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Belapur Killa
Belapur Fort is a fort near the township of Belapur in Navi Mumbai. Built in 1560-1570 by the Siddis of
Janjira, after they wrested control of the area from the Portuguese, it is located atop a hillock, near the mouth of the
Panvel Creek. In 1682, the fort was recaptured by the Portuguese, who had managed to annex the regions controlled by
the Siddis, near Belapur (at that time known as Shabaz).
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In 1733, the Marathas, led by Chimanji Appa, wrested control of the fort from the Portuguese. He had made a vow that if
it were to be successfully recaptured from the Portuguese, he would place a garland of beli leaves in a nearby
Amruthaishwar temple, and after the victory the fort was renamed as Belapur Fort. The Marathas ruled the area until
June 23, 1817, when it was captured by Captain Charles Gray of the British East India Company. The British partially
destroyed the fort in under their policy of razing any Maratha stronghold in the area.
During its better days, the fort stationed four companies each of 180 men, and 14 guns ranging from four to 12 pounds
in weight. |
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The fort comes under the jurisdication of CIDCO, though it mostly lies in a deprecated state. Plans are underway to
renovate it and restore it to its former state. An underground tunnel is also supposed to exist, which many locals believe
connects it to Gharapuri Island, the site of the Elephanta Caves. |
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