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The city of Kalyan was
surrounded by a fort wall, the construction of which began during Shah
Jahan's reign and was completed during Aurangzeb's reign in 1694 A.D.
This city wall, which ran in excess of 2000 yards, 2123 to be precise,
was guarded by 4 gates and 11 towers.
The fort wall enclosed an area of
70 acres and on a high mound near the Kalyan creek, where the current
Ganesh ghat stands, was a fine fort since as early as 1570.
Of the four gates, the Adhar gate called after the village of Adhar
about half a mile to the north, wall near the middle of the north wall;
the Ganesh gate, about 400 yards distant, was near the middle of the
east wall. |
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The Ganesh gate is also called Jalela Darvaja, as it was burnt by the
English in their first campaign (1780), the Panvel gate, about 700 yards
distant, was near the middle of the south wall; and the Bandar or wharf
gate, about 330 yards distant, was in the centre of the west wall. At
the north-east corner of this area, on high ground on the river bank,
was a fort nearly cut off from the city by a natural hollow, and, later,
by a semicircular stone wall enclosing a space about 200 feet (61 m)
long by a little less in breadth.
The wall of the fort along the top of the inner bank of the ditch, and,
near the north end, had a gateway known as the
Delhi or Killyacha Darwaja, which was
entered by a path along the top of the north side of the town wall.
Inside the fort there was a low belt of ground, about the same level, as
the top of the ditch, with a shallow pond not far from the Delhi Gate.
The remains of the pond are
still visible, in the north-west corner the fort rose in a small
flat-topped mound about thirty feet high. On the top of the mound, on
the west crest which overhangs and is about 100 feet (30 m) above the
river, is the prayer wall or idgah, sixty-four feet long, thirteen high
and seven thick, which is now in a dilapidated condition. This doubtful
wall is said to be of the old Durga temple wall and is thickly
plastered.
Under the Marathas (1760–72), a new gate about 150 feet (46 m) to the
south of the Ganesh gate was opened near the mansion of Ramji Mahadeo
Biwalkar, the Peshwa s Governor. In the citadel of the fort Marathas
built a small wooden temple of Durgadevi behind the mosque, and called
the fort Durgadi Killa in honour of the goddess, a name which it still
bears.
They also converted the mosque into Ramji's temple. The fort
measures 220 feet (67 m) in length and somewhat less in breadth. Under
the English the fort wall was dismantled and stones carried to build the
Kalyan and Thane piers and a dwelling for the customs inspector in the
west of the Kalyan fort. The gate to the north-west is almost the only
trace of the fort wall, which is of rough stone masonry. During 1876 the
original idol of the goddess Durga was stolen.
Getting
There
Dombivali is about 50 km from Mumbai.
Nearest Airport is in Mumbai, Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Thakurli is a railway station
on the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Thakurli is
at a distance of 49 km from the Mumbai CST station. Taxis are available at the railway station for travel to
different parts of the city and outside.
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