The morning is calm, and so is the sea. The sun rises behind us, and the sea gets a tinge of light. It is time to get around and see what Ratnagiri offers, and a drive around the city would help.
By the time we get into the car, it is a bit warm. The town is dusty. The streets are narrow and driving is difficult. One can see that the town is a mix of old brown buildings with broken tiles and new complexes with shining glass doors.
Ratnagiri looks like a place that got left behind while the world changed its mood. Every moment one gets the feeling of the place being a step behind the others. It does look ignored for a region with a sparkling and long history.
Konkan, for that matter, has a history, and one hell of a one.
Konkan’s glittering history
It would be unjust and unkind if a mention is not made of what Ratnagiri’s and the Konkan’s history is all about. Officially, the Konkan is spread across the districts of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. While flashier cousins Mumbai and Thane have led the state’s economic activity, others have been more or less left behind.
Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg are still agrarian societies with a mix of farmers and fishermen. They are still the verdant green, rustic lands that retain the essence of Konkan. It is still all about Mangoes, cashew nuts and fishes. ( Read here )
Their contribution, though, has been the real deal that gets little attention.
The Konkan region has six of its own decorated with Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India. These include Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve, Pandurang Vaman Kane, Vinoba Bhave, Lata Mangeshkar, and Sachin Tendulkar.
Ratnagiri is also the birthplace of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of the leading figures in the Indian independence movement. His powerful Swaraj and Swadeshi programs inspired a generation to resist British rule.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, considered Mahatma Gandhi’s mentor, was born here. Gokhale, a moderate leader of the Indian National Congress, was known for his dedication to social reform and the freedom movement. His work for women’s education, including the first Indian university for women – SNDT, was exemplary.
The Maratha Maritime stronghold
Much before Tilak and Gokhale, this coastal belt was one of the strongholds of the Maratha dynasty. The long zigzagging coastline was a boon, giving the Marathas enviable maritime strength.
Innumerable forts scattered about the coast remind us how the Marathas built an empire that stood its own against the Mughals and the British. The massive forts overlooking the vast blue ocean were deterrents against the marauders.
The showpiece of Ratnagiri town is the imposing Ratnadurg Fort. Perched majestically over a hill, the fort looks almost impregnable. A rocky shoreline lines the vertical cliff. The ramparts, much of which still stand tall, have lookout points that watch over the blue ocean that stretches into infinity.
Today, the blue sky and the blue waters give you views that prompt you to take photographs that have a magical touch about them.
A few centuries ago, they would be manned by eager, eagle-eyed, sturdy Marathas, looking for anything that moved in the serene waters. The Ratnadurg is in the shape of a horseshoe with ramparts that are almost 1300 meters in length and over a width of 1000 meters. It is evident that it was built to dissuade any ambitious marauders.
The fort also houses a temple, the Sri Devi Bhagwati temple. It is a popular destination during the Navaratri festivals.
Here is where the highlight of my day crops up.
Just in front of the temple, one could spot a bust. It is the bust of Kanhoji Angre, the great naval commander of the Maratha dynasty. While this note of mine might be stretching towards being a long-winding one, there is no way this story is not recounted. A saffron flag that the Marathas fought under flutters in the sea breeze. A proud symbol of Maratha glory.
Kanhoji Angre’s story has to be told and will be told.
It has to be told because it is a story that, in my view, has not received the attention it deserves. The history we inherit often gives disproportionate space to the colonial powers that arrived on these shores, while the men who resisted them can become fleeting footnotes.
Angre deserves better than that.
The story of the man whose name once struck fear into European powers deserves to be told on its own terms.
The Maratha Lion of the Seas
Kanhoji Angre was the architect of the naval defence that the Marathas built. He was one of the most formidable of the great Maratha commanders. Angre was born in 1669 in a village near Pune, but spent his life on the coast as his father was appointed the commander of the Suvarnadurg fort in Konkan.
Having spent his early life on the Konkan shores, he was at home at sea. By the age of 15, he was already a part of the Maratha Navy.
In 1698, he was appointed the Darya-Saranga (Admiral of the Maratha Navy). He was in charge of the Western coast from Bombay down to Vengurla.
Kanhoji initially started by attacking merchant ships of the East India Company. He was an absolute master of the art of maritime warfare. His adventurous spirit and aggression soon made him a nuisance to the colonial powers. Every success enhanced his reputation and emboldened him.
