Vasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation:
">əsəi formerly and alternatively Mahratti; ''Bajipur'', English: Bassein; Portuguese: Baçaim), is a historical place and City near
Mumbai (Bombay)
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
's western suburbs, located in
Palghar district which was partitioned from the
Thane district in 2014. It also forms a part of
Vasai-Virar twin cities in the
Konkan division of
Maharashtra, India.
The
Portuguese in Goa and Damaon
Old Goa (Konkani in the Roman script, Konkani: ; pt, Velha Goa, translation='Old Goa') is a historical site and city situated on the southern banks of the River Mandovi, within the Tiswadi ''taluka'' (''Ilhas'') of North Goa district, in the I ...
built the
Vasai Fort to defend their colony and participate in the lucrative
spice trade and the
silk route that converged in the area. Much of
Portuguese Bombay and Vasai was seized by
Marathas during the period of
Peshva rule, after the
Battle of Vasai
The Battle of Vasai or the Battle of Bassein was fought between the Maratha Empire, Marathas and the Portuguese Empire, Portuguese rulers of Vasai (Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Baçaim''; English language, English, ''Bassein''), a town ly ...
in 1739.
The
British East India Company then
took over the territory from the
Maratha Empire in 1780 during the
First Anglo-Maratha War.
Etymology
The present name ''Vasai'' is derived from the
Sanskrit word ''Waas'', meaning 'dwelling' or 'residence'. The name was changed to ''Basai'', which was named under
Bahadur Shah of Gujarat after the
Gujarat Sultanate took over the region. This is also the first
Latinized record of the name, which was spelt as ''Baxay'' by
Barbosa (1514).
The name was short-lived as it was changed under
Portuguese rule, approximately two decades later, to ''Baçaim'' (also first official
Latin name) following the signing of the Treaty of Vasai in 1534. This name was again changed after over 200 years to ''Bajipur'', after the
Maratha Empire took over the region. This name was also short-lived as after the capture of ''Bajipur (the Maratha name for Vasai)'' by the
British, the name was changed yet again to ''Bassein''.
During this same time,
Bombay took over Bassein as the dominant economic power in the region.
The town was
renamed to ''Vasai'', the
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
name for the region, following the
devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
of the
British Raj in
India.
Demonym
A resident of Vasai is called ''Vasaikar'' in
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
, in which the suffix ''kar'' means 'resident of'. The term had been in use for since the
official renaming of Bassein to Vasai. The Vasaikar diaspora outside of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
state, as well as
outside of India, refer to themselves as from Mumbai due to its international recognition and Vasai being located within the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region, near the edge of
suburban Mumbai
Mumbai Suburban district (Marathi language, Marathi: ''Mumbai Upanagar Jilhā'') is the second most populous Districts of Maharashtra, district of Maharashtra in the Konkan Division. With its administrative headquarters in Bandra, the district co ...
.
History
Pre-Portuguese era
The history of Vasai dates back to the ancient
Puranic ages.
Vasai was a trading ground for many
Greek,
Arabs,
Persian and
Roman traders and merchants who would enter through the west coast of
India. The
Greek merchant
Cosma Indicopleustes
Cosmas Indicopleustes ( grc-x-koine, Κοσμᾶς Ἰνδικοπλεύστης, lit=Cosmas who sailed to India; also known as Cosmas the Monk) was a Greek merchant and later hermit from Alexandria of Egypt. He was a 6th-century traveller who ma ...
is known to have visited the areas around Vasai in the 6th century and the
Chinese traveller
Xuanzang later on June or July 640. According to historian
José Gerson da Cunha, during this time, Bassein and its surrounding areas appeared to have been ruled by the
Chalukya dynasty
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynast ...
of
Karnataka.
Until the 11th century, several
Arabian
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
geographers had mentioned references to towns nearby Vasai, like
Thana and
Sopara, but no references had been made to Vasai. Vasai was later ruled by the
Silhara dynasty of
Konkan and eventually passed to the
Seuna dynasty
The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of t ...
. It was head of district under the Seuna (1184–1318). Later being conquered by the
Gujarat Sultanate, where it was named ''Basai'', a few years later
Barbosa (1514) described it under the name Baxay (pronounced Basai) as a town with a good seaport belonging to the
King of
Gujarat.
