The Maritime and Coastal Forts of India

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The forts of India are our priceless heritage and the forts situated along the coast of India deserve a special mention. They saw the rise and fall of the Portuguese, the French and the Dutch powers and finally, the rise and fulfillment of the British Power in India. Their role in matters military and political has not been adequately catalogued and described. In any case there is hardly any volume which would give all available information about these forts. In this book, the author has attempted to fill this gap.

With geographical portrait of the Indian coastline under standard format, the book describes the 151 forts that author has been able to identify definitely. Next, their importance to the various powers - Indian rulers, the Portuguese, the French, the Dutch and the British has been analysed. Finally the impact of these forts in the military field has been assessed. In this book, the author classifies the forts into Main forts, Secondary forts and Fortified outposts and places them into correct functional perspective. Distinction between Maritime and Coastal forts also has been done.

Wing Commander (Retd), Dr MS Naravane is a keen student of Indian medieval history - a pursuit which he resumed after his retirement from the Indian Air Force. I am glad that after writing about the "Forts of Maharashtra", and "Battles of Medieval India", he has turned his attention to maritime affairs.

2. We were a great maritime and sea-faring nation centuries before the birth of Christ. Right upto Thirteenth Century AD. India's commercial and cultural influence all carried over the seas spread to as far away places as China, Pacific Islands and South-East Asia in the East to the Mediterranean sea board, the Red Sea and the Gulf littoral in the West. However, gaps in technology, leading to non-building of competitive ocean going ships and lack of appreciation of subsequent rulers led to decline in India's Maritime capability. This happened between 14th and 18th centuries and European Navies were quick to appreciate this weakness and it eventually led to losing of our independence. The coastal forts of India were a witness to the fall of India's Maritime tradition and also the rise and fall of Portuguese, French and Dutch powers and the subsequent development of the Indian Ocean into a British lake. There is a lesson in this for us and we need to develop a dynamic maritime outlook to safeguard our vital economic interests. The prosperity of our nation is linked to the seas.

3. Dr Naravane has dealt with all the forts located on the Indian coast. What I particularly liked about his research methodology was his personal tour along the entire coastline, studying the forts and trying to assess their naval impact. A novel feature of his work is the distinction he makes between 'maritime' and 'coastal' forts. Their impact on the history of the littoral states has been interpreted with imagination and conviction.