Technical Aspects of Coastal Construction of a large

Structure
Siddhi Military Architecture of the African Diaspora in India-
Comparative and technical aspects

Dr Uday Dokras.PhD Stockholm,SWEDEN

Srishti Dokras Architect
Prof. Dr. Ms Laurence Buzenot, Docteure en Géographie, Géographer

JANJIRA FORT

Monsoons:  Monsoons in Maharashtra are particularly troublesome, Rainfall

starts normally in the first week of June. July is the wettest month in
Maharashtra, while August too gets substantial rain. Monsoon starts its retreat
with the coming of September from the state.

Winter: Cool dry spell, with clear skies gentle breeze and pleasant weather
prevails from November to February. But the eastern part of Maharashtra
sometimes receives some rainfall. Temperature varies between 12°C-34°C
during this season.

Rainfall: Rainfall in Maharashtra differs from region to region. In the region

where the fort is located,Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts,
receive heavy rains of an average of 200 centimeters annually. But the districts
of Nasik, Pune, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Satara, Sangli, Solapur and
parts of Kolhapur get rainfall less than 50 centimeters. Rainfall particularly
concentrates to the Konkan and Sahyadrian Maharashtra. Central
Maharashtra receives less rainfall. However, under the influence of the Bay of
Bengal, eastern Vidarbha receives good rainfall in July, August and September.

The Janjira lies in the path of the South West Monsoon and close to the
mainland Off Raigad District of Maharashtra. It being a rocky basalt island out
crop in the Arabian sea the monsoon rain bring fresh water that gets trapped
in the depressions in the rocks and the fissures thereby accumulating in the
bowl called the pond. Unfortunately this water may have been potable during
monsoon but rapidly becomes stagnant and unpotable due to degradation of
biomass. Sea water incursion is not prevalent due to the rocky nature of
subsoil that in impervious to the sea and the islands pond may be on a higher

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point above Mean Sea Level. July marks the beginning of Monsoon season
in Murud Janjira and it lasts till September. Moderate rainfall is experienced
by the region in the months of July and September. The summers
in Murud Janjira are hot and dry and are generally avoided by the tourists.
Construction work must have been stopped in these time-lines. Also food and
necessary items coming by small boats would find it difficylt to reach Janjira
during that time unkless the passage was used.
Climate change threatens coastal areas, which are already stressed by
human activity, pollution, invasive species, and storms. Sea level
rise could erode and inundate coastal ecosystems and eliminate wetlands.
Warmer and more acidic oceans are likely to disrupt coastal and marine
ecosystems. Solution. Moisture-laiden winds provide more rainfall to
the coastal parts due to being situated by
the coast and receiving the rain bearing winds, but the interior get
negligible rainfall due to being the almost dry winds without moisture. coastal
flooding?

The main cause is sea level rise, which in turn increases the magnitude
of coastal floods, such that the sea more frequently overtops
existing coastal protection or natural barriers.

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Monsoon in that region

Raigad area(LEFT) Murud Janjira to RIGHT

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Already, coastal erosion costs heavy for  coastal property loss, including
damage to structures and loss of land. Coastal erosion is the process by which
local sea level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry
away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast. The oceans receive
just over their share, percentage-wise, of the world's precipitation, about 70
percent. The remaining 30 percent of precipitation falls on the continents.
Some areas of the world receive far more precipitation than others.

There are four main processes of coastal erosion. These are corrasion,

abrasion, hydraulic action and attrition. Corrasion is when destructive waves
pick up beach material (e.g. pebbles) and hurl them at the base of a cliff.

The tides-- Predicting tides is very important for shipping and travel across

oceans. Ships decide which channels they may navigate by calculating their
own weight, the depth of the ocean and an area’s tidal range. Errors in
navigation can strand ships along shores or on sand banks. Cargo can sit
and spoil while waiting for a tide. Since the moon is closer to our planet than
the sun, it exerts a stronger gravitational pull on us.High and low tides are
caused by the moon. The moon's gravitational pull generates something called
the tidal force. The tidal force causes Earth—and its water—to bulge out on the
side closest to the moon and the side farthest from the moon. These bulges of
water are high tides.We have 2 tides per day This occurs because the moon
revolves around the Earth in the same direction that the Earth is rotating on
its axis. Since the Earth rotates through two tidal “bulges” every
lunar day, we experience two high and two low tides every 24 hours and 50
minutes. Tides are one of the most reliable phenomena in the world. As the sun

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rises in the east and the stars come out at night, we are confident that the
ocean waters will regularly rise and fall along our shores.

RAINFALL(BELOW)

Murad annual rainfall and temperatures( above)

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At HIGH TIDE steps of the Door are covered by water

Tides are very long-period waves that move through the oceans in response to
the forces exerted by the moon and sun. Tides originate in the oceans and
progress toward the coastlines where they appear as the regular rise and fall of
the sea surface.

When the highest part, or crest, of the wave reaches a particular location,
high tide occurs; low tide corresponds to the lowest part of the wave, or its
trough. The difference in height between the high tide and the low tide is called
the tidal range. Tides are one of the most reliable phenomena in the world. As
the sun rises in the east and the stars come out at night, we are confident that
the ocean waters will regularly rise and fall along our shores.

