Ponda Fort

Last updated

Ponda Fort
Forte de Pondá
Part of Portuguese India
Village of Farmagudi
Near Ponda in India
Pondafort-fredericknoronha.jpg
Ponda Fort
India Goa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Ponda Fort
Location of Ponda Fort
India location map 3.png
Red pog.svg
Ponda Fort
Ponda Fort (India)
Coordinates 15°24′46″N73°59′21″E / 15.41278°N 73.98917°E / 15.41278; 73.98917
TypeHill Fort
Height40m
Site information
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionRenovated
Site history
Built1546
Built byMuslim forces of Adil Shah.
MaterialsLaterite stone and mud
Garrison information
Current
commander
none
Past
commanders
Francisco de Távora

The Ponda Fort is located near Ponda, in the state of Goa on the west coast of India. The present structure is a modern reconstruction on this location and converted into a park. In 2017 the lower walls of the fort had collapsed, due to neglect and also due to the use of poor quality materials during a previous (1977) renovation. The original structure was constructed of stone and mud, and left bare, the new structure contains stone, concrete and is plastered and painted red.

Contents

History

Muslim Era

In the early 16th century, the region around Ponda was ruled by the Adil Shahi Kingdom. They wanted a defense against the ever-expanding Portuguese Empire to the west, and had built a fortification on a hillside at Farmagudi. A Maratha leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj led a failed raid on the fort in 1665. Due to their recent skirmishes with the Portuguese, the Sultan's forces were weakened and the fort was badly damaged due to the artillery bombardment. Shivaji Maharaj tried again, this time successfully, to capture the fort later in 1675.

Maratha Era

After Shivaji's death, his son Sambhaji succeeded to the Maratha Empire. In 1683, he launched a surprise attack on the Konkan territories of Portugal. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the Portuguese offered to pay off the local Maratha governor named Naik to take control over Ponda Fort. This peace offer was refused, since Naik was expecting the arrival of Sambhaji reinforcements from Rajapur. He had along with him an army of 11,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry. The Portuguese Viceroy, Francisco de Tavora, led an artillery attack on the fort to weaken it. In this battle, the Ponda Fort was badly damaged and there were high casualties among the Marathas but the fort remained under Maratha control. The war ended with a general retreat of the Maratha forces from Portuguese territories. Following Sambhaji's execution by the Mughals at Tulapur in 1689, the Peshwas gained control over the Maratha Empire which also included Ponda Fort.

Portuguese Era

In 1783, the fort, along with the rest of the Novas Conquistas regions was ceded to the Portuguese by the Maratha Kingdom of Savantvadi under Ramachandra Savant I Bhonsle, as they needed assistance against their rival Sambhaji II of the Kingdom of Kolhapur. It stayed under Portuguese control for more than 175 years until the Invasion of Goa by India. During this time, it fell into disuse and crumbled off due to neglect, as there was no hostile forces left, to defend against.

Indian Era

The Indian government took control of the fort after 1961, and renovated it into a park in 1977. During this time, a statue of Shivaji was erected by Shashikala Kakodkar of the pro-Marathi Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shivaji</span> Indian king and founder of the Maratha Empire (r. 1674–80)

Shivaji I was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur which formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambhaji</span> Indian king and Second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire

Sambhaji, also known as Shambhuraje was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Abyssinians of Janjira, Wadiyars of Mysore and the Portuguese Empire in Goa. After Sambhaji's death, his brother Rajaram I succeeded him as the next Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.

Moropant Trimbak Pingale (1620–1683), was the first peshwa of the Maratha Empire, serving on Shivaji Maharaj's Ashta Pradhan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mughal–Maratha Wars</span> 1680–1707 wars between the Mughal and Maratha empires

The Mughal–Maratha Wars was a conflict between the Mughal Empire and the descendants of the Maratha ruler Shivaji from the time of Shivaji's death in 1680 until the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. Shivaji was a central figure in what has been called "the Maratha insurgency" against the Mughal state. Both he and his son, Sambhaji, or Shambuji, typically, alternated between rebellion against the Mughal state and service to the Mughal sovereign in an official capacity. It was common practice in late 17th-century India for members of a ruling family of a small principality to both collaborate with the Mughals and rebel.

