Belapur Fort

Gayu Mehal
Gayu Mehal
	CIDCO
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Shazada Wal jah bahadur

Belapur Fort is a fort near the township of Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The fort was built by the Siddis of Janjira. It was later conquered by the Portuguese, and then Marathas. In the early 19th century, the fort was captured by the British. After the British gained supremacy in the region, with the expansion of the Bombay Presidency, the strategic importance of the fort declined, and it fell into disuse.

History

Built in 1560–1570 by the Siddis,^[1] 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).^[2]

In 1733, the

British East India Company. The British partially destroyed the fort under their policy of razing any Maratha stronghold in the area.^[2]

During its active days, the fort stationed four

Gharapuri Island, the site of the Elephanta Caves.^[2]

Restoration

The fort comes under the jurisdiction of

Right to Information Act to save the fort from dumping and debris. A pond in the vicinity that supplies water to the area is also in danger of being choked.^[3]

There is no renovation or restoration as per the given reference as of January 2018.