Tides are very long-period waves that move through the oceans in response to
the forces exerted by the moon and sun. Tides originate in the oceans and
progress toward the coastlines where they appear as the regular rise and fall of
the sea surface.

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When the highest part, or crest, of the wave reaches a particular location, high
tide occurs; low tide corresponds to the lowest part of the wave, or its trough.
The difference in height between the high tide and the low tide is called the
tidal range. The area of the fortm is less than 10 meters above sea level. These
impervious surfaces prohibit water from seeping into the ground and instead
redirect it to storm sewers and local creeks, which can lead to localized
flooding. In many cases, the flood water overwhelms stormwater systems of the
fort. Flood-related closures of the Main door not only interrupt the flow of daily
transportation, but also impact the safety of responders living therein.
Increased water levels can cause instability of the foundation elements and be
washed away – increasing the potential for human injury and fatalities.

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 Murud Beach in Monsoon

Coastal flooding:  Flooding of the base of the fort and its foundation occurs
during high tide. Coastal flooding normally occurs when dry and low-lying land
is submerged by seawater, The range of a coastal flooding is a result of the
elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by
the topography of the coastal land exposed to flooding. [1][2] Flood damage
modelling was limited to local, regional or national scales. However, with the
presence of climate change and an increase in the population rates, flood
events have intensified and called for a global interest in finding out different
methods with both spatial and temporal dynamics. Today we know that
the cumulative effect of these floods are comparable to more devastating events

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such as Hurricane In other words, nuisance floods are considered a cumulative
hazard. Since nuisance floods are not considered disasters but building a Fort
on the rock in the middle of the sea is a task known to few.
Fisherman;s role: There is a tale that when the Ahmadnagar Kings wanted to
build a marine fort they were searching for ideas when a fisherman from the
Murud village suggested that it be built on a large rock in the niddle of the
oceas. As montioned earlier some structures were already built there and it
was a question of according legitimacy to the construction of a mush solid
structure.

Weathering: The coastal areas of the Fort are opened to weathering and
erosion by the effects of the monsoon rains due to the absence of protective
embankment by rocky hills or mountain ranges.

As a result of this Environmental influences over the centuries, the gap

between the Fort and land-line has considerably widened from it's original
position and it's presumed that the Fort was constructed in the middle of the
sea.

OF THE BUILDING ITSELF

A fortification as a fort is properly called  is a construction designed for the

defence of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region
during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to
make").
From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been
necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and
conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were the first small
cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built
in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the
huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek phrourion was a fortified
collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of
the Roman castellum or English fortress. These constructions mainly served
the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and borders.
Though smaller than a real fortress, they acted as a border guard rather than a
real strongpoint to watch and maintain the border.
Coastal defence (or defense) and coastal fortification are measures taken to
provide protection against military attack at or near a coastline (or
other shoreline), for example, fortifications and coastal artillery. Because an
invading enemy normally requires a port or harbour to sustain operations,
such defences are usually concentrated around such facilities, or places where
such facilities could be constructed. Coastal artillery fortifications generally

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followed the development of land fortifications, usually incorporating land
defences; sometimes separate land defence forts were built to protect coastal
forts. Through the middle 19th century, coastal forts could be bastion
forts, star forts, polygonal forts, or sea forts, the first three types often with
detached gun batteries called "water batteries". Coastal defence weapons
throughout history were heavy naval guns or weapons based on them, often
supplemented by lighter weapons. In the late 19th century separate batteries of
coastal artillery replaced forts in some countries; in some areas these became
widely separated geographically through the mid-20th century as weapon
ranges increased. The amount of landward defence provided began to vary by
country from the late 19th century; by 1900 new US forts almost totally
neglected these defences. 
Booms were also usually part of a protected harbor's defences. A boom or
a chain (also boom defence, harbour chain, river chain, chain boom, boom
chain or variants) is an obstacle strung across a navigable stretch of water to
control or block navigation.
In modern times they usually have civil uses, such as to prevent access to a
dangerous river channel. But, especially historically, they have been used
militarily, with the goal of denying access to an enemy's ships: a modern
example is the anti-submarine net.
Booms have also been used to force passing vessels to pay a toll.

Left- Siege of Londonderry boom/Capturing Damiate RIGHT

The word littoral may be used both as a noun and as an adjective. It derives

from the Latin noun litus, litoris, meaning "shore". (The doubled tt is a late-
medieval innovation, and the word is sometimes seen in the more classical-
looking spelling litoral.)
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to
the shore. In coastal environments, the littoral zone extends from the high water
mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged.

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The littoral zone always includes this intertidal zone, and the terms are often used
interchangeably. However, the meaning of littoral zone can extend well beyond the
intertidal zone. The use of the term also varies from one part of the world to another,
and between different disciplines. For example, military commanders speak of the
littoral in ways that are quite different.

Littoral
In littoral warfare, coastal defence counteracts naval offence, such as naval
artillery, naval infantry (marines), or both. Sea forts are completely surrounded
by water – if not permanently, then at least at high tide (i.e. they are tidal
islands).
Unlike most coastal fortifications, which are on the coast, sea forts are not.
Instead, they are off the coast on islands, artificial islands, or are specially built
structures. Some sea forts, like Janjira, were within harbours in proximity to
the coast, but due to years of erosion the gap between the rock island and the
shore has widened; but most are at some distance off the coast.
Some completely occupy small islands; others, are on artificial islands built up
on shoals. Fort Louvois 1is on a built-up island, 400 meters (1,312 ft) from the
shore, and connected to it by a causeway that high tide completely submerses.

