The Warrior of Vasai- Part 3
In the previous part of the blog, we saw that the Marathas had encircled Vasai and now their next target was the strategic and fierce fort of Vasai which was to now face the wrath of war from March 1739 to May 1739.
Vasai Fort
Map of the Maratha Attack on Vasai
Vasai Fort
This war confined the Portuguese to Goa and ended their dreams of colonizing India and kept the British confined to Mumbai for 3 decades.
THE FINAL STRUGGLE-
Vasai or Bassein was the Portuguese stronghold outside Goa. It had fortwalls of over 40 feet in height and 5 feet in breadth. It was therefore known as the strongest sea fort of the time.
It was hard to storm the fort due to these fortwalls and also bombardment using cannons was difficult. Moreover, owing to sandy terrain, use of mines to blow up the fortwalls was also challenging. The fort was vulnerable from the north but the Portuguese had garrisoned huge guns and a lot of men to fend off any attack from the northern side.
However, even if it was hard to attack the fort for the Marathas, the Portuguese were not in a cozy state either. Vasai had been a Portuguese stronghold for over 200 years. Now it seemed like Vasai would slip from their hands.
The Portuguese, now nervous, started calling for help from the English who were another European power with whom they had attacked Maratha navy in 1720s in Kanhoji Angre's times. However, the English feared directly standing against the Maratha power as they could not afford any hostilities with the Marathas.
John Perrero Pinto, the Leader of Vasai requested English help time and again but the English never dared to stand against the Marathas directly. They were however, helping the Portuguese with grains and other supplies.
However, soon in March 1739, a Maratha bullet from the northern side of Vasai pierced the neck of Pinto and he was killed on the spot! This event led to an increase in the determination of the Maratha attack on Vasai.
The English stopped their help to Portuguese realizing that now the fall of Vasai was quite certain and if they kept helping Portuguese, they would be the next targets of Chimaji Appa's wrath.
Chimaji Appa had come to Vasai in February 1739 with an army strength of 25000 cavalry, 40000 infantry, 4000 miners, 5000 camels, 50 elephants and uncountable irregular armymen.
As discussed previously, Chimaji Appa was facing severe weakness and health issues.
The Marathas tried to attack the fort, bombard it with cannons, blow up its fortwalls with mines, but nothing was going in their favour due to the sandy terrain and the fierce defence of the Portuguese guns.
The Portuguese had garrisoned and armed the fort to such an extent and provided a staunch resistance to such an extent that the battle for the fort that started in March 1739 had raged on in April 1739, but no significant progress could be made by the Marathas.
So frustrated was Chimaji Appa that he ordered his troops, "Even if I die here, shove my dead body in a cannon and fire it in Vasai, atleast my dead body will be useful in attacking the Fort." Chimaji Appa was furious and now even more determined to capture Vasai and finish off the Portuguese influence in Konkan forever.
Portuguese army and the Maratha army were facing heavy casualties. As the determination of Chimaji Appa increased, the Maratha troops were even more furious and were now successful in planting mines effectively in the sandy terrain; directly near the fortwalls of Vasai; without caring for their lives.
Finally, on 2nd May 1739 and 3rd May 1739 Maratha troops along with the troops of Malharrao Holkar, a close aide of Bajirao I were successful in blowing up a huge part of the fortwalls. The Portuguese tried to valiantly defend the fort and killed hundreds of Marathas as they tried to storm the fort. The portuguese also lost over 800 men; and finally after a fierce storming the Portuguese surrendered on 4th May 1739.
The struggle that was started in 1683 by Sambhaji Maharaj, which was dicussed previously, was completed in 1739 by Chimaji Appa! After 5 long decades, the Portuguese were finally decisively defeated to an extent that they could never recover fully and remained confined in Goa for 2 centuries!
It is said that the battle of Vasai was even more glorious and important than any other battle that was played by the Marathas, including Bajirao Peshwa's dash on Delhi in 1737.
The Marathas entered the fort triumphantly on 12th May 1739. However, unlike the Portuguese army who treated the defeated enemy like animals (under the name of civilizing them), the Marathas allowed the Portuguese a safe passage of 7 days without molestation. Their wives and children were spared and they were allowed religious freedom to practice Christianity.
This was in clear contrast and showed a moral high ground of the Marathas against the Portuguese who carried out mass forceful conversions, killings, inquisition, molestation of women and children who did not accept Christianity. Their oppression even included things like cutting open the wombs of pregnant women and burning the foetus inside their wombs who refused to convert to Christianity.
Such were the attempts of the Portuguese to "civilize" India and all these atrocities were justified in the name of religion and spreading Christianity.
One can thus understand the futility of the argument that colonization civilized India or any other region which was raped by the Europeans.
Vasai was finally free and the Portuguese power was now limited to Goa. The same Portuguese who had dominated the Indian maritime trade and warfare on western coast from 1498 till 1739 were now subdued by an Indian power significantly despite several hardships and loss of men.
Had not it been for this battle, the Government of independent India might have fought the Portuguese at 2 fronts in Vasai and in Goa in 1961 when the Portuguese were finally gracefully kicked out of India with military force.
Now let us see the aftermath and effects of this battle-
1) Geographical Restriction of Portuguese and English powers-
As discussed earlier, the Portuguese were completely wiped off the Konkan and were limited to Goa till 1961 after this battle. The English too were checked in Mumbai till 1774 that is for almost 4 decades after this battle.
2) Strategic advancement of Maratha Navy-
Vasai stayed with the Marathas till the end of the 18th century. This gave Maratha navy power to check any advancements of the European powers on the coastal region.
3) Permanent weakening of the Portuguese power-
The Portuguese power declined after this battle and they were never able to recover from this blow. They had ruled the western seas of India for over 2 and a half centuries. Now they were defeated and humiliated by an "uncivilized" Indian power.
4) Increase in prestige and political importance of the Marathas-
As discussed earlier in this blog, this battle was the most glorious battle fought in Bajirao I's times as it ended the Portuguese influence in Konkan completely. The increase in power of the navy and command on strategic islands like Vasai and Sashti increased the prestige and power of the Marathas.
No European power dared to go against the Marathas after this including the British. Even though the British tried going against the Marathas in 1774, they were defeated and signed humiliating treaties in 1779 and 1782.
Thus, the Warrior of Vasai, Chimaji Appa, had liberated Konkan from the religiously and politically oppressive Portuguese influence and was etched in history of India as an undefeated general who is often neglected when we study the Maratha history.
It was the son of Chimaji Appa, the great Sadashivraobhau Peshwa who fended off the Afghans in 1761 in the fierce Third battle of Panipat.
We will see at this largest battle in India of the 18th century in some other blog.
Till then peace✌🏻✌🏻; and stay tuned for the next golden page of history which will be explored in the next series of blogs!
Source-
1) The Era of Bajirao by Dr. Uday S. Kulkarni
