Vasai Bassein | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Vasai Fort (entrance) | |
  Vasai Vasai (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:19°28′N72°48′E / 19.47°N 72.8°E /19.47; 72.8 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Palghar |
| Division | Konkan (North) |
| Named after | VasaKonkani tribes[1] |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Vasai (Vidhan Sabha) Constituency |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Population (2007) | |
• Total | 49,337 |
| Demonym(s) | Vasaikar in Marathi & Konkani, Basseinite in English.[2][3][4] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+5:30 (Not observed) |
| PIN code(s) | 401 201 to 401 203 |
| Area code | +91-0250-XXX XXXX |
| Vehicle registration | MH-48 |
| Official language | Marathi |
| Other language(s) | Kadodi,Agri,Vadavli,Konkani &Koli |
| Website | vvcmc |
Vasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation:[ʋəsəi]; British English:Bassein; formerly and alternatively Marathi;Bajipur)[5] is a historical place and city located inPalghar district; it was partitioned out of theThane district in 2014. It also forms a part ofVasai-Virar twin cities in theKonkan division,Maharashtra, India, and comes under the Police Jurisdiction of Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate.
ThePortuguese in Goa and Damaon builtFort Bassein to defend their colony and participate in the lucrativespice trade and thesilk route that converged in the area. Much ofPortuguese Bombay and Bassein was seized byMarathas underPeshva rule, at theBattle of Bassein in 1739.
TheBritish East India Company at Bombay thentook the area from theMaratha Empire in 1780; following theFirst Anglo-Maratha War.[6]
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The present nameVasai is derived from theSanskrit wordWaas, meaning 'dwelling' or 'residence'. The name was changed toBasai, which was named underBahadur Shah of Gujarat after theGujarat Sultanate took over the region. This is also the firstLatinized record of the name, which was spelled asBaxay byBarbosa (1514).[7] The name was short-lived as it was changed underPortuguese rule, approximately two decades later, toBaçaim (also the first officialLatin name) following the signing of the Treaty of Vasai in 1534. This name was again changed after over 200 years toBajipur after theMaratha Empire took over the region. This name was also short-lived as after the capture ofBajipur (the Maratha name for Vasai) by theBritish, the name was changed yet again toBassein.[8][9] During this same time,Bombay took over Bassein as the dominant economic power in the region.[10] The town wasrenamed toVasai, theMarathi name for the region, following thedevolution of theBritish Raj inIndia.[11]
English: Bassein; Portuguese: Baçaim), Vasai is calledVasaikar inMarathi, in which the suffixkar means 'resident of'. The term had been in use since theofficial renaming of Bassein to Vasai. The Vasaikar diaspora outside ofMaharashtra state, as well asoutside of India, refer to themselves as from Mumbai due to its international recognition and Vasai being located within theMumbai Metropolitan Region, near the edge ofsuburban Mumbai.[12]
The history of Vasai dates back to the ancientPuranic ages.[8] Vasai was a trading ground for manyGreek,Arab,Persian andRoman traders and merchants who would enter through the west coast ofIndia. TheGreek merchantCosma Indicopleustes is known to have visited the areas around Vasai in the 6th century and theChinese travelerXuanzang later in June or July 640. According to historianJosé Gerson da Cunha, during this time, Bassein and its surrounding areas appeared to have been ruled by theChalukya dynasty ofKarnataka.[13] Until the 11th century, severalArabian geographers had mentioned references to towns nearby Vasai, likeThana andSopara, but no references had been made to Vasai.[14] Vasai was later ruled by theSilhara dynasty ofKonkan and eventually passed to theSeuna dynasty. It was head of district under the Seuna (1184–1318). Later conquered by theGujarat Sultanate,[15] where it was namedBasai, few years laterBarbosa (1514) described it under the name Baxay (pronounced Basai) as a town with a good seaport belonging to theKing ofGujarat.[16][7]
In 1295, theItalian explorerMarco Polo passed through Vasai.[9]
ThePortuguese first reached the west coast ofIndia when thePortugueseexplorerVasco da Gama landed atCalicut in 1498. According to historianManuel de Faria e Sousa, the coast of Basai was first visited by thePortuguese in 1509, whenFrancisco de Almeida on his way toDiu captured a Muslim ship in the harbour ofBombay, with 24 citizens of theGujarat Sultanate aboard.