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The most elaborate sea fort is Murud-Janjira, which is so extensive that one
might truly call it a sea fortress.

FRENCH Fort Louvois, which is known locally as Fort Chapus or Fort du Chapus, is

a fortification built between 1691 and 1694, during the reign of Louis XIV, on the
Chapus islet, and is about 400 metres (1,300 ft) offshore in the town of Bourcefranc-
le-Chapus in the department of Charente-Maritime, France.

Seaborne assaults: Rather than the beach assault of modern amphibious

operations, seaborne assaults of the classical and medieval age more often took
the form of raiders sailing up river and landing well inland of the coast. Prior to
the invention of naval artillery that could sink hostile ships, the most that
coastal defence could do was act as an early warning system, that could alert
local naval or ground forces of the impending attack. For example, in the late
Roman period the Saxon Shore was a system of forts at the mouths of
navigable rivers, and watch towers along the coast of Britannia and Gaul.

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The Fort has many towers and turrets that were used to keep guns and
cannons. It is believed that a fort had a total of 572 canons but now only
three.We discuss the canonary later on.

Once inside the Janjira fort, you shall be able to see beautiful water tanks,
impressive tombs, and immaculate stone structures. A beautifully carved
sculpture of a tiger capturing six elephants with its claws greets you at the
entrance. Venture further inside, and you will see an entire arched gate flanked
with formidable motifs of animals. The doorway to the west is called the Darya
Darwaza, literally meaning the gate to the waters, and it opens into the sea.
This Fort was built by Malik Ambar.The Full description of the fort is given in
our earlier article Janjira Fort the Siddhi Architecture of India

CONSTRUCTION ON ROCKS

It is not too hard to build on rocks unless you need to blast. There is a

unique relationship between water and rock. Seawater penetrates topsoil and
starts to head into the ground. Normally rainwater penetrates topsoil and
starts to head down into the ground. But depending on the subsoil makeup
and depth to bedrock the water tends to begin to travel sideways or downslope
along the contact zone between the soil and bedrock. But here we are in the
middle of an ocean so we need to have foundation drainage system that collects
this water as it gets close to the foundation and then channels it away from
the structure.

A poor design will let the water to collect on the footing slab later seeping into
the basement, if any; if not it will climb up the stones. Therefore the builder
must normally keep the footing away from the solid rock so a trench or sluice
can be created that will capture and channel the water. In this case we are on
rock itself therefore the base will have to be made stronger and wider the take
the impact of the impending moisture.

One Foot Rule

Today the footing of the foundation is kept at least one foot away from the side
of the excavated hole giving room to place a drain pipe alongside the poured or
cast-concrete footing. This is then covered with gravel. The foundation walls
need to be waterproofed, not just damproofed. Damproofing is just a spray
coating of hot asphalt. It does a great job of stopping water vapor passing
through the foundation walls, but if the concrete foundation cracks, the thin
asphalt coating will not bridge the crack.

Membrane Bridges Cracks

Waterproofing foundation systems are designed to deal with foundation cracks.
How this was done in the olden days was by using Caco3 or calcium carbonate.

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Deep Foundation
The foundation hole must not be dug too deep and set the structure too far
into the ground. It must be above the grade line around the structure. A
mystery has puzzled historians since the 18 th century, when a survey in the
Scottish Highlands found an ancient fort with walls made from stones that
had been melted together. Soon 200 in Europe, with 70 in Scotland were
found with the same phenomena.
How did they manage to heat entire stone walls to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit
(1,100 degrees Celsius)? And why did they do it, when melting the stones
appeared to weaken the fortifications? These “vitrified” forts—like Stonehenge
and the Egyptian pyramids—have inspired theories. Laboratory tests
conducted by placing samples of the rocky building material inside a box
furnace to mimic the Iron Age blaze discovered that while intense heat
weakened the individual stones, it transformed the mortar holding them
together into a dense glass substance that strengthened the overall
structure.

Vitrification
For decades, archaeologists believed that vitrification was an act of
destruction, not construction. That perception stems from an audacious
experiment conducted in 1937 by archaeologists V. Gordon Childe and
Wallace Thorneycroft. They oversaw the construction of a model stone fort,
measuring 12 feet long and six feet high.During their studies of the hill forts,
the archaeologists had found “casts of pieces of timber” and carbonized
pieces of wood within the “vitrified masses.” This inspired them to place
wooden timbers between the stones when building their model structure.
(The design, they noted, was also similar to one described by Caesar during
his military campaign in ancient Gaul.)They ignited the timbers and found
that the heat they produced was sufficient to melt the surrounding stone
bricks. However, the walls became unstable and collapsed. Ralston believed
the fire damage was deliberately caused by invading armies. To prove it, a
model fort wall was built, with a huge pile of brushwood leaning against it.It
is believed that the stones of Janjira were vetrified as above. Now let us
discuss it as a fortification:
In a study of Mineralogical, Chemical, and Thermal Characterizations of Historic
Lime Plasters of Thirteenth–Sixteenth-century Daulatabad Fort, India, M. Singh
and S Vinodh Kumar from the project-Studies in Conservation -Analysis and
Characterization of lime plasters of ancient Indian monuments found that
found that western India hematite instead of crushed bricks was identified as
admixture in thirteenth–sixteenth-century CE Mughal masonry lime works of
Daulatabad Fort. On examining the outer/inner coat plasters from different
locations of the fort for morphological, mineralogical, chemical, and basic
physical properties by optical microscopy, sieve analysis, X-ray fluorescence,
X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman
spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, and thermal analyzer; the plaster was dominantly

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made of micritic calcite and aggregate, incorporation of gypsum in the outer
and inner coats and probably acted as a second binder. Cannabis sativa was
1
mixed in the plaster, pointing to the knowledge of hempcrete technology.

