India’s colonial past – Europeans in India
While India came under the colonial rule of British Empire only in 1803, the European traders had started arriving in India by the turn of the 15th century. The main attraction was the spices, cotton textiles & silk of India. Christopher Columbus, the explorer, had set out from Genoa (now part of Italy) to discover India but instead reached North America in 1492. In the belief that he had reached India, he called the indigenous people as Red Indians, the name that has survived till date.
Few years later the Portuguese, followed in quick succession by Dutch (Netherlands), English, Danes (Denmark) and French arrived in India for trading. They formed their trading companies and with trading permissions from the Mughals or the local kings soon established their trading posts & settlements. The European empires used some of these as a ploy to further their political ambitions. As the Mughal Empire weakened and the local kingdoms were fighting with each other, the Europeans started exerting their influence. They also fought with each other with the English finally emerging the most powerful. Portuguese and French had to finally contend with control primarily only over Goa & Pondicherry respectively.
Portuguese connection with India –historical background
The first European to set foot on the coast of India was Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese who arrived in Calicut (now Kozhikode) in 1498. Calicut then was one of the major trading ports of the eastern world. He got permission for trading from the local Rajah. This brought Portuguese in large numbers to the Malabar Coast. Portuguese established their trading post and appointed Afonso de Albuquerque as the Captain General in 1509. He was a shrewd administrator. He captured Goa in 1510 from Sultan of Bijapur and made it the capital of the Portuguese eastern empire.
Portuguese had much superior sailing ships compared to the other European nations. They soon commanded supremacy in the Indian Ocean and took control of the trade routes to Egypt, Iraq & Persia. In Goa, Albuquerque encouraged Portuguese men to marry local women with the objective to rear a population possessing Portuguese blood who would have allegiance to Portugal. Their off-springs again married local people giving rise to the race now known as Goanese or Goans. This race is mainly Indian in blood, Catholic in religion and partly western in outlook. The footprints of Portuguese soon spread to Konkan coast, Bombay, Daman, Dadra, Surat & Diu. Goa remained under Portuguese control till its accession with India in 1961.
My travelogue today
My travelogue today deviates from the routine and takes a different route to sites not traversed by many and off the beaten track. I remember these lines from the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference”
With this advice as a guide, I have travelled to many lesser known & off the beaten track destinations. You would find them in many of my travelogues!! The first part of my travelogue today takes you to two interesting forts which were under Portuguese control. They are ‘Fort Bassein’ in Vasai near Mumbai and ‘Cabo de Rama’ in Goa. After that we explore the Armenian, Dutch & English cemeteries lying forlorn and forgotten at Surat. Believe me all of them amazed me with their magnificence & architecture.
Fort Bassein (Vasai Fort)
It was a beautiful overcast Sunday morning in Mumbai during the monsoon season. I & my younger son thought of doing something different and we decided to explore Vasai Fort located some 45 kms by road from Andheri (where we used to live). We decided to take the local train instead of the car to save on time and as locals on a Sunday morning are almost empty. So we got to seat comfortably and within 45 mins of boarding the train we were in Vasai Road station (located in Palghar district). We took an auto rickshaw from the station to the fort which is at a distance of 9 kms. As we approched the fort, the swaying coconut & palm trees came in view. We started getting the feeling of being in South Goa!
We were lucky to meet Mr. Sunil Kadam who is an employee of ASI. It was a holiday for him and he stayed in a quarter nearby. On our request, he became our guide during our trek around the fort for the next 2 hours or so.
History of the Fort:
Fort Bassein, is more popular by the name Vasai Fort or Vasai Killa. The Portuguese name is Corte de Baçaim or the full name is “Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím” or the Fort of St. Sebastian of Vasai. In the 7th century Chalukyas controlled Vasai and the surrounding areas. Later it came under Silhara dynasty of Konkan and Seuna dynasty followed them. It came under the control of Gujarat Sultanate in the 14th century.