To thePortuguese, Basai was an important trading centre located on theArabian Sea. They saw it as a vital service station that would give them access to global sea routes and goods such as salt, fish, timber and mineral resources.[8] They wanted to build a shipyard to manufacture ships and use the fertile land to grow rice, sugarcane, cotton, betel nuts and other crops to trade globally.[9]
The presence of thePortuguese significantly shaped the region into what it is today.[8]
In 1530 thePortuguese, under António da Silveira, took advantage of its strong navy and pillaged and burnt the village of Vasai (Basai). The army ofGujarat Sultanate was not strong enough for thePortuguese forces and, despite resistance, theSultan of Gujarat was eventually defeated.[9] In 1531 António set fire to Basai yet again as punishment for theSultan for not cedingDiu, a vital island that would protect trade in the region. In 1533, Diogo (Heitor) da Silveira set fire to the western coast leading fromBandora throughThana and Basai toSurat.[8]
Portuguese GeneralNuno da Cunha discovered that the son ofMeliqueaz, the governor ofDiu, Malik Tokan was fortifying Basai with 14,000 men. Seeing this fortification as a threat,Nano da Cunha assembled a fleet of 150 ships with 4000 men and sailed to north of Basai. Upon seeing the naval superiority of thePortuguese, Malik Tokan attempted to initiate a peace agreement withNano da Cunha. Upon rejection, Malik Tokan was forced to fight against thePortuguese. Despite bringing fewer soldiers, thePortuguese managed to kill most of the enemy while losing only a few of their own.[8]
TheTreaty of Bassein was signed byBahadur Shah of Gujarat and theKingdom of Portugal on 23 December 1534 while on board thegalleon São Mateus. Based on the terms of the agreement, thePortuguese Empire gained control of the village of Basai as well as its territories, islands and seas includingBombay. The village was renamed to Baçaim and became the northern capital ofPortuguese territories in India.
Garcia de Sá was later appointed as the first Captain (governor) of Baçaim by his brother-in-lawNuno da Cunha in 1536, who ruled until 1548 when the governorship was passed ontoJorge Cabral. The first cornerstone for theBassein Fort was laid byAntónio Galvão.[8]
UnderPortuguese rule, theFort Bassein was the Northern Court, or 'Corte da Norte', functioning as the headquarters of the Court of the North. Baçaim became the capital of the Northern Province, the most productive village ofPortuguese India and became a resort forPortuguese 'fidalgos' (noblemen and wealthy merchants). A great Portuguese person would be called 'Fidalgo ou Cavalheiro de Baçaim' (Nobleman of Baçaim).[8] By 1674, thePortuguese constructed 2 colleges, 4 convent schools and 15 churches in total in Baçaim's territories.[9] For approximately 205 years, the presence of thePortuguese made the surrounding area a vibrant and opulent village.[17][18]
The local ethnic community were called 'Norteiro' (Northern men), named after the Court of the North functioning out of thefort.
In 1674, about 600Arab pirates fromMuscat entered Baçaim via the west and pillaged the churches in Baçaim. The unexpected attack weakened thePortuguese control outside thefort walls[9] andMarathawarriors stationed in the west isolated them further.
In the 18th century,Vasai Fort was attacked by theMaratha Empire underPeshwaBaji Rao's brotherChimaji Appa and the Portuguese surrendered on 16 May 1739 after theBattle of Vasai (Baçaim). TheMarathas allowed the women and the children of the enemy to leave peacefully. ThePortuguese lost a total of 4 main ports, 8 cities, 2 fortified hills, 340 villages and 20 fortresses.[9]
This defeat of thePortuguese, combined withPortugueseroyalCatherine of Braganza's wedding dowry of theSeven Islands of Bombay toCharles II of England, led toBombay overtaking Bajipur (the Maratha name for Vasai) as the dominant economic power in the region.[10]
With theBritish ruling theisland of Bombay just south of the Vasai Creek, the region's prominence as a trade centre inIndia became increasingly overshadowed byBombay.[10]
After the death ofMadhavrao I in 1772, his brotherNarayan Rao becamePeshwa of theMaratha Empire.Narayan Rao was the fifthPeshwa of theMaratha Empire from November 1772 until his murder by his palace guards in August 1773.Narayan Rao's widow, Gangabai, gave birth to a posthumous son, who was legal heir to the throne. The newborn infant was namedSawai Madhavrao. TwelveMaratha chiefs, led byNana Fadnavis, directed an effort to name the infant as the newPeshwa and rule under him asregents.
Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position of power, sought help from theBritish at Bombay and signed theTreaty of Surat on 6 March 1775. According to the treaty,Raghunathrao ceded the territories of Salsette andVasai to theBritish, along with part of the revenues from theSurat andBharuch districts. In return, theBritish promised to provideRaghunathrao with 2,500 soldiers. The treaty was later annulled by theBritishSupreme Council of Bengal and replaced by theTreaty of Purandar on 1 March 1776.Raghunathrao was pensioned and his cause abandoned, but the revenues of the Salsette andBharuch districts were retained by theBritish. TheBritishBombay Presidency rejected this new treaty and gave refuge toRaghunathrao. In 1777,Nana Fadnavis violated his treaty with theBritishSupreme Council of Bengal by granting theFrench a port on west coast. TheBritish retaliated by sending a force towardsPune.
Following a treaty betweenFrance and theMaratha Empire in 1776, theBritishBombay Presidency decided to invade and reinstateRaghunathrao. They sent a force underColonel Egerton, but were defeated. TheBritish were forced to sign the Treaty of Wadgaon on 16 January 1779, a victory for theMarathas.[6] Reinforcements from northern India, commanded by Colonel Thomas Goddard, arrived too late to save theBombay force. The BritishGovernor-General in theBritishBengal Presidency,Warren Hastings, rejected the treaty on the grounds that theBombay officials had no legal power to sign it. He ordered Goddard to secureBritish interests in the area.[19][20][21] Goddard captured Bassein on 11 December 1780. The city was renamed fromBajipur toBassein underBritish rule.[citation needed]
In 1801,Yashwantrao Holkar rebelled against the rival factions of theMaratha Empire. He defeated the combined forces of theDaulat Rao Scindia andPeshwaBaji Rao II in theBattle of Poona and capturedPoona (Pune).PeshwaBaji Rao II eventually took refuge in Bassein, where theBritish had a stronghold.[9] TheBassein Fort played a strategic role in theFirst Anglo-Maratha War.[6]
The Treaty of Bassein (1802) was signed on 31 December 1802 between theBritish East India Company andBaji Rao II, theMarathaPeshwa ofPune (Poona), in India after theBattle of Poona. The treaty was a decisive step in the dissolution of theMaratha Empire and the expansion ofBritish rule over theIndian subcontinent.[citation needed]
The eastern part of Vasai is highly industrialized, with small- and medium-scale units producing a wide variety of goods. Contributed by more affordable housing and its close proximity to Mumbai, Vasai has maintained a high population growth rate since the 1980s.[8] There are about 12,000 industrial units spread over the eastern part of Vasai.[22]
The local railway station is known asVasai Road. It is a major railway station which bypassesMumbai and connects the trains coming fromVadodara toKonkan Railway andPune Junction railway station and further towards cities ofBengaluru andHyderabad. TheVasai-Virar Municipal Corporation buses run on all major routes and State Transport buses provide long-distance travel to and from Vasai. Besides that,auto rickshaws are the main source of transport in the region.Indian Railways introduced a local train service in theMumbai Metropolitan Region in 1867. The upgraded local train runs betweenVirar andChurchgate and has a frequency of a train every 4 minutes.[citation needed]
TheVasai Fort, originally built in 1184, is a major tourist attraction in the region. TheArchaeological Survey of India has started restoration work of the fort, although the quality of the work has been severely criticized by conservation activists.[23][24][25] In August 2010 a wall of thefort collapsed, raising questions about the quality of the work.[26]
There are also three well-known religious sites including theVajreshwari Temple,St. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz and the Datta Mandir of Dongri.There are various festivals tourists come to visit.
