History

Historic Baçaim: An Introduction

Today’s Vasai-Virar area has rapidly changed and starting in the 1980′s, the change is brought about by a large influx of people due to availability of more affordable housing than in Mumbai (Bombay). History of Vasai dates back to Puranic ages. The present day name of Vasai originates from Sanskrit, Sanskrit word “waas” meaning dwelling or residence. The name was changed to Basai by Muslims who occupied Vasai before the Portuguese. The Portuguese named it Baçaim. The Marathas renamed it Bajipur. The British named it Bassein and today it is called Vasai. The most significant past in Vasai’s history is the rein of the Portuguese, since they largely influenced or changed to what Vasai-Virar area is today. Historically, the entire region has attracted traders and merchants from Rome, Greece and Middle East.

Early History

  • The Chalukya Empire: During these early centuries, the territory was ruled by the Badami Chalukyas of Karnataka, who integrated the Konkan coastline into their expansive trading networks
  • The Silhara Dynasty (approx. 810–1260 AD): The North Silharas, ruling from nearby Thane, established deep economic foundations in Vasai. They patronized maritime trade and built numerous stone temples throughout the region.
  • The Seuna (Yadava) Dynasty (1184–1317 AD): The Yadavas of Devagiri eventually absorbed the Konkan territory. It was under the Yadavas that Vasai served as a formal head of the district. Historians note that the earliest layout of a defensive citadel or fortification at the site was established during this period. This was the flourishing, merchant-heavy India that Marco Polo sailed past in the early 1290s.
  • The Islamic Era: The Gujarat Sultanate (1317–1534 CE)
  • Sultanate Conquest: As the Yadava Dynasty collapsed under invasions from the Delhi Sultanate, control of the northern Konkan shifted. By the 15th century, the region was firmly held by the Gujarat Sultanate

In 1295 AD the famous Marco Polo visited and passed through Thana/Vasai area on his return journey to Venice and while In escorting a Mongol princess to Persia, who was to marry Persian prince.

Long before the Portuguese arrived earliest historical reference to Christianity in Bombay comes from a Greek merchant, Cosmas Indicopleustes. He writes about a community of Nestorian Christians in Thane/Kalyan served by a Bishop appointed in Persia in the 6th Century.

In 1320 or 1321, Friar Jordanus set out by sea from Persia alongside a group of four Franciscan friars—Thomas of Tolentino, James of Padua, Peter of Siena, and Demetrius (a lay interpreter). Their original destination was China to join the Roman Catholic mission established by John of Montecorvino.

However, severe weather and shifting shipping routes forced them to alter their plans, causing them to disembark at the port city of Thana on Salsette Island. Upon landing, they discovered a small, long-established pocket of Nestorian Christians (members of the indigenous Church of the East) living among the local Hindu and ruling Muslim populations.

When the missionaries arrived, they were warmly received and taken in by a local Nestorian Christian family. Jordanus temporarily left the group to go preach and minister to another small Christian community in nearby Sopara (Nallasopara).

During his absence, a domestic dispute in the Nestorian household where the Franciscans were staying inadvertently triggered a disaster: The head of the house quarreled with his wife and beat her. The wife complained to the local Muslim magistrate (qadi). The Franciscan friars were summoned as witnesses to the domestic dispute. While in court, the conversation quickly shifted from the domestic incident to religion. When questioned about their beliefs, the unbending Franciscans openly challenged Islam and spoke controversially about Muhammad.

Lorenzetti_Ambrogio_martyrdom-of-the-franciscans
Lorenzetti_Ambrogio_martyrdom-of-the-franciscans

This public theological defiance under the local administration led directly to the arrest and execution of Jordanus’s companions on April 7, 1321. They became celebrated in Catholic history as the Four Martyrs of Thana.

The Portuguese with their naval power and their crusading valor were unquestioned masters of the Indian Ocean. When the Portuguese arrived, Bassein was under the rule of Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat.

On 23 December 1534, the Sultan of Gujarat (Bahadur Shah), signed a treaty with the Portuguese (represented by Nuno da Cunha) on board the galleon São Mateus and ceded Bassein with its dependencies of Salsette, Mombaim (Bombay), Parel, Vadala, Siao (Sion), Vorli (Worli) (Worli fort photo), Mazagao (Mazgao), Thana, Bandra, Mahim, Caranja (Uran).

Why was 1534 Treaty Signed

  • Mughal Threat: Bahadur Shah faced severe pressure and military expansion from the Mughal Emperor Humayun.
  • Portuguese Attacks: Continuous naval raids and destruction along the Gujarat coast by Portuguese captains weakened the Sultanate’s defenses.
  • Search for Allies: The Sultan sought naval superiority and military protection from the Portuguese against the Mughals.

Major Terms of the Treaty

  • Territorial Cession: The Sultan gave the strategic town of Bassein (Vasai), its dependencies, and the nearby islands (including the future islands of [Bombay/Mumbai]) to the Portuguese.
  • Naval Assistance: The Portuguese agreed to support the Sultan with their naval fleet against his adversaries.
  • Trade Regulations: Control over regional shipping lanes was granted, requiring local vessels to secure Portuguese sea passes (cartazes).

Aftermath of the Treaty

  • A follow-up agreement in October 1535 allowed the Portuguese to build a major fortress at Diu.
  • The Incident in 1537
  • The Meeting: Amid mutual distrust and strategic maneuvers, Bahadur Shah visited the Portuguese viceroy’s ship off the coast of Gujarat.
  • The Death: A violent confrontation broke out during the negotiations, resulting in Bahadur Shah’s death by drowning or physical attack, and his body was thrown into the Arabian Sea.
Killing of Bahadur Shah – British Library

In 1536, Nuno da Cunha appointed his brother-in-law Garcia de Sá as the first Captain/Governor of Bassein. The first corner stone for the Fort was laid by Antonio Galvao. In 1548 the Governorship of Bassein was passed on to Jorge Cabral.

The Bassein region ruled by Portuguese in not just Bassein but included areas far away as Bombay, Thane, Kalyan and Chaul (Revdanda) It is located about 50 Kilometers North of Bombay, on the Arabian Sea, at approximately (19°20′N – 72°49′E). Bassein, was important trading center, it’s sources of wealth and trade were horses, fish, salt, timber, stone quarry (basalt and granite) and shipbuilding. It was a significant trading center long before the Portuguese arrived. (Ancient Sopara was a important port in trade with the Arabs and Greeks, Romans and Persians.). It was also a wealthy agricultural region with rice, betel nut, cotton, and sugar-cane as some of the crops.

Sources and Further Reading

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Featured Landmark

Begin with Vasai Fort, a central site in the region’s historical landscape.

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