1950's Bombay Marine Drive

1950's Bombay Marine Drive

 

 

19th Century Flora Fountain Bombay, 1890 Photo - Past-India[Left side road is wetted to prevent dust]

 

19th century view of Flora Fountain area -Bombay

 

Bombay -era-1860's

 

Karanja Fort and MumbaiFort early Portuguese fortifications were near each other, directly facing one another across the Mumbai Harbour

 

AI Overview

Yes, Karanja Fort and Mumbai's early Portuguese fortifications were near each other, directly facing one another across the Mumbai Harbour. 

When the Portuguese ruled the region from 1534 to 1739 AD, the local geography and administrative boundaries looked vastly different than they do today: 

Geographic Proximity

Karanja Fort: Located on Karanja Island (modern-day Uran, Navi Mumbai), this fort served as the extreme southern boundary of the Portuguese Província do Norte (Province of the North). 
Mumbai Fort / Castle: Before the British built the massive Mumbai Fort walls, the Portuguese maintained a fortified manor house (Casa da Orta) and an early warehouse fort (Fortaleza de Mombaim) right on the eastern edge of the Island of Bombay (now South Mumbai). 
The Distance: Separated only by the waters of the Mumbai Harbour, the two positions were roughly 10 to 12 kilometers apart by sea—making them highly visible to each other and strategically linked for controlling maritime entry. 

Strategic Relationship

The Portuguese purposefully paired these coastal strongholds to secure their trade networks. Karanja Fort guarded the southern mouth of the harbor and the Panvel creek, while the fortifications at Mumbai tracked ships moving deeper into the bay toward their main regional headquarters at Fort Vasai (Bassein). 

VIEW OF BOMBAY FORT FROM COLABA ISLAND TO THE SOUTH(Before fort walls removed in 1862)

 

The fort walls of Bombay (now Mumbai) were demolished between 1862 and 1864. [1, 2]

Key Facts

The Order: The demolition was ordered in 1862 by the then Governor of Bombay, Sir Bartle Frere.
The Committee: A dedicated Rampart Removal Committee was created to oversee the leveling of the old fortifications.
The Reason: By the mid-19th century, the walls had become obsolete. The rapidly growing city was severely overcrowded, and the ramparts trapped disease and choked commercial expansion. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The Aftermath

The removal of the landward defences transformed Mumbai's geography: [1]

The Gates: The city's three main security checkpoints—Apollo Gate, Church Gate, and Bazaar Gate—were permanently removed. [1, 2, 3]
The Open Spaces: The cleared Esplanade area was intentionally preserved to create South Mumbai's famous open recreational grounds, including the Oval, Azad, and Cross Maidans. [1]
New Landmarks: The newly freed space paved the way for iconic Victorian Gothic civic projects, including the Bombay High Court, Bombay University, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). [1, 2, 3, 4]

A few small fragments of the old fortifications, specifically from Fort George, can still be seen today embedded inside the compound walls of St. George Hospital near CSMT. [1, 2, 3, 4]