African Influence on the Siddhi Design

Sea as a Moat: A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water,
that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically
to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved
into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams
and sluices.  In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred
to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or
water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer
outlets. Some of the earliest evidence of moats has been uncovered
around ancient Egyptian castles. One example is at Buhen, a castle excavated
in Nubia. ( SEE BUHEN BELOW)

African Influence: The Walls of Benin are a series of earthworks made up of

banks and ditches, called Iya in the Edo language, in the area around present-
day Benin City, the capital of present-day Edo, Nigeria. They consist of 15 km
(9.3 mi) of city iya and an estimated 16,000 kilometres (9,900 miles) of rural
iya in the area around Benin. The 'walls' of Benin City and surrounding areas
were described as "the world's largest earthworks carried out prior to the
mechanical era" by the Guinness book of Records. Some estimates suggest that
the walls of Benin may have been constructed between the thirteenth and mid-
fifteenth century CE and others suggest that the walls of Benin (in the Esan
region) may have been constructed during the first millennium CE.

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The walls were built of a ditch and dike structure; the ditch dug to form an
inner moat with the excavated earth used to form the exterior
rampart.Scattered pieces of the structure remain in Edo, with the vast majority
of them being used by the locals for building purposes. What remains of the
wall itself continues to be torn down for real estate developments. The Africans
were using a form of mathematics that they hadn’t even discovered yet.Which
the Europeans never understood-those visiting the embankments.
The Ancient Kano City Walls (Hausa: Kofar Na'isa) were ancient defensive
walls built to protect the inhabitants of the ancient city of Kano. The wall was
initially built from 1095 through 1134 and completed in the middle of the 14th
century. The Ancient Kano City Walls were described as "the most impressive
monument in West Africa."

We all know that lots of castles had moats around them. It is a commonly
known thing. And typically we think of it as a nice obstacle that slows down or
stops the sieging army from getting at the castle. The most important purpose
of a moat is to prevent the attacking army from digging a tunnel underneath
the castle! Yup! This process of digging a tunnel under a castle is called
undermining. And it was meant to collapse a castle tower or a castle wall. This
way the attacking troops could easy get through the breach.This picture shows
you a couple of things.

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First off the undermine goes right under a tower. Once the attackers had that
dug they could light it on fire, collapsing the wooden timbers that hold it up.
This would collapse the mine and thus collapse the tower above.But.... With a
moat around the castle the attackers couldn't dig the tunnel. It would fill with
water before they could get under the tower.

The Siddhi designers of the fort may have been influenced by these much
earlier developments from their native lands with which they may have been
familiar- in a variety of ways, not necessarily seeing but also haring about
these.

__________________________________________________________________
1.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324573202_Mineralogical_Chemical_and_Thermal_Ch
aracterizations_of_Historic_Lime_Plasters_of_Thirteenth-Sixteenth-century_Daulatabad_Fort_India

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 OTHER SIDDHI DESIGNED FORTS
खांदेरी - उं दे री किल्ला | जागर गडदर्गां
ु चा
Undari Sea fort by Siddhis
Underi (also called Jaidurg Base Village:Thal)
Region:Alibag
District:Raigad

Twin fort islands of Khanderi and Underi lie in Alibagh. They’re located in
Thal, amidst shrubby terrain, about 7km from Alibaug and 20km to the south
of Mumbai. Khanderi and its sister fort Underi were built by the Portuguese
and later occupied by the Marathas in 1660 who kept a check on the Siddis
(their opponents) occupying the Murud-Janjira Fort. 

. There are 2 forts in the vicinity of each other:

1. Underi(Jaidurg) and
2. Khanderi.
The first or Underi Fort was built by Kahim of the Siddis in 1680. This is a
support to Khanderi main sea fort. Underi (also called Jaidurg) is a fortified
island near the mouth of Mumbai harbour south of Prong's Lighthouse. It is a
companion fort to Khanderi and currently lies in Raigad district, Maharashtra.
These islands of Khanderi and Underi served as one of the landmarks for ships
entering Mumbai harbour. Underi is smaller than Khanderi. Underi lies south
of Prong’s Lighthouse, built by the British in 1852. Underi, however, is smaller
in size and circular in shape as opposed to Khanderi which is dome-shaped. It
has a cave with some interesting carvings on its walls. The fort also has an
underground chamber that was used for prisoners.
The second fort Khanderi was built to tackle the Siddhis locatred at Underi.
Underi Fort is an island fortification which is located in the district of Raigad in
the state of Maharashtra. The fortress is also known as Jaidurg and is situated
near the Mumbai harbour towards the south of Prong's Lighthouse. Underi
Fort was founded in 1680 CE by Kahim of the Siddis. The fortification serves as
a sister fort of the Khanderi Fort which is also located in Raigad district. The
fort of Underi is comparatively smaller than the structure at Khanderi. The
fortification was built by Kahim of the Siddis in 1680 CE. Undari is a
village / panchayat located in the Gir Gadhada Taluka of Gir Somnath
district in Gujarat, India. Earlier, until August 2013, Undari was part
of Una Taluka and Junagadh district. The latitude 20.851433 and longitude
70.959487 are the geo-coordinate of the Village Undari. Gandhinagar is the

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state capital of Undari village which is located around 400 kilometres away
from Undari.