In 1295,
Italian explorer
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
passed through Vasai.
Portuguese era
The
Portuguese first reached the west coast of
India when the
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
landed at
Calicut in 1498. According to historian
Manuel de Faria e Sousa
Manuel de Faria e Sousa (; es, Faria y Sousa; 18 March 1590 – 3 June 1649) was a Portuguese historian and poet. He frequently wrote in Spanish.
He was born of an ancient Portuguese noble family, probably at Pombeiro, studied in Braga for s ...
, the coast of Basai was first visited by the
Portuguese in 1509, when
Francisco de Almeida on his way to
Diu captured a Muslim ship in the harbour of
Bombay, with 24 citizens of the
Gujarat Sultanate aboard.
To the
Portuguese, Basai was an important trading centre located on the
Arabian Sea. They saw it as a vital service station that would give them access to global sea routes and goods such as salt, fish, timber and mineral resources.
They wanted to build a shipyard to manufacture ships and use the fertile land to grow rice, sugarcane, cotton, betel nuts and other crops to trade globally.
The presence of the
Portuguese significantly shaped the region into what it is today.
Treaty of Vasai (Bassein) (1534)
In 1530 the
Portuguese, under António da Silveira, took advantage of its strong navy and pillaged and burnt the village of Vasai (Basai). The army of
Gujarat Sultanate was not strong enough for the
Portuguese forces and, despite resistance, the
Sultan of Gujarat was eventually defeated.
In 1531 António set fire to Basai yet again as punishment for the
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
for not ceding
Diu, a vital island that would protect trade in the region. In 1533, Diogo (Heitor) da Silveira set fire to the western coast leading from
Bandora through
Thana and Basai to
Surat
Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...
.
Portuguese General
Nuno da Cunha discovered that the son of
Meliqueaz
Malik Ayyaz, called Meliqueaz by the Portuguese, was a naval officer and governor of the city of Diu, in the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), circa 1507-1509 under the rule of Gujarat Sultanate. He was one of the most distinguished warriors ...
, the governor of
Diu, Malik Tokan was fortifying Basai with 14,000 men. Seeing this fortification as a threat,
Nano da Cunha assembled a fleet of 150 ships with 4000 men and sailed to north of Basai. Upon seeing the naval superiority of the
Portuguese, Malik Tokan attempted to initiate a peace agreement with
Nano da Cunha. Upon rejection, Malik Tokan was forced to fight against the
Portuguese. Despite bringing fewer soldiers, the
Portuguese managed to kill most of the enemy while losing only a few of their own.
The
Treaty of Bassein was signed by
Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and the
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...
on 23 December 1534 while on board the
galleon São Mateus. Based on the terms of the agreement, the
Portuguese Empire gained control of the village of Basai as well as its territories, islands and seas including
Bombay. The village was renamed to Baçaim and became the northern capital of
Portuguese territories in India.
Garcia de Sá
Garcia de Sá (Porto, 1486 – Goa, 13 June 1549) was a Portugal, Portuguese nobleman, soldier (military officer), explorer, fidalgo of the Royal Household, who was the 14th ruler of Portuguese India as governor from June 1548 to 13 of June 1549.
...
was later appointed as the first Captain (governor) of Baçaim by his brother-in-law
Nuno da Cunha in 1536, who ruled until 1548 when the governorship was passed onto
Jorge Cabral
Jorge Cabral (born 1500) was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier (military officer) and explorer who was the 15th ruler of Portuguese India as governor from 13 June 1549 to November 1550.Translated from the articles "Jorge Cabral" of the Portuguese and ...
. The first cornerstone for the
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
was laid by
António Galvão
António Galvão (c. 1490–1557), also known as Antonio Galvano, was a Portuguese soldier, chronicler and administrator in the Maluku islands, and a Renaissance historian who was the first person to present a comprehensive report of the leading v ...
.
Under
Portuguese rule
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...
, the
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
was the Northern Court, or 'Corte da Norte', functioning as the headquarters of the Court of the North. Baçaim became the capital of the Northern Province, the most productive village of
Portuguese India
The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...
and became a resort for
Portuguese 'fidalgos' (noblemen and wealthy merchants). A great Portuguese person would be called 'Fidalgo ou Cavalheiro de Baçaim' (''Nobleman of Baçaim'').
