Photo Walk to Vasai Fort

I had been to Vasai fort a few years ago but that was with my extended family. An outing with family members is so different as compared to a trek with trekkers. We just went there, walked for a few minutes, clicked a few photographs and left. Yes, we also had golas at the base of the fort. We did not even explore a quarter of the fort as we should have. There was so much to explore there. There are really only a few who really enjoy trekking and /exploring new places. If there was an option, the majority would enjoy a visit to a mall rather than explore a new place. Sad! Anyway ,this trip made me promise myself that I would be visiting this place again soon and when 'Moment's Shoot'  group organised a Photo Walk  to Vasai fort on Sunday 6 th October,2013, I knew that I was going to be a part of it.

This was my first outing with this group( Looks like I am trying out many new trek groups lately)Since we had to travel by local train to Vasai which falls on the Western line ,I stayed overnight at my sisters place who stays at Vile Parle. I left early in the morning to meet the rest of the group at Vasai. I met the small group of eight at Vasai Road station and we had breakfast at a nearby restaurant. It had drizzled a bit that morning so we dreaded having the rains disrupt our photo walk but thankfully ,that was not to be. It was a fine ,sunny morning that we had. After an auto ride to the fort we began our introductions. Nikhil Gaikwad, our group leader, started the 'Moments Shoot' group in order to share his love for photography. This was the second photo walk for that group(the first one being to Yeoor) We began our exploration of the fort and enjoyed clicking away as the fort was a photographers delight. The magnificent stone structures and the shadow play of the morning sunlight together made the experience a wonderful one for us all to cherish.The fort was still standing strong and we could see the restoration work of the fort in progress. My group consisted of youngsters who had come for the love of photography. Surprisingly, there were also a couple of boys who came without cameras and I am sure they too captured the moments in their hearts and minds as I doubt anyone could be untouched by the sheer beauty and presence of these ancient forts. They are a marvel to behold as these stone walls and arches have a mystery of their own. It is fascinating to just be there and experience it.

The group was fun-loving and we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest It goes without saying that I was the senior most member of that group. We explored the precincts of the fort together and took many photographs. After that we walked a little through a dense green patch to reach the other part of the fort. The green patch was infested with mosquitoes and we reached for the mosquito repellent. We saw many beautiful wild flowers and butterflies. There were also many spider webs there. After many photo ops we walked to a nearby church. It was very old and had many pillars and arches. A group of local lads were enjoying a game of cricket there. Our stomachs were growling with hunger so we had some snacks and went to see the nearby Chimaji Appa Smarak. There was a statue of the warrior there. We saw a group of Royal Enfield riders at the smarak. We chatted here until our autos came to pick us up. As we reached the station, Nikhil gave us a Cadbury chocolate each to bring a sweet end to this eventful day. All in all it was a day well-spent. I was glad I was a part of this photo walk. We discussed about the next photo walk and I am already looking forward to it. I am really hooked to photography now and hopefully I will be improving on my photography skills bit by bit.
Looking forward to many more photo walks in the near future...........

My breakfast-meduwada-sambar!

The huge dosa....to eat or not to eat-that is the question.

The way towards the fort

Maze of entrances

Ancient carvings 

There is light beyond...........

First look inside.

The greenery through the arches.....

Forts have always fascinated me

majestic structures

There is light beyond the darkness.....

Relaxed moments

Better view of the arches all in a row.....

Shadow play!

Looking upwards!

The little winged creatures in plenty here.

Walking through the mosquito infested terrains

Another entrance beckons.....

My first photo walk with Moments Shoot

Pretty picture!

Amey in action!

Of curves and straight lines......

Happy to be here!!!

Wonderful sight at the entrance

The labourers at work on the restoration work at the fort.

At the main entrance

Lovely place to be for photographers.

Play of light through the stone structure

The greens and the greys.

Amazing work of architecture!

Arches galore!

The stone structure and the green foliage co-exist.

The temple near the fort

Stone walls do not a prison make!

Warrior Chimaji Appa

Pic credits-Nikhil Gaikwad
Posing-what else?

Pic credits-Nikhil Gaikwad
Photo enthusiasts all!!!

Pic credits-Shraddha Gaikwad
Girl Power!!!

Pic credits-Shraddha Gaikwad
Acting crazzy!!!

Pic credits-Shraddha Gaikwad
Group pic with Moments Shoot!!!

Pic credits-Shraddha Gaikwad
Nine gems!!!

Pic credits-Rupesh Todkari
Till my next photo walk..........

Some  information about the fort.

Vasai Fort, also called Bassein Fort, lies about 48 kms north of Mumbai just across the Ulhas River.  The fort in the old city was the headquarter of the Portuguese in the north, next in importance to Goa.  The coastal land-fort of Vasai was surrounded by sea on three sides and to the landside it had a moat which was filled by sea-water.  Its 4.5kms long strong stone wall had 11 bastions.  The fort had two gates – the westward land-gate.  There was also a small citadel in the fort.  Well – equipped with water-tanks, store-houses, armoury, etc., the fort also had fields for growing grains and vegetables.  All the old structures inside the wall are now in ruins

Vasai was the main naval base and sort of ship-building centre of the Portuguese.  The end came in 1739AD, when Chimaji Appa, Peshwa Bajirav’s brother, stormed the fort and captured it with great loss of life.  It was here in 1802 AD, the Peshwa Bajirao II signed the infamous “Treaty of Bassein” which virtually dissolved the Maratha Confederacy.  Finally, the fort and the city of Vasai was ceded to the British in 1817 AD.