Bombay Photo Images[ Mumbai]: 2025

THERE WERE ALLIGATORS IN THE MOAT BEFORE GATE- WHERE ANY ENEMY SOLDIER COULD BE CAUGHT -STILL SIDDIS DEFEATED BRITISH IN 1639
In 1689, the Siddis, under the command of Sidi Yakut Khan, a general of African origin serving the Mughal Empire, launched a successful siege against the British settlement of . The attack began on 15 February 1689, when Sidi Yakut Khan, leading a force of approximately 14,000 soldiers from the Mughal fleet based at Janjira, landed on the Bombay archipelago. The British, under Governor John Child, were caught off guard and quickly overwhelmed. The Siddi forces captured key locations including Sewri Fort and Mazgaon Fort, spreading northward and ransacking areas like Mahim. The British were confined to the fort at the southern tip of Bombay Island, where they endured a brutal 15-month siege that resulted in the deaths or flight of 80 to 90 percent of the population. The siege ended in April 1690 when the East India Company, facing total collapse, surrendered unconditionally to the Mughals. As part of the peace terms, the Company paid a massive indemnity of 150,000 rupees and agreed to the dismissal of Governor John Child, although he died before he could be formally removed. This decisive defeat marked a major crisis for the East India Company and led to a systematic cover-up of the events by Company leadership, which contributed to the siege being largely erased from official historical narratives.