Twenty- five Seven – Page 24 – Personally speaking

Alibag & the Marathas

September 20, 2025

Seeing a place through the eyes of a local is very enriching and informative . As we discovered talking with Yogiraj. Alibag has more than beaches, luxury villas and a few Jewish families. It has a historic past dating from the time of the Rashtrakutas.It was part of Raigad district that came under Rashtrakuta rule.

A smattering of British Presence

The islands of Bombay that were handed over to the British as part of the dowry of the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza when she married King Charles II, were cunningly shown by Portuguese cartographers as being closer to Brazil which was of more importance to the British. Disappointed at finding out that these malaria-infested islands were in the Orient, the crown handed over the islands to the British East India Company, little realising what a treasure they had parted with!

In the 17th Century when Alibag was still part of the Maratha Empire, an unarmed British ship foolishly ventured towards the mainland and was captured by the Maratha Navy in nearby Thal creek and its crew imprisoned in Khanderi Fort nearby.

It wasn’t long before Alibag came under British control and vestiges of colonial architecture can be seen in some buildings like the Forest Department Office which was once the Collector’s bungalow and the Geomagnetic Observatory.

This important observatory made out of special non-magnetic Porbunder stone, serves as the calibration centre for all those who use magnetic compasses for navigation. It is also part of a global network that measures geomagnetic forces, and its data is shared by scientists worldwide.

As with most government buildings, entry is prohibited without prior permission so I could just about get a photo from the car.

For more information, please visit HTTPS://alibagonline.com/places/magnetic-observatory/

The Mission that failed

On our way to the waterfront, we passed the Konkan Education Society Head Office administrative building, which is important simply because it is built on the site of an impressive colonial stone building that housed the John Elphinstone Scottish Mission. Though the Mission ran a successful school, it failed miserably to convert the locals. So, the Scottish missionaries had to pull out and hand the school over to the locals to run.

Maratha Navy

It was past noon and the sky was still overcast when we reached the waterfront. There before us lay the magnificent-looking fort just off the beach. The tide wasn’t low enough for us to walk across, so we could just see it from afar.

Alibag fort

The great Maratha warrior Shivaji realised the importance of a maritime force to protect his kingdom from marauding sea farers like the Siddhis and the Portuguese. Thus began the construction of Kolaba Fort or Alibag Fort as it is known today. He enlisted the help of Ferraro Viegas and his son to design and construct the Fort. With 200 local craftsmen ( or tapasis) the construction began on April 19, 1657.

It was completed by Sambhaji Maharaj and was the stronghold of the Maratha Navy under admiral Kanhoji Angre.

An informative post on this fort can be accessed below

Kolaba Fort ❤️ Never be fooled by the low tides

More Alibag

There are many temples in Alibag and Yogiraj wanted us to see the Ram Mandir temple which was built by Govindsett who was a Dewan of the Angre. A lithograph of this temple was by colonial artist James Forbes can found in his book in ‘Oriental Memoirs’.

This temple has an inner sanctum sanctorum with marble idols of Ram, Laxman and Sita . There is another inner hall for special pujas and a large hall with balconies for public worship. A set of stairs on either side allowed women and children to sit upstairs while the men congregated below.

You can find out more about this temple at https://alibagonline.com/places/shree-ram-temple-ramnath

Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to spend so we had to give the Karmarkar Sculpture Museum a miss. I was a bit disappointed not to see this because my father claimed that the sculpture had made a small door stopper of me as a baby! I wanted to check if this was true of just one of his tall stories!

Another site which Yogirsj insisted we visit was the Icecream Soda factory on our way out of Alibag. This highly recommended treat is manufactured locally by D. Samson Digodkar. Sadly, the road was under repair and the signage was easy to miss.

The sky was looking ominous with dark clouds which had already broken into a drizzle. We still had another 6 hours to go so we decided not to turn back to look for the factory.

I will have to go back to Alibag some time soon to taste the original Icecream soda. factory. I’m sure the Little People would love it.

Very few people know that this little gem just hours away from Mumbai offers you something more than beaches and luxury villas. It is the perfect spot for a weekend break for history buffs.

Ciao,
ELIJAH’s GARDEN Or ALIBAG ?

September 19, 2025

Alibag today is home to many Mumbaikars especially the rich and famous who like to hop into their speedboats and head to the mainland for a rejuvenating weekend break. But it wasn’t always so. Not so very long ago, ‘Alibag’ as it is known was a conglomeration of tiny scattered villages of ordinary people doing ordinary things like farming and fishing.

After a quick breakfast of Pohe and Dossa , Yogiraj took us to see the Ghodyache Taap or a Rock with a hoof print. Legend has it that the Prophet Eliyahu Hannabi came down to see how his people were faring . The hoof print was left as his chariot took flight from the rock which strangely resembles a runway strip.

Eliyahu Hannabi in his chariot

On the way to the Rock we passed a Jewish cemetery.

The rock itself is venerated by the locals and we were told to remove our footwear if we wanted to go closer to the rock. A couple living in a house close by light a lamp every day. But this is of great importance to the local Jewish families who come here to offer thanks with lamps and ‘malida’, a mixture of beaten rice flakes, coconuts, jaggery and dry fruit.

The gravestones

The hoof imprint

The rock

Till today this rock is venerated even by the locals .

The Bene Israeli

On special days the few remaining families come with Malida a mixture of poha, jaggery and offer it in Thanksgiving along with lighted lamps .