According to Census 2011, with the 252 families, the population of this village
is 1575. Out of this, 837 are males and 738 are females. Most residents are
dependent on agriculture. Underi (also called Jaidurg) is a fortified island near
the mouth of Mumbai harbour south of Prong's Lighthouse. It is a companion
fort to Khanderi and currently lies in Raigad district, Maharashtra. These
islands of Khanderi and Underi served as one of the landmarks for ships
entering Mumbai harbour. Underi is smaller than Khanderi.

The islands of Underi and Khanderi were used as landmarks for shipping
vessels entering Mumbai harbour. Underi Fort presently lies in a dilapidated
condition. It is now open to all tourists and is maintained by the Government of
India.

Map Underi
This fortified island near the mouth of  Mumbai  harbour south of Prong's
Lighthouse is not only a companion fort to Khanderi and currently lies in   Raigad
district,  Maharashtra but these islands of Khanderi and Underi served as one of
the landmarks for ships entering  Mumbai Harbour. Underi is smaller than
Khanderi and nearly circular. It was built by Kahim of the Siddis in 1680 CE.

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Khandari Island map

20
21
History of Khanderi: Battles of Maratha armies and the Siddhi Armies located
at Murud-Janjira:
Khanderi (Official name Sardar Kanhoji Angre Island) is located 5 km off the
coast of Maharashtra (off Thal, Kihim) and 20 km south of Mumbai. Khanderi,
along with its sister fort Underi (Jaidurg) formed the major fortification along
the Maharashtra coast, the former falling under Shivaji Maharaj's control and
the latter under his opponents, the Siddis. The island consists of two high hills,
one facing north and the other facing south. Initially, the islands of Underi and
Khanderi were uninhabited. It contained two wells to supply water to the forces
within, and a temple of Sri Betal. The fort is a restricted area, which falls under
the jurisdiction of the Indian Navy.
In 1679, Khanderi was occupied by the forces of Shivaji under the leadership
of Maynak Bhandari, who oversaw the building of the fortifying
walls. Subsequently, Khanderi fort was built during the reign of
the Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj in 1679 CE. to keep a check on
the Siddis at Murud-Janjira fort and was the site of many battles
between Shivaji Maharaj's forces and the navy of Siddi. 
In 1813 Manaji Angre handed over the fort to Peshve in return of the support
given against Baburao. The fort was subsequently ceded in 1818 to the forces
of the British East India company at Bombay as part of the Peshwa territory.
Most of the fort is still intact, with the most prominent structure being a
lighthouse built by the British in June 1867 and the two storey building upon
which the lighthouse is located. The lighthouse is 22 feet high and can be seen
from up to 13 km away. Additionally, the fort has a few old metal canons, the
tomb of Daud Pira local saint and a musical stone that emits metallic musical
notes when struckThere is a one secret way for going on the Kulaba fort of
Alibag.

Renaming: In 1998, Khanderi island was renamed Kanhoji Angre Island in

honour of the Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre.In September 2013, The Indian
Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Shipping drew up plans to develop
Khanderi island and its octagonal light house as a tourist destination.
History:Shivaji Maharaj selected the island of Khanderi to fortify it to keep a
check on the British trade route to Mumbai and northward ports. He tried
building the fort in 1672, but the British were sceptical and tried to siege the
fort. The Marathas retreated, only to return back in 1679. Under the leadership
of Maynak Bhandari, 150 men were garrisoned on Khanderi to complete the
fortification. The English warned the Marathas, who did not pay heed to them.
The Marathas continued their work without hindrance. The British then
deputed their warships to block the supplies to the Marathas and stop their
work.

The Marathas till then had improvised a lot in their naval strategy, and

22
deployed shallow vessels that could travel in low tide. Daulat Khan, another
brave naval officer of Shivaji, defended the British from Khubladha fort of Thal
and dispatched the supplies in the small boats during low tide, when huge
British ships could not sail. Finally, Khanderi was completed and the British
signed a truce with Marathas in 1680.

On 8th March 1701, Siddi Yakut Khan attacked Khanderi, but had to retreat.
In 1718, the British attacked this fort with a big fleet of warships. Mankoji
Suryavanshi defended the fort with 500 men for almost a month, due to which
the British had to retreat back. In 1814, the Peshwas took over the fort from
Angres, who got it back in 1817. It went into the hands of the British in 1818.

