Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History / The Maratha Fortress of Vijaydurg: Canals and Coastal Defense
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- Lucas: You know, we've talked a lot about how European powers carved up the seas — the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British — but there's this incredible counter-story from the Indian subcontinent that often gets overlooked. I'm thinking of the Maratha Navy and its most famous admiral, Kanhoji Angre. Luna: Oh, I've heard that name — the pirate who annoyed the British? Lucas: That's exactly the label the British slapped on him, but he was far more than a pirate. Kanhoji Angre was the admiral of the Maratha fleet, and he built his power around a fortress called Vijaydurg, on the western coast of India, south of Mumbai. This wasn't just a fort — it was a naval stronghold that held off the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British East India Company for decades. Lucas: The name Vijaydurg means 'Victory Fort' in Marathi, and it's perched on a headland jutting into the Arabian Sea. What made it special wasn't just the thick stone walls, but the natural defenses. The fort sits on a peninsula surrounded by shallow reefs that made any approaching ship run aground unless you knew the secret channels. And on top of that, Angre's engineers dug a massive canal right through the rock, so his own ships could pass safely while enemies floundered. Luna: Wait, a canal? That's like a maritime moat. Lucas: Exactly. The canal was wide enough for his own vessels — the ghurabs, which were two-masted ships, and the smaller gallivats — to slip out and attack, while enemy ships were stuck on the reefs. And the fort itself had bastions bristling with cannons, some of them captured from the very navies he defeated. He even had a secret escape tunnel down to the water, so he could board a boat and vanish if the fort was ever in danger. Lucas: Angre's methods were audacious. He'd issue passes to merchants for safe passage, and anyone who refused risked having their ships seized. That sounds like extortion, but in the context of the time, it was actually a form of maritime protection that rivaled what the Europeans were doing. He was asserting Maratha sovereignty over those waters, and he had the power to back it up. Luna: So he was a legitimate admiral, not a pirate. Lucas: That's the thing — from the Maratha perspective, he was a defender of their coastline. The British, Portuguese, and Dutch all had their own empires to protect, and they saw him as a nuisance, a pirate, an obstacle to their trade. But Angre was appointed by the Maratha ruler, and he operated within a legal framework of his own making. It's all a matter of whose history you're reading. Lucas: One of his most famous exploits was the capture of the British frigate Nossa Senhora do Cabo, in 1712. It was a heavily armed ship, but Angre's smaller, faster vessels swarmed it and took it after a fierce fight. He then incorporated the cannons into his own defenses. That ship's name, ironically Portuguese, shows how mixed up the waters were. Luna: So he was taking on the British before they even became the dominant power? Lucas: Absolutely. The early 18th century was a period when the British were still consolidating their hold, and Angre was a constant headache. He even captured the East India Company's ships and held them for ransom. The British tried to negotiate, they tried to attack, but they couldn't break him. It wasn't until after Angre died, in 1729, that the Maratha navy slowly declined. Lucas: And here's a little detail that shows how smart he was: Angre understood the value of intelligence. He had spies in Bombay and Goa, and he knew the European ships' routes and schedules. So he wasn't just fighting with cannons — he was fighting with information. That's why he could intercept a convoy almost at will. Luna: That's like a chess player who sees ten moves ahead. Lucas: He was also adaptive. When the British started using heavier ships, Angre modified his tactics. He'd lure them into shallow water where his lighter vessels had the advantage. He'd use fire ships, boats packed with combustibles, to set enemy fleets ablaze. And he built a network of coastal forts — not just Vijaydurg, but Suvarnadurg and others — so he could protect the entire coastline. Lucas: Now, the British didn't give up easily. They sent several expeditions against Vijaydurg, the most famous being in 1720, when a combined Anglo-Portuguese force tried to storm the fort. They bombarded it for days, but the walls held, and Angre's cannons sank two of their ships. The attackers had to retreat, humiliated. Luna: How did he manage to build such a strong fort in the first place? Lucas: Vijaydurg's construction actually goes back to the 12th century, but it was Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire, who expanded it in the 17th century. He recognized its strategic importance and poured resources into fortifying it. Angre then took it to the next level, adding the canal and reinforcing the sea walls. It was a work in progress for decades. Lucas: The canal itself is a marvel of engineering. It was cut through solid rock, about 50 meters long, and it allowed ships to enter an inner dock, safe from the open sea. That meant Angre could repair and resupply his fleet without exposing it to attack. It was essentially a dry dock centuries before the British built their own in Bombay. Luna: So he was ahead of his time in naval infrastructure too. Lucas: Definitely. And there's another layer — Angre's legacy lived on. After his death, his son and successors continued the fight, but they lacked his genius. The British eventually captured Vijaydurg in 1756, but by then, the Maratha navy had already been outmaneuvered politically. Still, the fact that it took the British thirty years to overcome Angre is a testament to his skill. Lucas: You know, thinking about how all this history is preserved, it's a good thing we have sources to piece it together. Speaking of which, a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making these deep dives possible. We don't run ads, so it's listener support that keeps this going. If you've been enjoying these conversations, that's one way to help us dig into more forgotten chapters like this one. Luna: Yeah, it's amazing how much depth we get into because of that support. Lucas: So back to Vijaydurg — what's left today? The fort still stands, though it's a ruin overgrown with vegetation. But you can walk along the ramparts, see the old cannons, and imagine the waves crashing against the reefs. The canal is still there, a testament to Angre's vision. It's a place that reminds you that history isn't just about the victors — sometimes it's about the ones who fought back. Luna: And they held their ground for so long. Lucas: Exactly. Angre's story challenges the narrative that European naval supremacy was inevitable. It shows that local powers could adapt and resist, at least for a while. And that's a valuable lesson, even today. So next time you hear about a 'pirate' in history, ask yourself who's telling the story and why.