On the history trail: The citadel of Bassein

The fortified enclosure of Bassein, the pride of the Portuguese on the west coast held its own and resisted all attacks by the Marathas from land. This triangular piece of land measuring a mile and a half in circumference had good defensive walls of 5 feet thickness and were almost 30 to 40 feet high.

 

Bastions in each of the four corners were strengthened with modern artillery. The Bassein creek ran to the south of the fort while the west side opened into the sea. The eastern side had marshy land while the north provided the only land passage to launch an assault.

 

Shankaraji Phadke, brimming with confidence after capturing Thana tried to capture Bassein in a surprise attack but was decisively defeated. Chimaji Appa played a pivotal role in the two wars in the year of 1737, one in the north waged by the Mughals under the leadership of Nizam-ul-Mulk and the second in the south, a religious war waged against the atrocities of the Portuguese.

 

Chimaji Appa used the time well in between these two important military operations to fine – tune his plans to capture Bassein with no chance of failure. The end of 1738 saw massive mobilization of competent Maratha leaders and soldiers to the south to prepare for a tough battle against the Portuguese.

 

Ranoji Scindia, Tukoji Holkar, Pawar and other brave chiefs were summoned from the north to participate in this religious war. The Portuguese, however had also used this time well and had asked for fresh troops from Europe. They began their campaign aggressively.

 

In 1738, Mahadaji Pant Phadke, a daring Maratha chief lost his life while attempting to capture Mahim. His demise greatly troubled the Maratha camp who began to lose confidence slowly.

 

When Chimaji Appa arrived at the end of 1738, he not only had to boost the morale of his men but also take care of his declining health. He resolved to overcome these difficulties regardless of the consequences.

 

The Portuguese tried to recapture Thana but a chance shot from the Marathas killed their commander Pedro de Mello while inspecting the defences from his boat. The news of his death shocked the Portuguese who decided to withdraw and make new plans to take on the Marathas.

 

The Marathas on the other hand took this as a positive sign from the universe and proceeded with fervour and enthusiasm. Chimaji Appa reached the Konkan with plenty of funds at his disposal, the best commanders and valiant soldiers. He set up camp in the marshy regions and spent days examining the terrain and creeks.

 

He began formulating his plans for a concerted attack, assigning duties to his chieftains and making the necessary changes as per the information received by his spies and agents. A considerable amount of caution was exercised by Chimaji Appa and the commanders in their actions.

 

The Portuguese were determined to fight for every inch of land with such utter desperation that the Marathas would eventually find the battle too costly to bear.

 

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian

 

* Information about Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj is taken from archives