Angre’s brilliance lay in understanding that asymmetric warfare was far more effective against an organised enemy. Angre knew the coast like no one else, and it helped. Instead of engaging in open-sea battles with heavily armed European ships, he startled them with swift attacks from the rocky inlets and the shallow waters of Konkan. It was guerrilla warfare at sea.
Even at the peak, Angre had a relatively small fleet compared with the European powers he faced. Knowing his limitations, Angre understood that his greatest advantage was the coast itself. He brought the battles nearer to the shore, his home ground, as one can put it. His crew of humble fishermen were at home on these waters and were a handful to anyone who ventured into their patch.
Some of the sailboats called gallivats were deployed in pairs to accommodate extra men. These gallivats, usually used as cargo ships, were used in warfare by Angre and his team. These were boats that could sail and also be manoeuvred by rowers.
Unsuspecting European merchant ships were ambushed in broad daylight. Angre’s forces were to strike quickly and retreat into fortified harbours like Suvarnadurg, Kolaba, Vijaydurg and Purnagad. His mastery of Konkan coastal geography made the Arabian Sea a defensive moat for the Maratha Empire.
Angre’s vision extended beyond warfare. He was not just a fighter; he was a visionary, too.
He encouraged the plantation of forests to ensure the supply of timber for shipbuilding. The Marathas set up a shipbuilding facility a few miles from the Vijaydurg Fort. Built inland on the Waghotan River mouth, the facility was out of the reach of the heavier European ships due to the shallow waters.
The Maratha shipbuilders perfected the art of stitching the boats together. The technique was to bind wooden planks with coir ropes. The coir ropes gave the ships greater flexibility and shock-absorbing ability compared to the nail-fastened European boats. The Maratha plan led by Angre was one of ingenuity, smartness and bravery. The numerical disadvantage was neutralized by the brilliant maritime strategy.
Angre oversaw the creation of a network of naval bases, which created hubs of commerce, defence and shipbuilding. He was instrumental in creating a maritime powerhouse for the Marathas.
In an age of imperial expansion, he stood as a guardian of the Konkan coast and a symbol of indigenous resistance. His exploits at sea were unrelenting and unbelievable.
In 1710, Angre captured and fortified Kandheri Island at the mouth of Bombay harbour. The supply lines to the Bombay harbour were being choked and the British had to sign a treaty.
In November 1712, his navy even captured the armed yacht Algerine of the British President of Mumbai, William Aislabie. The ship was released along with hostages for a ransom of 30,000 Rupees.
In 1718, he captured three British ships, blockaded the Bombay port, and again extracted ransom. The British tried to capture the picturesque Vijaydurg fort and were outclassed by Angre and his men.
In 1721, a joint attempt by the Portuguese and the British was launched to deal with Angre. Six thousand soldiers, four ships and all the might of the joint team could not breach the Maratha defences and failed.
Angre became notorious for the viciousness of his attacks, earning his reputation among the European powers as “The Prince of Pirates.”
This valiant, maverick and fearless Maratha warrior died in 1729. In all his years at resistance, he remained undefeated. He was untouched at sea by the greatest navies of that era.
At sea, Angre was a formidable adversary..
Darya Sarang Kanhoji Angre’s is a name that needs to be discussed much more when the Maratha and Indian history is discussed. This 18th-century legend symbolises a glorious chapter of the chequered history of Indian resistance against colonial forces.
The humble bust probably does not do justice, but it is a good reminder and a chance to salute a brave heart for his daredevilry. A life that is an inspiring lesson on dedication to a cause and the sense of purpose. A chapter that defines the spirit of resistance.
There are many more like Angre and each one of them has a story that needs narration.
The Indian Navy does remember this great maritime commander. Khanderi Island, the former stronghold where the English East India Company once attempted to unseat the Maratha Admiral, now bears his name: Kanhoji Angre Island.
From the naval dockyards in south Mumbai, a statue of Angre overlooks the mouth of the harbour. The naval base in Mumbai now also bears his name. INS Angre.
An inspiring afternoon indeed.
It’s late afternoon, and the sun is sharper than I bargained for. The planned visit to the house where Tilak was born has been cancelled. The plan is to have evening darshan at the Ganpatipule temple on a beach a short distance away from Ratnagiri.
Time for some matters of faith.