There are famous and peaceful beaches are also located such as Suruchi beach, Bena beach, Rangaon beach,[27] Bhuigaon beach,[28] Kalamb beach,[29] Rajodi beach, Navapur, etc.
Vasai gained popularity as a shooting location with international hit song 'Hymn for the Weekend' by British bandColdplay being shot here. According toThe Times of India, the video was shot in October 2015 at various Indian cities includingWorli Village,Bombay andKolkata. Thefort showcased at the start and in between is theBassein Fort, also known as Saint Sebastian's Fort, located in Vasai. The video is themed on the Indian festival ofHoli. The video was filmed by Ben Mor and was released on 29 January 2016.[35][36] The video featuresBeyoncé and Indian actressSonam Kapoor.[37]
The music video was criticized on Indiansocial media for its stereotypical portrayal of Indian society and alleged disrespecting of Indian idols on the note ofBeyoncé's inappropriate clothing.[38]
The video has over 960 million views onYouTube as of July 2018, becoming the second most-viewed music video forColdplay (after "Something Just like This").
Another hit song 'Lean On' byEDM groupMajor Lazer andDJ Snake was shot in Vasai in March 2015. It has more than 2 billion views onYouTube.
TheBassein Fort is also a popular shooting location forBollywood movies and songs. TheBollywood hit ″Kambakkht Ishq″ fromPyaar Tune Kya Kiya is one of theBollywood songs. Movies such asJosh, starringShah Rukh Khan, was shot inSt. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz and at theBassein Fort andLove Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega had a number of scenes from theBassein Fort. Other films shot here includeKhamoshi: The Musical andRam Gopal Verma'sAag. In April 2017, some scenes fromBhoomi, starringSanjay Dutt, were shot around 'Parnaka' area in Vasai.
The Madhuban road is also popular. Movies likeMunna Michael,Thackeray (film),Zero (2018 film) had few scenes that were shot here.
Vasai has atropical climate, specifically atropical wet and dry climate (Aw) under theKöppen climate classification, with seven months of dryness and peak of rains in July. This moderate climate consists of high rainfall days and very few days of extreme temperatures. The cooler season from December to February is followed by the summer season from March to June. The period from June to about the end of September constitutes the south-west monsoon season, and October and November form the post-monsoon season. The driest days are in winter while the wettest days occur in July.
Between June and September, thesouth-west monsoon rains lash the region.Pre-monsoon showers are received in May. Occasionally,monsoon showers occur in October and November. The average total annual rainfall averages between 2,000 and 2,500 mm (79 and 98 in). Annually, over 80% of the total rainfall is experienced during June to October. Average humidity is 61-86%, making it a humid climate zone.
The temperature varies from 22–36 °C (72–97 °F). The average temperature is 26.6 °C (79.9 °F), and the averageprecipitation is 2,434 mm (95.8 in). The average minimum temperature is 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). The daily mean maximum temperature range from 28.4 to 33.4 °C (83.1 to 92.1 °F), while the daily mean minimum temperature ranges from 17.5 to 26.4 °C (63.5 to 79.5 °F). In winter, temperature ranges between 12–25 °C (54–77 °F) while summer temperature ranges from 36–41 °C (97–106 °F).[39]
| Climate data for Vasai | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.2 (84.6) | 31.2 (88.2) | 32.7 (90.9) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.1 (89.8) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.4 (84.9) | 29.7 (85.5) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.7 (87.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 26.3 (79.3) | 28.3 (82.9) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.1 (84.4) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.7 (81.9) | 26.4 (79.5) | 24.4 (75.9) | 26.6 (80.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24 (75) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.1 (79.0) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.5 (74.3) | 20.9 (69.6) | 18.6 (65.5) | 22.5 (72.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.4 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 11.3 (0.44) | 493.1 (19.41) | 840.7 (33.10) | 585.2 (23.04) | 341.4 (13.44) | 89.3 (3.52) | 9.9 (0.39) | 1.6 (0.06) | 2,434 (95.8) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[39] | |||||||||||||
Father Francis D'Britto | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1943-12-04)4 December 1943 |
| Died | 25 July 2024(2024-07-25) (aged 80) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Priest, writer, environmental activist |
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Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."St. Gonsalo Garcia".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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