Out past the city, to a ruined Portuguese town by the creek.
By Vasai Road the train has left Mumbai and crossed the wide Vasai creek. The reason to come is the old fort of Bassein, a walled Portuguese city founded in the 1530s that was once grander than Bombay. The Marathas took it in 1739, the British after them, and then everyone left it to the palms.
Known for
- Vasai Fort
- Ruined Portuguese churches
- Tungareshwar hills
- A day out of the city
The guide
Around Vasai Road
2 places worth getting off the train for. See the whole guide
See
Vasai Fort
The walled Portuguese city of Bassein, begun in the 1530s and taken by the Marathas in 1739. Roofless churches and gateways stand among palms beside the creek.
Bus or rickshaw to Vasai village, about half an hourMap for Vasai Fort (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Walk
Tungareshwar
A forested hill sanctuary on the east side of the tracks, with a Shiva temple part of the way up and streams across the path in the rains.
Rickshaw to the foot of the hill, on the east sideMap for Tungareshwar (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
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From the people who were there
Postcards from Vasai Road
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