Murud is a town and a municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated at a distance of 150 km (93 mi) from Mumbai, Murud is a tourist destination. The Palace of Nawab is located in Murud. The palace was built in 1885 for administration purposes. The palace is still owned by the descendants of the Nawab and is a private property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Pratapgarh</span> 1659 battle between the Marathas and the Adilshahi

The Battle of Pratapgad took place on 10 November 1659, at Pratapgad Fort in Satara. The battle was fought between the Maratha forces led by Chhatrapati Shivaji and the Bijapur troops under General Afzal Khan. The Marathas emerged victorious, marking their first significant military triumph against a major regional power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battles involving the Maratha Empire</span> Aspect of history

The Maratha Conquests were a series of conquests in the Indian subcontinent which led to the building of the Maratha Empire. These conquests were started by Shivaji in 1659, from the victory at the Battle of Pratapgad against Bijapur. The expansion of the empire was limited and interrupted by the Mughal conquests of south India by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Marathas were forced to defend their territories against the overwhelmingly strong Mughal army in the 27 years long Deccan wars. They were able to defend their territories and gain an upper hand over Mughals in the sustained conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sai Bhonsale</span> Maharani of the Maratha Empire

Maharani Saibai Bhosale was the first wife and chief consort of Chattrapati Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. She was the mother of her husband's successor Chattrapati Sambhaji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramchandra Pant Amatya</span> Prime minister to Maratha King chatrapati Shivaji

Ramchandra Neelkanth Bawadekar (1650–1716), also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, served on the Council of 8 as the Finance Minister (Amatya) to Emperor (Chhatrapati) Shivaji, dating from 1674 to 1680. He then served as the Imperial Regent to four later emperors, namely Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shivaji II and Sambhaji II. He authored the Adnyapatra, a famous code of civil and military administration, and is renowned as one of the greatest civil administrators, diplomats and military strategists of the Maratha Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijaydurg Fort</span> Fort located in Vijaydurg

Vijaydurg, the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, was constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty and restructured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maratha Army</span> Land-based armed forces of the Maratha Empire

The Maratha Army was the land-based armed forces of the Maratha Empire, which existed from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries in the Indian subcontinent

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Bijapur</span>

The siege of Bijapur began in March 1685 and ended in September 1686, with Mughal victory. The siege began when Aurangzeb dispatched his son, Muhammad Azam Shah, with a force of nearly 50,000 men to capture Bijapur Fort and defeat Sikandar Adil Shah, the then ruler of Bijapur, who refused to be a vassal of the Mughal Empire. The siege of Bijapur was among the longest military engagements by the Mughals, lasting more than 15 months until Aurangzeb personally arrived to organize a victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Purandar</span> 17th century battle in India

The Battle of Purandar was fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire in 1665. The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, appointed Jai Singh to lead a 14,000 strong army against Shivaji and deputed several Mughal commanders like Dilir Khan, Rai Singh, Sujan Singh and Daud Khan to serve Jai Singh in his campaign. to besiege Shivaji's fortress at Purandar. After Mughal forces killed Maratha General, Murarbaji on 2 June 1665, Shivaji surrendered and gave up 23 of his fortresses But soon he regained all his strength and all the fortresses that he lost in the Battle Of Purandar.

The Fortaleza de São Sebastião, also called the Tivim Fort, after the village where a part of the long wall structure was once located, is a fort that spans from the village of Tivim, to the area known as Colvale, in Goa, on the west coast of India. Currently, most of it is in ruins and barely visible. However, parts of the structure are in the process of being restored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maratha Navy</span> Combined naval force of Maratha Empire

The Maratha Navy was the naval wing of the armed forces of the Maratha Empire, which existed from around mid-17th century to mid-18th century in the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachol Fort</span> Historical Fort in Rachol, Goa

The Rachol Fort is a historical Portuguese era fort located in the village of Rachol, Salcette concelho, in the state of Goa on the west coast of India.

<i>Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji</i> Indian historical biographical drama

Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji is an Indian historical drama based on the life of warrior king Sambhaji. The series is directed by Vivek Deshpande and Kartik Rajaram Kendhe and is written by Pratap Gangavane. It is produced by Amol Kolhe, Vilas Sawant and Sonali Ghanashyam Rao under the banner of Jagadamb Creations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maratha–Portuguese War (1683–1684)</span> Campaign against Portugal in India

The Maratha–Portuguese War of 1683–1684 refers to the invasion of the Portuguese-controlled portion of Goa and Konkan. The battles were fought between the Maratha Empire and Portuguese India, on various fronts between 1683–1684.

Mughal invasion of Konkan (1684) was a part of the Deccan wars. It was a campaign launched by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb to capture the Konkan region from the Maratha Empire under Sambhaji. The Mughal forces were led by Mu'azzam and Shahbuddin Khan. The harsh climate and the Maratha guerrilla strategy forced the numerically strong Mughal army into a slow retreat. The Maratha army suffered small losses in this unsuccessful campaign of Mughal Empire.In this war Mughals was badly defeated by Marathas.

The Maratha–Mysore War (1682) was a series of battles fought between the Maratha Empire and the Kingdom of Mysore in Southern India, both of which were attempting to establish supremacy in Southern India. The Maratha forces were led by Sambhaji and the Mysore forces were led by Chikka Devaraja. The conflict resulted in the defeat of the Mysore forces by Marathas, leading to a conclusion at the Treaty of Srirangapatanam, where Chikkadevraja paid 1 Crore Honas as a war tribute to Sambhaji.

References