Arrival of the Portuguese
Portuguese reached the coast of Vasai in 1509. They signed the ‘Treaty of Vasai’ with Gujarat Sultanate in 1534. The Sultans of Gujarat were constantly in war with the Mughals & Rajputs. To seek support from the Portuguese, Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat acceded the control of Vasai, islands & seas to the Kingdom of Portugal. Portuguese made it their northern capital and built this sprawling fort on the coast to keep control over the sea route. Marathas under the command of Chimaji Appa (Peshwa Baji Rao’s brother) defeated the Portuguese in 1739 after waging a war for 3 years. In 1774 British took over the fort but returned it to the Marathas in 1783. The British attacked the Marathas in 1813 and defeated them. Thereafter the fort remained under them till India’s Independence in 1947.
Under the Portuguese, it became a naval & ship building centre. The Fort had a circumference of 4.5 Kms and is believed to have a township housing 2000 Portuguese nobles & 60000 Indian Christians. They built Cathedral, Churches, Convents, Town halls, Watch towers within the Fort area. For the next 2 centuries it prospered and became a very rich trading centre. The fort is almost in ruins now and is managed by ASI.
Our visit
The ramparts of the fort overlook the Vasai Creek. The structures that remain give a fairly good idea of the grandeur of the fort. Many watch towers still stand and there are staircases which are safe to climb to the top to get a panoramic view. The buildings inside the fort are in ruins, although there are enough standing walls to give a good idea of the floor plans of these structures. Some have well-preserved facades. My pics will show that many of the arches have weathered the years remarkably well. They are usually decorated with carved stones. Some are weathered beyond recognition while others still display sharp chisel marks.
The architecture is totally different from the ones that we see in the forts built by the Rajputs & Marathas. One can still see the European influence in the columns, pillars & arches. There are three chapels inside the fort premises. They were built in the 17th century and one of them still stands tall in good condition. We saw local fisher-women washing clothes near a well inside the fort.
Fort in movies
The fort has featured in many Hindi & Marathi movies. During our visit, preparations were in full swing for the fight sequence of a Marathi film. Hindi movies such as ‘Josh’, ‘Pyar ki liye kuch bhi karega’ & Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Aag’ have been shot here. The song sequence “Kambhakt Ishq….” from ‘Pyar tune kya kiya’ & ”Poster lagwa do.. ” from ‘Luka Chuppi’ were shot here.
Cabo de Rama Fort, Goa
We now travel to another interesting fort in South Goa that affords panoramic views of the Arabian Sea. The gorgeous views make you feel that you are in an European destination! Cabo de Rama is a Portuguese fortress built in 1763, perched on a seaside cliff. Except for the turrets of the fort and few cannons nothing much survives except for a quaint little chapel of Santo Antonio at the entrance of the fort. A fortress like structure existed prior to the Portuguese and belonged to the local Soonda dynasty. Portuguese took control after defeating the Raja and renovated & expanded the fort. Portuguese had enforced it with 21 guns and military barracks.
There is a rocky path from the fort that leads the visitor down to the sea. There are stones & rocks of all sizes and the sea is rough. We were at the fort at Sunset time and there was a mystic feel in the surroundings. The fort provides majestic views of the entire length of Colva beach and the Canacona beach.
Mythological connection
The name Rama was a bit intriguing. As per the local legends during Ramayana times, Rama, Sita & Lakshmana had stayed here during their exile, hence the name Rama came to be associated with the Fort!
Some scenes of the famous Bollywood movie ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ were shot in this fort.
European Cemeteries in Surat
Surat today with a population close to 5 million is the fastest growing metropolis of India. Rated among the cleanest cities of India, it’s GDP is also growing among the fastest in the country. Known as the Diamond City of India for its expertise in diamond cutting & polishing, Surat is the largest manufacturer of clothes in India. It has a flourishing textile industry.