By 1674, the
Portuguese constructed 2 colleges, 4 convent schools and 15 churches in total in Baçaim's territories.
For approximately 205 years, the presence of the
Portuguese made the surrounding area a vibrant and opulent village.
The local ethnic community were called 'Norteiro' (Northern men), named after the Court of the North functioning out of the
fort.
In 1674, about 600
Arab pirates from
Muscat entered Baçaim via the west and pillaged the churches in Baçaim. The unexpected attack weakened the
Portuguese control outside the
fort walls
and
Maratha warriors stationed in the west isolated them further.
Maratha era
In the 18th century,
Vasai Fort was attacked by the
Maratha Empire under
Peshwa Baji Rao's brother
Chimaji Appa and the Portuguese surrendered on 16 May 1739 after the
Battle of Vasai (Baçaim). The
Marathas allowed the women and the children of the enemy to leave peacefully. The
Portuguese lost a total of 4 main ports, 8 cities, 2 fortified hills, 340 villages and 20 fortresses.
This defeat of the
Portuguese, combined with
Portuguese royal Catherine of Braganza's wedding dowry of the
Seven Islands of Bombay to
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
, led to
Bombay overtaking Bajipur (the Maratha name for Vasai) as the dominant economic power in the region.
British era
with the
British ruling the
island of Bombay
An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ca ...
just south of the Vasai Creek, the region's prominence as a trade centre in
India became increasingly overshadowed by
Bombay.
After the death of
Madhavrao I
Peshwa Madhavrao Bhat I (February 15, 1745 – November 18, 1772) was the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha empire fully recovered from the losses they suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, a phenomenon kn ...
in 1772, his brother
Narayan Rao became
Peshwa of the
Maratha Empire.
Narayan Rao was the fifth
Peshwa of the
Maratha Empire from November 1772 until his murder by his palace guards in August 1773.
Narayan Rao's widow, Gangabai, gave birth to a posthumous son, who was legal heir to the throne. The newborn infant was named
Sawai Madhavrao. Twelve
Maratha chiefs, led by
Nana Fadnavis, directed an effort to name the infant as the new
Peshwa and rule under him as
regents.
Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position of power, sought help from the
British at Bombay and signed the
Treaty of Surat
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012
The Treaty of Surat (6 March 1775) was a treaty by which Raghunathrao, one of the claimants to the throne of the Peshwa, agreed to cede Salsette and Bassein Fort to the English, in consideration of being himself res ...
on 6 March 1775. According to the treaty,
Raghunathrao ceded the territories of Salsette and
Vasai to the
British, along with part of the revenues from the
Surat
Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...
and
Bharuch
Bharuch (), formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District.
The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since tim ...
districts. In return, the
British promised to provide
Raghunathrao with 2,500 soldiers. The treaty was later annulled by the
British Supreme Council of Bengal
The Supreme Council of Bengal was the highest level of executive government in British India from 1774 until 1833: the period in which the East India Company, a private company, exercised political control of British colonies in India. It was for ...
and replaced by the
Treaty of Purandar on 1 March 1776.
Raghunathrao was pensioned and his cause abandoned, but the revenues of the Salsette and
Bharuch
Bharuch (), formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District.
The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since tim ...
districts were retained by the
British. The
British Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...
rejected this new treaty and gave refuge to
Raghunathrao. In 1777,
Nana Fadnavis violated his treaty with the
British Supreme Council of Bengal
The Supreme Council of Bengal was the highest level of executive government in British India from 1774 until 1833: the period in which the East India Company, a private company, exercised political control of British colonies in India. It was for ...
by granting the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
a port on west coast. The
British retaliated by sending a force towards
Pune.
Following a treaty between
France and the
Maratha Empire in 1776, the
British Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...
decided to invade and reinstate
Raghunathrao. They sent a force under
Colonel Egerton, but were defeated. The
British were forced to sign the Treaty of Wadgaon on 16 January 1779, a victory for the
Marathas.
Reinforcements from northern India, commanded by Colonel Thomas Goddard, arrived too late to save the
Bombay force. The British
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
in the
British Bengal Presidency,
Warren Hastings, rejected the treaty on the grounds that the
Bombay officials had no legal power to sign it. He ordered Goddard to secure
British interests in the area.
Goddard captured Bassein on December 11, 1780. The city was renamed from ''Bajipur'' to ''Bassein'' under
British rule.
