Mahim Fort to get a facelift

With the Arabian Sea and Bandra-Worli Sealink as his backdrop, Shelar said the plan would be executed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state archaeology department, and a meeting would be held at the state secretariat next week

MUMBAI: The 13th-century Mahim Fort, representing layers of local history, will be given a facelift, opening up three acres of prime land along Mumbai’s western seashore to the public.

Mumbai, India - April 26, 2017: Mahim fort in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Standing amid the ruins of the modest fort – rather, what’s left after it lost a battle to a modern-day invasion from encroachers – cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar said on Thursday that a restoration and beautification plan would soon be drawn up.

With the Arabian Sea and Bandra-Worli Sealink as his backdrop, Shelar said the plan would be executed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state archaeology department, and a meeting would be held at the state secretariat next week.

The Mahim Fort is situated at the mouth of the Mahim Creek, across the bay from the Portuguese-era Bandra fort in Bandra west. These small fortifications, built 400 years apart, guarded the estuary of what was later called the Mithi River, a strategic water body that wends its way inland.

Shelar applauded the BMC for removing encroachments from the one-acre land parcel on which the Mahim Fort stands, and the two acres around it. He said the government was committed to protecting the cultural heritage and legacy of the city.

Mahim Fort is one of many fortifications scattered across Mumbai. Built by different rulers through the ages, these forts together trace the city’s journey through a chequered and often tumultuous past.

The Mahim Fort was built in the 13th century by King Bhimdev. In the 14th century, the Sultan of Gujarat attacked the fort, and later, in the 16th century, the Portuguese rebuilt the fortification, known today as the ‘Mahim Fort’. Remains in the fort’s vicinity still exist within its premises.