The Weekend Leader: Ratnagiri: Sunday,
September 04, 2016.
The
single-minded pursuit by an RTI activist led to an expose and finally prevented
the sale to a private party of a historical sea fort in Maharashtra,
constructed in the early 1700s.
The
Yashwantgad Fort, now in dire straits, was once an imposing edifice acting in
the long line of coastal defences, standing at the entrance of Rajapur Creek in
Ratnagiri district.
Sometime in
early 2012, the owners of the 3.16-hectare land on which the fort stood, toyed
with the idea of a sale which finally materialised in the form of an agreement
on October 17 the same year.
RTI activist
Samir V. Shirvadkar got a whiff of the sale of the historic property and
decided to pursue its details through an RTI plea on August 23, 2013.
"I was
shocked to learn that the once-magnificent fort had been sold for a paltry Rs
3.50 million and even the name change documents (7/12 extract) had been
prepared in the name of the buyers," said Shirvadkar.
He filed
another RTI plea the next month and secured the copies of the agreement, the
sale deed and other relevant documents pertaining to the sale.
"It was
sold by the current owners Vishwanath R.
Patki to a couple Arvind T. Parkar and his wife Aneeta. The name
change documents prepared by the revenue department also confirmed the
sale," said Shirvadkar.
"The
current owner's family had been given the land and the fort as a 'gift' by the
erstwhile British government in the late 1800s, for services rendered. But by
then the fort had already outlived its utility and strategic value so there was
no maintenance or upkeep of any kind," said B.V. Kulkarni, Deputy
Director, Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Maharashtra.
"Over
the years, the owners continued to live, work or farm there as the condition of
the fort continued to worsen since it was not declared either as a monument of
national or state importance. Now it is in our control and we shall prepare a
long-term conservation plan which will eventually make it a tourist attraction,"
Kulkarni explained.
On the sale
completed four years ago, the official said it does not affect the status of
the fort as it is under the control of the government now and the owners cannot
make any changes or alterations to the existing structure.
The Yashwantgad
Fort served as an island fortification and was constructed in the early 1700s,
at the entrance of the Rajapur Creek of the Arabian Sea on one side.
On the other
three sides, it was protected by a ditch which served as a kind of moat, but it
virtually disappeared over the years.
The fourth
sea-facing side has a long continuous wall with 16 bastions and its main
entrance was on the eastern side, though most of it is in ruins now due to
centuries of neglect.
A British
ship, HMS Outram had sank near the fort on January 1, 1817, after which the
then government constructed a lighthouse at nearby Jaitapur.
Shirvadkar
said the fort is now safely in government custody after a government resolution
on June 24, 2016 and a gazette notification on August 29, declaring the ancient
Yashwantgad Fort as a 'Protected Monument' under the Maharashtra Ancient
Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960.
Holding great
importance in Maratha naval history, the fort was mentioned in a treaty signed by
the Maratha Admiral (Sarkhel) Kanhoji Angre and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj in
Satara in 1713.
Earlier in
1707, Queen Tarabai Bhonsle, the daughter-in-law of Chhatrapati Shivaji who
founded the Maratha empire, had appointed Angre as the Admiral and protector of
the entire coastal area from Mumbai to Sawantwadi.
During that
period, Angre constructed several sea forts, and the Yashwantgad Fort was built
between 1707-1713 with huge dressed stones in dry masonry type.
The
Yashwantgad Fort is built on two levels -- the Lower Fort, which is the larger
one with its base touching the creek and a fresh water well inside, and the
Upper Fort, which is smaller and on a hillock to keep watch on maritime
activities in the surrounding waters.
With 16
bastions and three entrances, "this fort has a great importance in Maratha
naval History", said the government notification earlier this week. - IANS
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