FORT ILHA DAS VACCAS, ARNALA

Originally, the Arnala fort was built by the Sultan of Gujarat in the year 1516. When the Portuguese got a stronghold on the north Konkan region, they won it over from the Sultan in 1534, reconstructed it and called it 'Ilha das Vaccas'. The Marathas conquered it in 1737. Later on the Peshwas, notably Peshwa Bajirao 1, renovated it after which it fell into the hands of the British in 1817.


 IMAGE COLLECTION

Madhav Pai, 2008 (Flickr)

Unny Radhakrishnan, 2006 (trekarnala.blogspot.com)

Bill Lopes, 2005 (Vasaiker)

Kaustubh Kushte, 2009 (kaustubhkushte.blogspot.com)

 

More pictures...

(Google Images)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The fort is oval shaped with 9 bastions all around the fort. The fort walls are at a height of about 30ft. There are three entrances – north, west and south. There are three huge staircases inside the fort which lead to from the base to the top of the ramparts. These staircases are on the north, west & southern walls of the fort. Almost all the bastions are huge and one can find staircases leading to hidden cellars in all the bastions. More...        

Arnala Fort is built on a small island of the port town of Arnala, located around 8 miles north of Vasai, Maharastra, India[1]. Being an island fort, it is also called Jaldurg or Janjire-Arnala. The Portuguese, who owned this fort[2] rebuilt and gave it the name Ilha das vacas. More...

O Forte de Arnala localiza-se numa pequena ilha vizinha à foz do rio Vaitarna, fronteira ao porto de Arnala, a cerca de 8 milhas a norte de Baçaim (atualmente Vasai-Virar), no estado de Maharashtra, no noroeste da Índia. Por se encontrar numa ilha, também é conhecido como "Jaldurg" ou "Janjire Arnala". More...

Arnala fort is located on an island off the village Arnala which is lies on the north western corner of the Vasai Taluka. The fort offers to see its big walls which are still strong and have a wide pathway. The fort is spread on about 4 ha of area and has oval shape. There are some inscriptions on the main entrance which indicate that the fort was renovated by Peshva Bajirao I. Carvings of Tiger and elephant can be found on the outer stone entrance. There are in all 9 bastions. More...