In 1801,
Yashwantrao Holkar rebelled against the rival factions of the
Maratha Empire. He defeated the combined forces of the
Daulat Rao Scindia and
Peshwa Baji Rao II in the
Battle of Poona
The Battle of Pune took place on 25 October 1802 near Pune between the rival factions of the Maratha empire. The forces of the Scindia (Shinde) and the Peshwa Bajirao II were attacked by the Holkars. While the British East India Company was no ...
and captured
Poona
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
(
Pune).
Peshwa Baji Rao II eventually took refuge in Bassein, where the
British had a stronghold.
The
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
played a strategic role in the
First Anglo-Maratha War.
Treaty of Bassein (1802)
The Treaty of Bassein (1802) was signed on 31 December 1802 between the
British East India Company and
Baji Rao II, the
Maratha Peshwa of
Pune (Poona), in India after the
Battle of Poona
The Battle of Pune took place on 25 October 1802 near Pune between the rival factions of the Maratha empire. The forces of the Scindia (Shinde) and the Peshwa Bajirao II were attacked by the Holkars. While the British East India Company was no ...
. The treaty was a decisive step in the dissolution of the
Maratha Empire and the expansion of
British rule over the
Indian subcontinent.
Industrialization
The eastern part of Vasai is highly industrialized, with small- and medium-scale units producing a wide variety of goods. Contributed by more affordable housing and its close proximity to Mumbai, Vasai has maintained a high population growth rate since the 1980s.
This has led to rapid improvement in infrastructure and economic development. There are about 12,000 industrial units spread over the eastern part of Vasai.
Transport
The local railway station is known as . It is a major railway station which bypasses
Mumbai and connects the trains coming from
Vadodara to
Konkan Railway and
Pune Junction railway station and further towards cities of
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and
Hyderabad . The
Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation buses run on all major routes and State Transport buses provide long-distance travel to and from Vasai. Besides that,
auto rickshaws are the main source of transport in the region.
Indian Railways introduced a local train service in the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region in 1867. The upgraded local train runs between
Virar and
Churchgate
Churchgate (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʃəɾt͡ʃɡeːʈ is an area in South Mumbai. During the eighteenth and up to the mid-19th century, Mumbai was a walled city. The city walls had three gates, and Churchgate, named after St. Thomas Cathe ...
and has a frequency of a train every 4 minutes.
Tourism
The
Vasai Fort, originally built in 1184, is a major tourist attraction in the region. The
Archaeological Survey of India has started restoration work of the fort, although the quality of the work has been severely criticized by conservation activists. In August 2010 a wall of the
fort collapsed, raising questions about the quality of the work.
There are also three well-known religious sites including the
Vajreshwari Temple
The Shree Vajreshwari Yogini Devi Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Vajreshwari, located in the town ''Vajreshwari'', 75 km away from Mumbai. The town, earlier known as ''Vadvali'', was renamed Vajreshwari in honour of the p ...
,
St. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz
St. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz is a Roman Catholic Church situated in the Giriz Parish in the recently created Vasai Diocese. It is located in the village of Giriz in the coastal town of Vasai in the city of Vasai-Virar in Maharashtra S ...
and the Datta Mandir of Dongri.
There are various festivals tourists come to visit.
There are famous and peaceful beaches are also located such as Suruchi beach, Bena beach, Rangaon beach, Bhuigaon beach, Kalamb beach, Rajodi beach, Navapur, etc.
Education
*
St Gonsalo Garcia College
Use as filming location
Vasai gained popularity as a shooting location with international hit song '
Hymn for the Weekend' by British band
Coldplay being shot here. According to ''
The Times of India'', the video was shot in October 2015 at various Indian cities including
Worli Village,
Bombay and
Kolkata. The
fort showcased at the start and in between is the
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
, also known as Saint Sebastian's Fort, located in Vasai. The video is themed on the Indian festival of
Holi. The video was filmed by Ben Mor and was released on 29 January 2016. The video features
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
and Indian actress
Sonam Kapoor.
The music video was criticized on Indian
social media for its stereotypical portrayal of Indian society and alleged disrespecting of Indian idols on the note of
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's inappropriate clothing.
The video has over 960 million views on
YouTube as of July 2018, becoming the second most-viewed music video for
Coldplay (after "
Something Just like This").
