From Raigad To Suvarnadurg: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Forts Shine On Global Stage

UNESCO recently included 12 forts – 11 from Maharashtra and 1 from Tamil Nadu – in the list of World Heritage Sites. These are the very forts that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had so dearly protected, and today they once again shine on the global stage. Heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and culture minister Ashish Shelar for this proud moment! But it’s not as though these forts gained global importance only because of this inclusion.

Even in Maharaj’s time, the world admired them for their unique fortification and engineering. The capital Raigad was called ‘Gibraltar of the East’ by the British. And there was yet another fort – which became famous in the 18th century due to a naval campaign – so much so that its replica was built in England itself and named ‘Severndroog’! After the death of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj in 1748, a rift arose between Tulaji Angre – who commanded the Maratha navy – and the Peshwas. Tulaji began defying the Peshwas and, with the help of the Suvarnadurg fort near Harnai in Konkan, he dominated the entire southern Konkan coast.

Eventually, the Peshwas and the British struck an unfortunate deal on March 19, 1755. According to this agreement, a combined fleet of the East India Company and the Peshwas, led by Captain William James, attacked Suvarnadurg on March 29, 1755. The massive fleet consisted of 41 British warships, 60 Maratha ships, 7 barges, and a boat. On April 2, Captain James captured the fort and handed it over to the Peshwas. In return, the Company received significant trade concessions.

For successfully leading this campaign, Captain William James was promoted to chief commander and later became a director of the Company. Over the next few years, he amassed great wealth and settled in London, even getting elected as a Member of Parliament from Cornwall. In 1778, he was knighted by the British Crown and became Sir William James. Sir William believed that his victory at Suvarnadurg had been the turning point of his life. Time and again, he expressed his gratitude and affection for the fort.

He harboured a quiet wish to see the fort stand in London. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1783 before he could fulfill this dream. But his wife, Lady Anne James, carried out his wish. On the very anniversary of the fort’s capture, April 2, 1784, she laid the foundation for a replica of Suvarnadurg south of London. Architect Richard Jupp designed and built the fort, which came to be known in England as Severndroog. This fort, standing between London and Paris, is one of the tallest in the region and even served as a communication tower during World War II. Imagine the gratitude an English couple felt for a fort on the distant Konkan coast was so profound that they recreated it in their homeland.

And yet, here in Maharashtra, where hundreds of such forts gave us the very spirit of freedom, how deeply do we feel gratitude for them? Do we truly understand their heritage and significance? That is something every one of us in Maharashtra must reflect upon!

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