The Fort(s) of Mahim(s)
The Mahim fort is the oldest fortification constructed in Bombay and yet today, it is in shambles. That would be a real zinger of an opening line but unfortunately, only part of that statement is verifiably accurate.
Much like the Worli Fort, the origins of the Mahim fort are shrouded in mystery. While certain sources suggest that it was constructed by the British in 1669[1], others believe it to have been raised in the mid – 1500s by the Portuguese[2]. There is however, a significantly more interesting tale which dates the fort back to 1140[3]and links it to the founding of the ancient city of Mahikavati (which over time morphed into the name Mahim) by Raja Pratap Bimb/ Bhim[4]. For context, that’s more than half a century before work started on the Qutab Minar and almost four centuries before Babur established the Mughal dynasty. Interestingly, one of the earliest references to Mahim in Portuguese records relates to Portuguese ships attacking (and even, seizing) Mahim fort around the 1520s[5]. Therefore, it is likely that Mahim fort already existed when the European settlers arrived.
However, in a bizarre twist, the tales of provenance are further muddled by the fact that there exists another fort in another Mahim (in Palghar district of Maharashtra) and there is scant evidence to distinguish the history of the two forts. That, thankfully, does not stop us from exploring the story of Raja Bimb/ Bhimdev, who may have built neither or both the forts at the Mahims.
In keeping with the running theme of uncertainty and vagueness, there exist multiple versions of Raja Bimb/ Bhimdev’s excursion to Mahim. One version states that Bhimdev was a prince of the Chaulukya dynasty (which ruled over parts of modern day Gujarat), who had been forced to flee when Mahmud of Ghazni raided the famous Somnath temple in 1024 – 25. Eventually, Bhimdev ended up in Mahim and settled there[6]. However, this version is usually discredited as fiction, since Bhimdev’s migration to Mahim is not mentioned in the meticulous records maintained by the Chaulukyan scribes.
According to the Mahikavatichi Bakhar (The Annals of Mahikavati), a 15th century document describing the history of Mahikavati (Mahim), King Pratap Bimb had, during the period 1138 – 1237, marched from Aurangabad and conquered large swathes of territory all the way up to the Bombay islands. Supposedly, he set up his first capital at Mahim (Palghar) but was unable to hold on to his territories. His kingdom shrunk to just the Bombay islands, and he established his new capital city at Mahim. The Bimb dynasty he established crumbled over time and the lands were appropriated by Gujarati kings. Years later, another prince named Bimbdev of the Yadav dynasty (which ruled from Devagiri) is said to have gained control of the region and restored glory to Mahim by making it his capital[7]. If all these versions appear mightily confusing, you may consider popping an aspirin. It just gets worse.
The Bimbakhyan, an old Marathi poem which translates to ‘Tale of Bimba’, tells us that Raja Bimbdev arrived at Mahim from Anahilvada – Patan (Gujarat) in 1296 to find a beautiful and largely uninhabited island. So besotted was he with the place that he made it his seat, and thus began the urbanization of Mahim and other Bombay islands. The fact that Alauddin Khilji had attacked the Yadav kings of Devagiri in 1296 along with evidence of Yadav rule in Mahim, has led historians to conclude that the legendary Bimbdev must have been a Yadav prince, who migrated to the Konkan to escape the clutches of the fearsome Alauddin. Legend has it that Bimbdev transformed Mahim from a desert island (quite literally, since it was previously called ‘Baradbet’) into a beautiful city with palaces and temples, including, the Valkeshwar temple[8]. He is also said to have built a shrine for the goddess Mumba devi, which gave the city its modern day name.
Unfortunately, none of these serpentine accounts make any mention of the forts at either of the Mahims, and whether Bimbdev or his successors were responsible for their construction.
Source: Sanjay Leela BhansaliIn any event, we jump forward a few centuries and the course of history becomes much clearer. The mid – 1300s onwards, the island of Mahim changed hands between different Muslim rulers until it was appropriated by the Portuguese in 1534. Subsequently, they granted it as dowry to the British in 1661. The Mahim fort saw military action when the Siddis raided the Bombay islands in 1689 and then again, in 1772, when the Portuguese attacked the British. On both occasions, the British were able to retain their hold over it and thus things continued until 1947.
Today, the condition of the fort is deplorable as it is replete with tenements and shanties. Locating the fort is a challenge and once you find it, there isn’t much to see. A single wall is all that seems to remain of the original structure and there is no sign of any conservation efforts being made. If things continue in this fashion, the future of this historic structure is certain to be as dark and uncertain as its past.
[1]http://www.mahim.com/fort.htm. Also, Recognizing and Preserving the Historic Identity of Dadar West, Bombay: Recommendations for Development Control Regulations 67, Date V. S. (2015), available at https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/date_vineet_s_201505_mhp.pdf
[2]https://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-now-tetrapods-at-mahim-fort/19439191
[3]https://www.scribd.com/document/201882788/Newsletter-Forts-of-Mumbai
[4]Different sources refer to this legendary figure as, amongst other, Pratap Bimb, Bimbashah, Bhim or Bhimdev. One would imagine that he would not have gotten along with the Faceless Men of Braavos.
[5]The Rise of Bombay: A Retrospect, Edwardes S. M. (1902) available at https://archive.org/stream/risebombayaretr00edwagoog#page/n42/mode/2up
[6]Identity of Raja Bimb with whom the Pathare Prabhus migrated to Bombay in the 13th century AD, Rao V.D. (1947) available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/44137182?read-now=1&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
[7]The Witness of Ages: Archaeology of the Madh Island and Versova, Mumbai Suburban District, Thakare M. (2016) available at http://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume4/36.pdf
[8]The Rise of Bombay: A Retrospect, Edwardes S. M. (1902) available at https://archive.org/stream/risebombayaretr00edwagoog#page/n42/mode/2up