Over 2000 years ago, after the burning of the second temple at Jerusalem, a group of people fled Palestine seeking safer pastures. They were shipwrecked off the west coast of Maharashtra and were washed ashore at Navgaon ( in the vicinity of Alibag).

The 7 couples were oil pressers in their native Palestine so when they came here they continued this profession that they were familiar with. Hence they were known as Telis or oil pressers and because they observed the Sabbath, were called ‘Shanivar Teli’.

Initially the oil they produced was bitter and inedible, so was used as a lubricant by the fisherfolk but gradually they pressed edible oil and branched out to other professions. However, the moniker prevailed.

The Telis adopted the customs and dress of the locals, and were indistinguishable from the locals. Apart from the star of David and the Hand of Mariam on their homes, their observance of Jewish customs and prayers, and their names, they could easily be mistaken for locals. Till today, they speak Marathi, and their food is influenced by the local food thought following strict kosher laws.

While their names like Elijah, Benjamin and Samson were derived from the old Testamen, their surnames denoted the village of their origin. Thus a Benjamin from Awas became Benjamin Awaskar.

Locked as they were, far away and isolated from their original homeland, they practiced an Orthodox form of Judaism as it was how they knew it when they left.

The Husband Boats

Like most people from Alibag, the Bene Israeli began seeking jobs in Mumbai and other cities inland. They took up jobs in the Military and the government. They were well known in the field of education (particularly their women who were much sought after to promote and spread female education). So, in the early years, like the other men from Alibag, many of them commuted from Mumbai to Alibag, catching the Saturday boat home from Ferry Wharf and returning to work in the city on Monday. Thus, these boats came to be known as Husband Boats since most of the passengers were men who worked in Mumbai from Monday to Saturday.

But, by the early 18th century some took their families with them and they formed settlements in Bombay. and Thane. It was only when a Cochini Rabbi noticed some women in Byculla fish market buying kosher fish and followed them home, did he realise they were Jewish and brought them into the mainstream.

Yasmin! Yasmin! & Israel Ali

The three Jewish homes in Israel Ali

We were on our way to the synagogue and we passed through Israel Ali ( or alley) as evidenced by the signboard advertising a doctor’s clinic

Zoom in on the address above

Suddenly we heard excited shouts of “Yasmin! Yasmin!” from the third house in a row of houses which once belonged to a Jewish family. While two brothers migrated and sold their property only one house remains with the family.

The lady had mistaken my friend Mrs B for one of the former residents who had come for a visit (as many Bene Israeli still do).

The Hamsa on top with a blessing in a paper hidden behind

Magon Aboth Synagogue in Israel Ali

Going back to the early 1800’s the synagogue as it is seen today was built in 1910.

The fine wooden shutters and stained glass windows

The impressive doorway

Though it is still active, it is closed to the public and one can only visit with prior permission.

Mrs B, my travel companion, was particularly intrigued by the Bene Israeli having had many friends from the community in her childhood.

Today most of them have migrated and very few remain. Yogiraj has two families still living in his village and he talks very fondly of his neighbours Benja and Abraham.

With his deep knowledge of Alibag and its people, he made me aware of many aspects of history that are normally given a miss.

Did you know, for instance, that the station MASJID on the Harbour Line gets its name from the Shaar Harahamim Synagogue, or Gates of Mercy Synagogue which was the oldest synagogue in Mumbai?

Watch this space for more on Alibag and beyond.

Till then

Ciao
RoRo to Alibag & Beyond

September 17, 2025

Accepting loss intellectually is quite different from coming to terms with it emotionally.

Last year, I lost both my parents in a space of three months. My father’s death ( which came later) was easier to accept because he had a heart condition. My mother’s passing came as a shock because she died of a GBM that would have remained undetected had the lid of a trunk not accidentally fallen on her head.

Intellectual processing

My parents had both lived a long and happy, fulfilled life and I was lucky to have them till my late 60’s. But what I couldn’t really deal with was the feeling of emptiness that gripped me. From time to time, a wave of melancholy would swoop over me. Anna Shetty suggested I visit a psychiatrist to help me cope.

Listening patiently to my ‘problem, ‘ He suggested , among other things, a short break from my regular life. I decided to go to Ratnagiri, a coastal town in a region from where most of my people come. It was close, easily accessible by train (Vande Bharat) and was safe enough for solo travel.

At this time of year, the countryside is lush and green. of my friends were intrigued by my choice of place. But I was keen on seeing the place.

On hearing my plan, a family friend, a lady old enough to be my mum, who also wanted to visit the coast, said she’d like to come with me.

But she was keen on finding out more about the Bene Israeli, a group of Jews from Palestine who landed up on the West Coast of India some 2000 years ago. So I dropped my plans of going by train but decided on a road trip starting from Mumbai to Ratnagiri and stopping at Alibag where most of the Jews landed up.

That’s how Mrs. B and I came to be on the Ro Ro at 7 am at Ferry Wharf on Saturday.

RORO ROW THE BOAT

The RoRo is far removed from a row boat. It is in fact a modern cargo ship that carries roll on cars and passengers. Run by M2M Ferries, this is a very popular way to get across to the mainland from Bombay.

It is almost always full because it cuts down the road journey by 3 1/2 hours!

Before we knew it, we were on the other side driving off the boat and on the way to meet our guide for the day, Yogiraj Sapre, a young enthusiastic historian, proud Alibag resident and an amateur guide who conducts exclusive heritage tours on the weekends.

Ciao,

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