| Bombay Castle | |
|---|---|
| Fort,Mumbai, India | |
 Bombay Castle | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Land battery |
| Owner |
|
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Preserved |
| Location | |
  Bombay Castle Shown withinMumbai | |
| Coordinates | 18°55′54″N72°50′17″E / 18.931626049277433°N 72.83814296299832°E /18.931626049277433; 72.83814296299832 |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Kurla Stone,Red Laterite andLime mortar |
Bombay Castle (alsoCasa da Orta) is one of the oldest defensive structures built in the city ofMumbai (formerly Bombay). The current castle is a structure built by theBritish on the site of theManor House built by aPortuguese noblemanGarcia de Orta.[1][2] Orta had leased the island of Bombay from theKing of Portugal between 1554 and 1570.
The castle was built of local blue Kurla stone and redlaterite stone from theKonkan region to the south. The islands came under the hands of the English in 1665, and theEast India Company took possession of the castle in 1668. Over the next ten years, they built a defensive structure around the manor.
The castle had four Bastions, three of which were originally surrounded completely with water. These were named the Flag Staff Bastion (where a British Flag had been hoisted), The Flower tree Bastion, and the Tank Bastion. The fourth was the Brab Tree Bastion, known for being near a Brab Tree. This would face the West.[3]
Few records of the original Portuguese castle remain, and historians are trying to piece together the original location of the manor. Two gates of the manor are located withinINS Angre, anaval station inSouth Mumbai. Asundial thought to date back to the Portuguese era is also present. This sundial does not mark out the 12 hours of a day, but rather marks out certain periods that the people of the time deemed important.
The main building within the castle was the Governor's House, in whichGerald Aungier, the secondGovernor of Bombay used to stay. The Governor's residence was later moved toParel and then toMalabar Hill (Raj Bhavan at Malabar Hill is where the Governor of Maharashtra stays today) over the next two centuries.[4] The current building houses the offices of theFlag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.[5]
18°55′55″N72°50′16″E / 18.93194°N 72.83778°E /18.93194; 72.83778
