Tarapur Fort is a fortress situated in Tarapur in Palghar District in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
| Tarapur Fort | |
|---|---|
| Tarapur, Palghar District, Maharashtra, India | |
  Tarapur Fort Shown within Maharashtra  Tarapur Fort Tarapur Fort (India) | |
| Coordinates | 19°51′49″N72°40′56″E / 19.8637°N 72.6821°E |
| Site information | |
| Owner |
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| Open to the public | Yes |
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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