawari said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sandeep Dahisarkar, archaeologist and author said the origin of the Mahim Fort dates back to the era of Raja Bimba Yadava who was an early medieval ruler of the North Konkan region belonging to the Yadava dynasty. The capital of this region was the Mahim-Bimbasthan which is now known as modern day Mahim.

“The first reference to the construction of Mahim Fort comes from Bimbakhyana manuscript, renamed and edited by Historian V K Rajwade as Mahikavatichi Bakhar in 1924. It states that Pani Sawant, son of Nayata ruler Abu Nakhawa, started its construction. References to forts of Mahim and Thane built by Dafarkhan of Gujarat Sultanate are also found in the same manuscript,” Dahisarkar told The Indian Express.

During the 16th century, the Portuguese took over the fort and in the middle of the 17th century the Portuguese ceded over island Mahim to British Prince Charles II as dowry. Following this, the British gained its control, and it remained a strategic watchtower. Later, due to the prominence of this port, the British had set up a customs house adjoining the fort which served as an office for the department in this region as well as a quarter for the staffers. This office continued to operate post-Independence and during the 1960s, it was shifted to its present-day location at south Mumbai’s Ballard Estate.

“Since the authorities are planning restoration of this fort and now that the encroachments have been removed, the inside portions of this fort need to be excavated systematically under the guidance of the archaeology department. This fort is likely to hold some of the important remains of the medieval period and will throw some serious light of the era before the colonial annexation took place in Mumbai,” Dahisarkar said.