Qualla: Battle of Vasai https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Vasai https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai Battle of Vasai: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai/ Photo credit Amit20081980, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Portuguese commander surrendered on 16 May 1739, and the terms were unexpectedly generous. The Maratha general ordered that the remaining garrison leave Baçaim with their flags unfurled, muskets at the shoulder, and drums playing. They would be transported by sea to Bombay. One week later, on 23 May, the saffron flag rose over the fort. After more than two centuries of Portuguese dominion over the northern Konkan coast, the Battle of Vasai -- or Bassein, as the Europeans called it -- had ended. What Chimaji Appa's forces accomplished in those months of siege permanently redrew the map of western India.

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Image: Amit20081980 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/te7y-battle-of-vasai-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Vasai: The Crumbling Northern Province https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai/ Photo credit Amit20081980, CC BY-SA 4.0. By the 1730s, Portuguese power along the Indian coast was stretched thin. Their garrison at Baçaim numbered only about 1,200 soldiers, a mix of Portuguese regulars and Indian auxiliaries, bolstered by reinforcements from Goa. The fortress of Thana, under construction since 1732, ...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/te7y-battle-of-vasai-the-crumbling-northern-province.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Vasai: Bhavangad: The Secret Staging Ground https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai/ Photo credit Amit20081980, CC BY-SA 4.0. Chimaji Appa built Bhavangad Fort specifically to prepare for the assault on Baçaim. From this staging ground, most of the secret planning and logistics were coordinated. When the campaign opened, the Marathas systematically dismantled the Portuguese defensive network. Every outp...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/te7y-battle-of-vasai-bhavangad-the-secret-staging-ground.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Vasai: Three Days of Fire and Mines https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai/ Photo credit Amit20081980, CC BY-SA 4.0. Within the fort, two towers faced the Maratha positions at Bhadrapur: São Sebastião and Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. The main gate opened toward Vasai Creek, offering no escape by land. On 1 May 1739, Appa's sappers laid ten mines against the walls near the tower of Remédios. Four...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/te7y-battle-of-vasai-three-days-of-fire-and-mines.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Vasai: Terms of Surrender https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai/ Photo credit Amit20081980, CC BY-SA 4.0. Chimaji Appa chose diplomacy over slaughter. He sent an envoy to the Portuguese commander with a letter that was blunt: if resistance continued, the garrison would be killed to the last soldier and the fort leveled to its foundations. The Portuguese commander accepted the terms a...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/te7y-battle-of-vasai-terms-of-surrender.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Vasai: Bells Across Borders https://qualla.com/battle-of-vasai/ Photo credit Amit20081980, CC BY-SA 4.0. The aftermath of the battle produced one of its most enduring symbols. Chimaji Appa's soldiers removed the church bells from the churches of Vasai and installed them in Hindu temples across Maharashtra. Some went to the Khandoba Temple at Jejuri, others to the Tulja Bhavani Templ...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/e/7/y/battle-of-vasai-wp/te7y-battle-of-vasai-bells-across-borders.mp3 0:06 6 full