A brief history of Surat
Surat has a rich history. It is located on the banks of river Tapi or Tapti and close to the coast. It was an important sea port for trading & ship building. Surat was founded around early sixteenth century and was known as Suryapur or Surajpur. Portuguese burnt the city twice in 1512 & 1530. Mughals took control of the city in 1573 and became an important port for Haj pilgrimage. Mughals referred to the sea port of Surat as ‘Bandar-e-mubarak’ (the blessed port).
Marathas under the command of Chattrapati Shivaji defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Surat in 1664. They looted the city on two occasions. This was done to raise finances for the Maratha empire. The wealthy town of Surat generated millions in taxes for the Mughals. Surat’s prosperity attracted Armenian, Turkish, English, Dutch & French traders and they amassed a lot of wealth and built palatial mansions. The East India Company established their first factory in India in 1612 in Surat followed by the Dutch in 1617. The Dutch & the British continued to fight to claim control over the town. Finally in 1800, the British took control of the town.
The cemeteries
Surat’s colonial past finds manifestation in the form of the magnificent & grand Dutch & English cemeteries built during the 17th to 19th centuries. These are imposing structures many of them resembling the mausoleums of the Muslim rulers and likes of which are not found even in Netherlands or England !!
It is believed that many of the senior officers of British East India Company & Dutch East India Company who were posted in Surat amassed a lot of wealth. They capitalized on the trading opportunities offered by the city of Surat and did business in their personal capacity on the sly. They were impressed by the Mughal & other Muslim mausoleums. Though they didn’t belong to royalty, they decided to have imposing opulent structures built as their cemeteries. The size and grandeur of the structure depended on their rank in the hierarchy. It seems that the rivalry between the two colonial powers also extended to the graves!
Armenian & Dutch cemeteries
The Dutch & Armenian cemeteries are adjacent to each other while the English / British cemeteries are some 500 meters away. Dutch as well as Armenian cemeteries at Surat are situated in a locality known as ‘Gulam Falia’ near the road leading to Katargam Gate. The Dutch tombs are of various sizes and shapes, but the one that excels all the rest in magnificence is the grandiose mausoleum of Baron Adrian Van Reede who was the Director of the Dutch Company.
The Armenian cemetery does not have super structures built over the tomb stones only inscription slabs are there. There is a mortuary chapel among the tombstones which houses the grave/tomb of the son (d:1695) of a wealthy important Armenian merchant, Khwaja Phanoos Kalandar.
English cemeteries
The English Cemeteries are located near the Kataram Gate and there are 19 cemeteries that belong to politically important Englishmen many of whom had important positions in the British factory. Besides them there are inscription slabs over many other graves which belong to less important Englishmen.
I found a bunch of students of architecture at these sites. Other than them hardly any one visits them except perhaps a stray taphophile (someone interested in cemeteries & gravestones !). The English & the Dutch have been long gone but their cemeteries stand even today – forlorn & neglected. Those who lay in rest there are long forgotten.
Majority of the residents of Surat are not even aware of the existence of these important piece of architecture from the city’s historic past. Even though they are declared as protected monuments by ASI but if immediate steps are not taken to conserve them the city of Surat would soon lose these historical monuments.
For me, it was a rewarding experience of visiting & exploring a piece of history & unusual architecture from our colonial past. I never imagined that even a visit to a cemetery could turn out to be so enthralling.
An inspiring quote
“In the cemetery there is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential. There is a treasure within you that must come out. Don’t go to the grave with your treasure still within YOU”
English Cemeteries- a pictorial tour
I conclude my travelogue on a philosophical note. After all, what is Tajmahal or a Pyramid – a beautiful structure over a tombstone. They are but expression of human vanity because in the end all are but equal in a grave.
Regular updates:
I have clicked all the pics.
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Disclaimer:
I have made sincere efforts to provide you the correct information about all the places that have been culled out from various sources. I do not take any responsibility for any errors that might have crept in the narration. There is no intention to hurt the faith or religious sentiments of any person or community.
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