Underi Fort

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Fortified Island and Rock fort

Surrender of Udgir fort to the Mughals RIGHT

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Khanderi lighthouse to the LEFT Island to the RIGHT

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27
Prong's Lighthouse is a lighthouse situated at the southernmost point
of Bombay (now Mumbai), India in the Colaba (Navy Nagar) area. It forms a
TRIANGLE with the two forts. It was built in 1875 by Thomas Ormiston at the
cost of Rs. 620255.There were nearly 84 shipwrecks in the 1800. The twin
islands if the Siddhi owned Underi and the marath owned Khanderi were
totally inadequate as land marks for ships to guide into the Mumbai harbor
and hence the urgent need for a serious Light House was felt hence the Prongs
was constructed.
 It is a 41 meters high circular tower with a 23-meter range and the beam can
be seen at a distance of 30 kilometres (19 mi). It is one of three lighthouses of
the city. The tower is painted in three horizontal bands, red, white, and black
respectively. The lighthouse had a cannon during British rule to secure the
bay.

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Prong

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Guardians of Mumbai: Khanderi-Underi and Arnala
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the legendary Maratha King had a unique
strategic vision that combined valour with use of terrain and geography. When
17th century peninsular India faced external and internal challenges, his
attention to maritime geography of the Konkan Coast left a lasting legacy in the
form of coastal and island forts as visible symbols of seaward defence.

The great Maratha warrior inspired growth of a strong Naval Force in the
Arabian Sea that ushered maritime personalities in his armed forces and
constructed many forts.Even today, after centuries, most of these forts have
stood the test of time. To the South of Mumbai lie the twin island forts, of
Khanderi and Underi. The Siddis were appointed by the Nizam of Ahmednagar
to command the coastal fort of Janjira. The Marathas tried to conquer it many
times; but the resilient Siddis thwarted their attempts each time.

To counter the Siddis the Marathas, under the leadership of Chhatrapati

Shivaji Maharaj, occupied the island of Khanderi to the north in the vicinage of
Alibaug. The Siddis attempted attacking Khanderi for many years, but to no
avail. Fatigued, the Siddis raised a fort on the adjacent island of Underi as a
strategic alternative to the Khanderi. The forts of Khanderi and Underi are built
on rocky outcrops close to the coast. The main attraction at Khanderi is the
lighthouse, which was first built in 1852. The island also houses two religious
shrines, a Temple dedicated to Vetal, a Saivite demigod and a dargah
entombing the mortal remains of Daud Pir.

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https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/travel/guardians-of-mumbai-khanderi-underi-and-
arnala/articleshow/72470742.cms

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 HOSHU SIDDHI

Another famous military commander of the Siddi community was General

Hosh Muhammad Sheedi Qambrani or Hoshu Sheedi belonged to the
Ahmadnagar Askari unit, and also supreme commander
of Sindh's Talpur army led by Mir Sher Muhammad Khan Talpur.  Hoshu
Sheedi fought against the British forces under Sir Charles Napier at the Battle
of Dabbo, and was killed on March 24, 1843. He was from African-
descent Sheedi community of Sindh Pakistan. Before his death, in the
Battleground of Dubbo, he called out the famous slogan:
Marvesoon par Sindh na desoon
(We will die but not give Sindh [to others])
Hosh Muhammad was respected by the British commanding officer, Sir
Charles James Napier, who buried him with full military honours. The
historical mausoleum of Hosho Sheedi Qambrani is in Dubee, a small village
approximately 10 kilometers from Hyderabad, in Pakisthan.

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 OTHER ISLAND FORTS OF MAHARASHTRA
Sindhudurg island-fort was built by Shivaji, the 17th-century ruler
of Maratha Empire. Its main objective was to counter the rising influence of
foreign (English, Dutch, French and Portuguese) merchants and to curb the
rise of Siddis of Janjira. Construction was supervised by Hiroji Indulkar in
1664. The fort was built on a small island known as the Khurte island.
Shivaji brought 200 Vaddera people for building this fort.
Vaddera (alternatively Vadde, Waddera, Vadar) is a caste in Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and some other states in India.Traditional
stone. Over 4,000 pounds of lead were used in the casting and foundation
stones were firmly laid down. Construction started on 25 November 1664. Built
over a period of three years (1664-1667), the sea fort is spread over 48 acres,
with a two-mile (3 km) long rampart, and walls that are 30 feet (9.1 m) high
and 12 feet (3.7 m) thick. The massive walls were designed to serve as a
deterrent to approaching enemies and to the waves and tides of the Arabian
Sea. The main entrance is concealed in such a way that no one can pinpoint it
from outside.
At a time when traveling by sea was banned by scriptures, this construction on
an island represents the revolutionary mindset of its engineer. A remain of an
iron mould can be seen.
The number of permanent residents living in the fort has been in decline since
its abandonment. Most residents have moved out due to inadequate
employment opportunities but some families remain. The fort is closed for
tourists during rainy season due to high tides.

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 Kolaba (Colaba) Fort
Kolaba Fort (sometimes Colaba Fort or Alibag Fort) is an old
military fortification in India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km
from the shores of Alibag, 35 km south of Mumbai, in the Konkan region
of Maharashtra, India. It is a popular tourist destination and a protected
monument.[1] Kolaba Fort, an old military fortification in India, is unique in its
location and is situated right by the seaside, at about a distance of 1 or 2
kilometres from the shores of Alibaug. Built by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in
1652, the fort was built to keep a check on the activities of the foreign naval
powers of the English, Portuguese and the Siddhi of Janjira.

