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The Sewri And Worli Forts In Mumbai By Mr Jason Johns PhD Scholar,Teaching Assistant and Visiting Faculty for Post-Graduation Department of Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai. Assisted by Ms. Harshali Pagare Ms. Nisha Rana Ms. Priyanka Suryaneni Students, M.A Ancient Indian Culture and Archaeology. St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai. Forts, Fortification and defence walls in India trace their antiquity to the first few millennia Before the Common Era .Terminologies used for Forts include Durga, Killa, Pura ,etc all denoting an area fortified by walls . The earliest classification of forts in the Indian context comes from the Arthashastra .The two forts of Worli and Sewri though not constructed in the ancient period , do fall into one of the ancient classification of forts:- Audaka Durga- The Water Fort- meant for the defence of the population and the area under control .Both Worli and Sewri fall in the Late Medieval – Colonial Phase i.e the 17th Century , located on opposite directions on the coast of Mumbai as strategic viewpoints for defence. Initially, the island of Parel ,Worli along with the other islands that constituted the colony of Bombay, belonged to the Portuguese. These were given to the British as dowry to Charles II of England by the Portuguese on his marriage to Catherine of Braganza. As the area turned out to be crucial port in trade routes, the British moved their business from Surat to Bombay and thus constructed forts for defence and promotion of their commercial endeavours.The following paper will deal with material technology of the two forts, their structure, historical significance,current state of preservation and usage. Worli Fort:It is located in the erstwhile Worli Island and built on Worli Hill. Some scholars say it was built by Portugese and others say it was built by British around 1675. Cruising northwards along the west coast of the island of Bombay from the main fort, the first vantage point was Worli. The location of the Worli Island was such that it was most vulnerable to attacks from pirates and invaders entering Bombay by way of Gujarat, as well as from Europe, Africa and Asia. The fort is built on a steep promontory jutting out into the sea. It is rather long, with no regular form, and is built on rock stones laid upon one another without any mortar or chunam to cement them together. Being surrounded by land on three sides and the Mahim bay on the fourth, it commanded great strategic importance. From the pinnacle, one gets a good view of the Arabian Sea that was frequented by traders, invaders and interpolers. This was used as a vantage point to keep guard and send out warning signals from danger of invasion During low tide, one could access Mahim fort through an isthmus – like connection with Worli fort. For security reasons, this passage was first spiked and then blocked during the British times. Due to high crime rates and the practice o the intruders to enter from sea, the fort was heavily guarded. There was also a standing army of Rajput soldiers. It is provided with a canon and armed with 7 to 8 guns and manned with an ensign and 25 soldiers. The guards had to be ever vigilant due to high risk of attack and follow strict protocol. Even to this day, the fort is used to send out signals and is a base of Indian navy. It is important for naval defense. The Worli town, located at the base of the fort, is inhabited by simple and poor Kolis whose ancestors lived in palm-thatched houses. Presently, encroachment of slum settlements around the fort can be witnessed by the locals. It needs more attention and restoration, conservation efforts are required. Despite an NGO adopting the area, there is not much improvement in the aid situation. The Sewri Fort: It was built in 1680 by the British, served as a defence post upon the land jutting out on the eastern shoreline of the island of Parel. When the British took over, their enemies (for instance, the Mughals and the Siddis), often attacked the area, which prompted the British to build forts to defend this trade centre. Thus, the forts serves less of an aesthetic purpose, and more of just defence, wherein its actually served the purpose if a watch tower earlier. The Fort is built on a small quarried hill in basalt, with land surrounding it on three sides, and mangroves on the fourth. After losing its importance as a defence stronghold, because of the increase in the British power in the country leading to weaker enemies, the fort began to be used as prison by the British. The structure was attacked by a Mughal chieftain Yakut Khan in 1689 and was renovated in the 1700s.Ultimately, the structure changed ownership and was transferred to the Bombay Port Trust, where it was used as a godown facility. Today, although the fort has been recognised as a structure of historical importance, by declaring it as a Grade 1 Heritage Site, the condition it remains in is poor. However, recent plans revealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) aim at revamping the facility by “restoring and illuminating” it along with the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The only remarkable features inside are the pentagonal rooms and corridors and the vaults. It is now a conserved location and is under renovation.