Dabhol
Encyclopedia
Dabhol is a small seaport town in the Ratnagiri district
of Maharashtra
in India
. •17°35′12.62"N 73°10′30.76"E
in the Konkan
region of India.
In the 15th and 16th C., Dabul was an opulent Muslim trade center, first under the Bahmani
, later under the Adilshahi sultans of Bijapur. As the port with most convenient access to the Bahmani sultanate's capital at Bidar
, Dabul's fortunes ascended quickly with that dynasty. At its height, it was arguably the most important port between Chaul
and Goa
.
It was exactly the prominence of Dabul as a Muslim trade center and port that led it to be bombarded, sacked and razed by a Portuguese expeditionary force under Francisco de Almeida
in December, 1508, in a prelude to the famous Battle of Diu
. Although the city's fort was not taken, it was only the first of several times, in the course of the next few decades, that the Portuguese tried to destroy Dabul. By the time of the last recorded attack, in 1571, there was little left to sack.
The break-up of the Bahmani state into several smaller Deccan sultanates
had accelerated Dabul's decline. As new capitals for these statelets were erected, Dabul's geographic position was no longer as fortuitous as it had been before, and alternative, more convenient ports were cultivated. In the course of the 16th C., a lot of commerce was redirected away from Dabul and towards the rising new port of Rajapur
further south.
Dabul was conquered by Shivaji around 1660 and annexed to the new Maratha
kingdom. The erection of the Maratha fort of Anjavel right across the river eclipsed whatever role remained for Dabul, and the once-great port city simply evaporated and disappeared from the maps.
Attempts to locate the historic port have sometimes led historians to mistakenly identify historic Dabul with modern Dapoli
, an interior town several miles north of Dabhol.
Sadly, Dabhol's name was revived in the 1990s in association with the notorious Dabhol Power Station
erected near the site by the Enron
company.
Ratnagiri District
Ratnagiri district is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. Ratnagiri is the district headquarters of the district. The district is 11.33% urban. The district is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Sindhudurg district to the south, Raigad district to the north and...
of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. •17°35′12.62"N 73°10′30.76"E
History
Hardly a trace remains of the once-flourishing port of Dabhol (known as Dábul in Portuguese, Dabul in English), on the north bank of the mouth of the Vashishti RiverVashishti River
River Vashishti is one of the larger rivers in the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, India.The town of Chiplun lies on its banks.The river begins in the Western Ghats and snakes its way westwards towards the Arabian Sea....
in the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
region of India.
In the 15th and 16th C., Dabul was an opulent Muslim trade center, first under the Bahmani
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
, later under the Adilshahi sultans of Bijapur. As the port with most convenient access to the Bahmani sultanate's capital at Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....
, Dabul's fortunes ascended quickly with that dynasty. At its height, it was arguably the most important port between Chaul
Chaul
Chaul is a former city of Portuguese India, now in ruins. It is located 60 km south of Mumbai, in Raigad District of Maharashtra state in western India....
and Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
.
It was exactly the prominence of Dabul as a Muslim trade center and port that led it to be bombarded, sacked and razed by a Portuguese expeditionary force under Francisco de Almeida
Francisco de Almeida
Dom Francisco de Almeida , also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" , was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492...
in December, 1508, in a prelude to the famous Battle of Diu
Battle of Diu
The Battle of Diu sometimes referred as the Second Battle of Chaul was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, near the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Kozhikode...
. Although the city's fort was not taken, it was only the first of several times, in the course of the next few decades, that the Portuguese tried to destroy Dabul. By the time of the last recorded attack, in 1571, there was little left to sack.
The break-up of the Bahmani state into several smaller Deccan sultanates
Deccan sultanates
The Deccan sultanates were five Muslim-ruled late medieval kingdoms—Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar—of south-central India. The Deccan sultanates were located on the Deccan Plateau, between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range. These kingdoms became independent during the breakup...
had accelerated Dabul's decline. As new capitals for these statelets were erected, Dabul's geographic position was no longer as fortuitous as it had been before, and alternative, more convenient ports were cultivated. In the course of the 16th C., a lot of commerce was redirected away from Dabul and towards the rising new port of Rajapur
Rajapur
Rajapur is a city and a municipal council in Ratnagiri district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Rajapur is located at . It has an average elevation of 72 metres .-Demographics:...
further south.
Dabul was conquered by Shivaji around 1660 and annexed to the new Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
kingdom. The erection of the Maratha fort of Anjavel right across the river eclipsed whatever role remained for Dabul, and the once-great port city simply evaporated and disappeared from the maps.
Attempts to locate the historic port have sometimes led historians to mistakenly identify historic Dabul with modern Dapoli
Dapoli
Dapoli is a small town in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra in India.-Geography:Dapoli is 215 KM away from Mumbai.It is also called the "Mini Mahabaleshwar" because of its cool climate throughout the year.dapoli is also the city which gave birth to many historic idols like Lokmanya Tilak, Sane...
, an interior town several miles north of Dabhol.
Sadly, Dabhol's name was revived in the 1990s in association with the notorious Dabhol Power Station
Dabhol Power Station
Dabhol Power Station is located near Anjanwel village in Ratnagiri district, about south of Mumbai. The power station was a built by the Dabhol Power Company , which was a joint venture of Enron, General Electric, Bechtel and Maharashtra Power Development Corporation...
erected near the site by the Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
company.
Sources
- Dames, M.L. (1918) "Introduction" in An Account Of The Countries Bordering On The Indian Ocean And Their Inhabitants, Vol. 1 (Engl. transl. of Livro de Duarte de Barbosa), 2005 reprint, New Delhi: Asian Education Services.
- Nairne, A.K. (1873), "Musalman Remains in the South Konkan", The Indian Antiquary, Vol. 2, p.278-83 article