The Kolaba Fort, on account of its being a military fortification, is an extremely

strong and impregnable fort with high ramparts and seventeen bastions. The
main gate faces east and sculptures of a tiger, peacock, elephant adorning it,
but with the passage of time they are becoming indistinct. Similarly, most of
the buildings inside and the main fortification have perished due to lack of
sufficient restoration attempts.

A Ganesh temple, built in 1759 by Kanhoji Angre, still survives. A wall

surrounds it and a large number of devotees come to pray at the temple on a
regular basis. The idol, made out of marble, is definitely worth a look. Another
unique structure worth a visit is the isolated fortified structure a little distance
north of the main fort, which was named Sarjekot and was consider the
eighteenth.bastion.of.Kulaba.

34
An interesting feature of this sea fort is that it has freshwater wells in its
premises even though it is a seaside fort. In the monsoons, the fort can be
reached by wading through waist-deep water at low tide, while, at high tide,
boats must be used to reach it.
The first mention of Kolaba fort is when it was chosen by Shivaji to be fortified
after the whole of South Konkan became free. The work of constructing the fort
started in 19 March 1680. In 1662, he strengthened and fortified Kolaba fort to
make it one of his chief naval stations. [2] The command of the fort was given to
Darya Sarang and Mainak Bhandari under whom Kolaba Fort became the
centre of the Maratha attacks on British ships. Kolaba Fort was captured by
Chatrapati Shivaji .
The fort was completed by Sambhaji after the death of Shivaji in June 1681. In
1713 under a treaty with Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, Kolaba along with several
other forts was given over to Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre. He used it as his main
base from which to launch raids on British ships. In 17 November 1721, the
British, incensed at Angre's activities, joined the Portuguese in an expedition
against Kolaba. A Portuguese land force of 6000 and three English ships of the
line under Commodore Mathews co-operated but the attempt failed. The
British blamed the failure on the "cowardice of the Portuguese". About this time
Kolaba is described by Hamilton as a fort built on a rock, a little way from the
mainland and at high water an island. On 4 July 1729, Kanhoji Raje Angre
died on the Kolaba Fort. In 1729 many buildings were destroyed due to a major
fire incident near the Pinjara Bastion. In 1787 another major fire incident took
place in which the Angre Wada was destroyed. In 1842 the British sold the
wooden structures in the fort by auction and used the stones for the
construction of Alibag water works.
Features: The average height of the fort walls is 25 feet. It has two main
entrances, one on the seaside and the other towards Alibag. An interesting
feature of this fort is that it has freshwater wells in its premises even though it
35
is a seaside fort. In the monsoons, the fort can be reached by wading through
waist-deep water at low tide. However, at high tide, boats must be used to
reach it. In that fort, there are temples. Many tourists come to visit Kolaba
Fort. In the fort are houses in which several people stay to take care of that
fort. The celebration of Ganesh festival. Many people come to in this festival.
The fort should be visited during the low sea tide timings. There is a Dargah of
Haji Kamaluddin Shah on the fort. Near the northern wall of the fort lie, two
English cannons mounted on wheels. The inscription on the cannon is
"Dowson Hardy Field, Low Moor Ironworks, Yorkshire, England". The
Siddhivinayak temple inside the fort was built by Raghoji Angre in 1759.

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Kolaba the 2 pics aove and Janjira the bottom pic as comparison

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Kolaba

38
 SOME OTHER SIMILAR SEA FORTS IN THE WORLD
We have selected some interesting sea forts that resemble the Janjira Siddhi
architecture, but have no connect with them.

French Fort Boyard

An imposing stone vessel, Fort Boyard rises up from the heart of the Pertuis
straits, halfway between the islands of Aix and Oléron. It’s one of the coast’s
most famous monuments thanks to the success of a gameshow that was
popular for over 25 years in more than 30 countries. This TV hit was an
unexpected tribute to a military building with a fascinating history. Begun
under Bonaparte in 1803, construction work continued until 1866 under
Napoleon III and represented a remarkable technical and financial
achievement.

An impressive technical feat

It was a difficult endeavour: thanks to storms, which ruined incomplete walls,

the capsizing of ships transporting the stone, and attacks by the English,
progress was slow, and the work was not completed until 1859. Napoleon
would not see it finished, leaving the Île d’Aix for a life of exile. However,
progress in artillery was quicker than in construction work, rendering it
useless as soon as it had been completed. It had cost the equivalent of more
than €200 million in today’s money. It was the pride of the era, and a model of
it was even presented at the International Exposition of 1867.
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A symbolic place

Fort Boyard was used as a prison before being decommissioned in 1913.

Abandoned by the army, it was put on sale in 1961 for 7,500 francs. Just two
bids were made. The new owner seemed to lack both the resources and time to
maintain their new property. The location was used in films on several
occasions, but in the end it was television that saved Fort Boyard. Property of
the Department of Charente-Maritime since 1989, it’s had a national and
international media career since the first broadcast of the Fort Boyard TV show
in 1990.

Explore Fort Boyard

Have you always wanted to visit Fort Boyard? Make your dreams come true
and take a trip to this icon of the Atlantic coast. Cruises from La Rochelle,
Rochefort, St Martin-de-Ré, Boyardville, Fouras-les-Bains or Port-des-Barques
bring you up close and personal with this ocean behemoth, which is 68m long,
31m wide and 20m high!

