My Heritage Chronicles

I had read about an article published in afternoon tabloid few years back on British era cannons lying on the streets of Bombay which were used differently like bollards or territorial markers differentiating the "White Bombay" from the native "Black Bombay". The article literally rang bell in my ears for it was something different or "hatke" as compared to regular heritage monuments, buildings & religious hubs in Bombay that I usually cover in my heritage exploratory walks. One one of the Sundays I set out to rediscover these hidden heritage which probably has been lying around for over 150 years.  It is said that in city of Mumbai alone there could be over 250 cannons lying in nook and corners of the city, hidden in plain sight and ignored by passerby. On basis of information from the article from years back, I started my journey from outside the Masjid Bunder station on the west side. The railway station on central and harbour lines of Mumb...

Vajragad - Hira Dongri - Datta Dongri - Giriz Dongri , Known by a different name is fort cum watchtower which was built during the Vasai campaign launched by legendary Maratha commander Chimaji Appa. It is situated just outside the Giriz village on Giriz-Nirmal road on a small hill. Today a temple dedicated to Lord Dattatreya glorifies the fort and hence it is known as Datta Dongri. History of the watchtower : Portuguese started building the Vasai fort around 1526 and gradually started increasing the nearby areas under their command. For that purpose, they also built different forts in nearby areas like Shirgaon, Mahim, Kelve as well as captured coastal forts like Arnala which is located at the mouth of the Vaitarna river. Inhabitants of these areas were either forced to convert their religion or face persecution, In order to seek refuge against the injustice and forced conversions, people sought help from Peshwas. So in 1737, Chimaji Appa started the Vasai campaign to fight ...