Another hit song '
Lean On' by
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstra ...
group
Major Lazer and
DJ Snake was shot in Vasai in March 2015. It has more than 2 billion views on
YouTube.
The
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
is also a popular shooting location for
Bollywood movies and songs. The
Bollywood hit ″
Kambakkht Ishq″ from
Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya is one of the
Bollywood songs. Movies such as
Josh, starring
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
, was shot in
St. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz
St. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz is a Roman Catholic Church situated in the Giriz Parish in the recently created Vasai Diocese. It is located in the village of Giriz in the coastal town of Vasai in the city of Vasai-Virar in Maharashtra S ...
and at the
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
and
Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega had a number of scenes from the
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
. Other films shot here include
Khamoshi and
Ram Gopal Verma's Aag. In April 2017, some scenes from
Bhoomi, starring
Sanjay Dutt, were shot around 'Parnaka' area in Vasai.
The Madhuban road is also popular. Movies like
Munna Michael
''Munna Michael'' is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Viki Rajani and Eros International. The film features Tiger Shroff in a lead role alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Niddhi Agerwal, Th ...
,
Thackeray (film),
Zero (2018 film) had few scenes that were shot here.
Climate
Vasai has a
tropical climate, specifically a
tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) under the
Köppen climate classification, with seven months of dryness and peak of rains in July. This moderate climate consists of high rainfall days and very few days of extreme temperatures. The cooler season from December to February is followed by the summer season from March to June. The period from June to about the end of September constitutes the south-west monsoon season, and October and November form the post-monsoon season. The driest days are in winter while the wettest days occur in July.
Between June and September, the
south-west monsoon rains lash the region.
Pre-monsoon showers are received in May. Occasionally,
monsoon showers occur in October and November. The average total annual rainfall averages between . Annually, over 80% of the total rainfall is experienced during June to October. Average humidity is 61-86%, making it a humid climate zone.
The temperature varies from . The average temperature is , and the average
precipitation is . The average minimum temperature is . The daily mean maximum temperature range from , while the daily mean minimum temperature ranges from . In winter, temperature ranges between while summer temperature ranges from .
Notable people
The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of or are otherwise closely associated with or around the town of Vasai. People of Vasai are referred to as ''Vasaikars''.
*
Harshvardhan Joshi – Mountaineer from Vasai has climbed more than a few 6000 metre peaks and is aiming to climb
Mount Everest
*
Gonsalo Garcia –
Franciscan lay brother from
Portuguese India
The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...
who is the first
Indian-born to attain
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
hood.
*Suresh Mukund – Owner of Dance class "
Kings United
The Kings is an Indian hip-hop dance group from Vasai, a city in Maharashtra. They won NBC'S ''World of Dance'' and came third at World Hip Hop Dance Championship. Emmy awards nominee Suresh Mukund (born on December 24, 1987), is the choreograp ...
" His group was bronze Medalist at World Hip Hop Champion and They are Winner of America Reality TV show "
World of Dance" season 3 .
References
External links
Official website of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation
See also
*
Bassein Fort
Fort Vasai (Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaím) is a ruined fort of the town of Vasai (Bassein), Maharashtra, India. The structure was formally christened as the Fort of St. Sebastian in the Indo-Portuguese era. The fort is a monument of ...
*
Treaty of Bassein (1534)
*
Treaty of Bassein (1802)
The Treaty of Bassein (or Treaty of Vasai) was a pact signed on 31 December 1802 between the British East India Company and Baji Rao II, the Maratha Peshwa of Poona in India after the Battle of Poona. The treaty was a decisive step in the diss ...
*
Military history of Bassein
The military history of Bassein encompasses the period from 1526, when the Portuguese established their first factory at Bassein, until 1818, when Bassein lost its strategic importance following the defeat of the Marathas by the British.
Bass ...
*
Battle of Bassein
The Battle of Vasai or the Battle of Bassein was fought between the Marathas and the Portuguese rulers of Vasai (Portuguese, '' Baçaim''; English, ''Bassein''), a town lying near Mumbai (Bombay) in the Konkan region of present-day state of M ...
*
INS Bassein
{{Mumbai metropolitan area
Former Portuguese colonies
History of Vasai
Cities and towns in Palghar district
Vasai-Virar
Populated coastal places in India