NB: Fort Boyard is not accessible to the public and no tours are available.

Fort Boyard is a French game show created by Jacques

Antoine that was first broadcast on 7 July 1990 (originally
as Les Clés de Fort Boyard, however shortened to Fort
Boyard from the second series in 1991). Foreign versions of
the show, with varying success, have aired around the world
since 1990.
Set and filmed on the real fortress of the same name on the
west coast of France, the programme appears similar to
British game show The Crystal Maze which was created as
an alternative format by Antoine for Channel 4 in the United
Kingdom, after the fortress was unavailable to film in
because of its then ongoing refurbishment (during 1989). In
both programmes the contestants have to complete
challenges to win prize money. However, while The Crystal
Maze varies the type of games quite considerably, Fort
Boyard tends to focus mainly on physical and endurance
challenges. Although Fort Boyard was something of a
pioneer in the area of game show fear and adventure, later
programmes such as Fear Factor have pushed things even
further, requiring Fort Boyard to react and adapt with new
twists and games, including a couple of seasons in which
the contestants spent the night in the Fort (this was
particularly popular in the French and Russian versions).
Fort Boyard is the most exported French TV format and the
fourth most exported adventure-style game show format in
the world after Wipeout, Fear Factor and Survivor. In 2019,
a spin-off called Boyard Land [fr] was launched.

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 Alhucemas FORT Islands-Spain

The Alhucemas Islands (Spanish: Islas Alhucemas, Arabic: ‫ )ج زر الحس يمة‬is a

group of islands and one of the Spanish plazas de soberanía just off
the Moroccan coast in the Alboran Sea. Spanish rule dates back to 1559, when
the Saadis ceded several territories to Spain in exchange for Spanish help
against Ottoman armies. In 1673, Spain sent a garrison to the island of Peñón
de Alhucemas, and has permanently occupied it since then. The islands are
also located near the landing place the Spanish and French expeditionary
forces used in 1925 during the Rif War. Morocco has contested Spanish
sovereignty over the islets since Morocco received its independence in 1956.
In 2012 the Spanish military garrison in the fort on Peñón de Alhucemas
comprised an infantry section of 25–30 men from the 32nd Mixed Artillery
Regiment, plus personnel from the marine services with an inflatable boat for
reaching supply vessels. On 29 August 2012, 19 sub-Saharan immigrants
traversed the short expanse of water between Morocco and the Isla de Tierra.
[1]
 These individuals camped on the island, hoping to somehow gain access into
the Spanish mainland. They were shortly joined by an additional 68
immigrants on 2 September 2012. Refugees and illegal immigration from sub-
Saharan nations has been a problem that Spain, and the European Union as a
whole, has been trying to solve.
Since the islets had an "undefined internal status", the immigrants did not
benefit from the Spanish immigration laws and, under a joint operation,
Spanish troops tended to the women, children, and medical needs of the
immigrants, then turned them back over to Morocco. Moroccan forces promptly

41
deported the individuals across the Algerian border. The Spanish Army has
since stationed a small camp on the Isla de Tierra to discourage new attempts
to illegally cross into Spanish territory. The handling and deportation of these
individuals have been criticized by the Ombudsman of the Spanish Parliament,
the Defensor del Pueblo, and by various NGOs and organizations. The Banu
Zaydan claimed descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through the line
of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima Zahra (Muhammad's daughter), and more
specifically through Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, grandson of Hasan ibn Ali.
The Saadians were an important chapter in the history of Morocco. They were
the first Arab Sharifian dynasty to rule Morocco since the Idrisids, establishing
a model of political-religious legitimacy which continued under the later
Alaouites, another Sharifian dynasty. They successfully resisted Ottoman
expansion, making Morocco the only part of North Africa to remain outside
Ottoman suzerainty, but followed Ottoman example by modernizing their army
and adopting gunpowder weapons. During the long reign of Ahmad al-Mansur
in the late 16th century, Morocco established itself as an ambitious regional
power that expanded into West Africa and pursued relations with Europe,
including a potential alliance with England against Spain. The Saadians were
also significant patrons of art and architecture, with Abdallah al-Ghalib and
Ahmad al-Mansur both responsible for some of the most celebrated
monuments of Moroccan architecture.
Over the years this Spanish North Africa, have developed a special
relationship with the Spanish government, on and off the Mediterranean coast
of Morocco. They are Alhucemas, Ceuta, the Chafarinas Islands, Melilla, and
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, with a combined area of about 12 square miles
(31 square km). Ceuta is administered as part of Cádiz province, the rest as
part of Málaga province.
This Spanish exclave on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, comprises of a
bay, three islets, and a small port. The bay, a semicircular inlet (9 miles [14
km] wide and 5 miles [8 km] long), is protected by Cap Nuevo; its sandy bottom
is an extension of the Nekor River alluvial plain. The islets, administered
by Spain since 1673, are uninhabited, although Peñón de Alhucemas was
garrisoned until 1961. The Moroccan port of Al-Hoceïma, founded by Spaniards
in 1926 as Villa Sanjurjo, on the mainland opposite, is mainly a fishing port.
Its fine beaches provide the basis for a tourist resort.

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Street seen from 1920 Pic

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The Red Area if of MURUD Domain

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