English
Fort
Sanjan, Guzerate, India
Military Architecture
The pragana of Sanjan was a subdivision of the Daman district. Along with that city it was incorporated in the old Província do Norte of the Estado da Índia in 1559. The seat of the pragana was located in a village known locally as Sanjan, about 23 km south of Daman and 6 km from the coast. It was accessible by boat via the Varoli River. Despite the existence of scant information about the Portuguese presence in this location, a recent archaeological excavation (2002-2005) coordinated by the Archaeological Society of India revealed a number of vestiges associated to a community of Parsis who settled in the area around the 8th century A.D. and contributed to the development of a large settlement, which had nevertheless much declined by the mid-16th century. The excavation also brought to light ruins of the Portuguese period fortification which included features from pre-Portuguese structures. It corresponds to the one depicted in the image by Pedro Barreto Resende that accompanied the report by António Barreto in about 1635. The fortification comprised a walled and more or less circular perimeter equipped with six towers. Inside the fort was the residence of the captain of Sanjan and also the Church of Our Lady of Birth. From the architectural standpoint, this church’s ruins are the main reason for interest in the site. The nave’s main walls and the base of the chancel vault are still preserved. The fort was ruined as a consequence of the 1638-1685 conflict with the Marathas and a fortified manor house was built near the site, where vestiges of two bastions are still visible. In 1738 the Marathas again conquered the pragana of Sanjan, definitively expelling the Portuguese. About 3 km east of Sanjan the small Pama entrenchment was raised on the pragana’s border with neighbouring land pertaining to the king of Choutia.