PLACES

KHANDERI

Khanderi [Khanderi is written Kundra, Cundry, and Kenery; and Und:ri is written Undra, Ondara, and Henery.] (T. Alibag; 18^o 40' N, 72°45' E; p. 10, RS. Bombay, 20 m.) is a small island near the entrance of the Bombay harbour, eleven miles south of Bombay and six north-west of Alibag, it lies two and a half miles from the Kolaba mainland and one and a half miles from its sister island of Underi. From Underi it is separated by a channel which can be used only by small coasters. The island, which is a mile and a half long by half a mile broad, is larger and considerably higher than Underi, rising to the light-house cliff on the south. In former times the walls and fortifications were more regular and better adapted for defence than those of Underi. [Orme's Historical Fragments, 79.] The surroundings near Khanderi are very irregular, and on the off-side a vessel may pass within a quarter of a mile of the shore in four fathoms half tide. To the north-east of the island, off where the boats lie, is a reef dry at half tide. It is about 500 yards from the island, so that there is a good harbour between. The whole space from this reef to Under is a foul ground and impassable to boats of any size.

Light House.

The light-house, which was built in 1867, stands on the highest part of the island. It is an octagonal masonry tower seventy-five feet high on the centre of a flat-roofed house, the centre of the lantern being 161 feet above the level of the sea. The light is a catadioptric of order one. It is a single fixed white light which is visible in clear weather from a distance of twenty miles, and has an arc of illumination of 225 degrees. A red ray is shown from this light which covers the dangers lying seaward of Alibag and Ceul, as also the Ceul Khodya rock on which there is now a beacon. The ray is visible from seaward. A 200 feet high flag staff stands north-east of the light tower.

About fifty yards north of the Khanderi quay is a small tile roofed wooden temple with a great boulder in it which is worshipped as Vetal. Near the landing is a Musalman tomb of Daud Pir. Fishermen passing near the island make offerings both to Vetal and Daud Plr as they are believed to rule the waves which in northernly gales are very steep and angry in the neighbourhood of Khanderi.

History.

Khanderi is described by the Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Joao da Castro, in 1538, as a large island two leagues north of Ceul, specially known as the Island of Ceul. It consisted of two high hills, about the same size and shape, one facing north, the other facing south. Between was a great wide opening so that from the sea side it seemed to be in two parts. It was full of rocks and yielded plenty of fuel. On the north-east, at the end of a widenecked opening, was a sandy beach with a landing sheltered from all winds. The island protected it on the sea side from the north-west to the south-east, and all the rest was open only to land breezes which could cause no tempest. Near the shore was a well with very good water. Close to the north, and on one side of the hill, Dom Joao found a rock with a hollow in the middle which greatly disturbed his compass, apparently a hand or pocket com-pass. The compass was slightly affected on a split rock closeby and not at all affected on other rocks. The rock that disturbed the compass was not magnetic as it did not draw iron. [Primerio Roteiro da Costa da India, 57-58.]

The next notice that has been traced of Khanderi is by Fryer in 1674, who mentions Hunarey and Cunarey to the south of the Bombay harbour. [New Account, 60.] At the end of August 1679, Sivaji, whom no advantage escaped, sent 300 soldiers and as many labourers, with arms and materials, to Khanderl, and immediately began to raise breast-works at the landing places. The island had never before been inhabited, and its only produce was fuel, which had formerly been sent to Bombay. When they heard of Sivajis works on Khanderi, the English claimed it as part of Bombay and the Portuguese as an old settlement. Bombay had at the time no gallivats or fast sailing boats, so the English fitted up some trading craft or shibars, and manned them with forty Europeans. They ordered Sivaji's officer to give up the island, but he refused. Rough weather drove them back to Bombay, and, on their return on the 19th of September, a Lieutenant in a drunken fit attempted to force a landing, but was killed with the loss of his boat and crew. The Maratha boats were much handier and quicker than the English and at night managed to pass men to the island. Mean-while news came that Daulatkhan, Sivaji's admiral was bringing his fleet from Ceul. The British fleet was accordingly increased to eight ships, with Keighwin the commander of the garrison, and 200 Europeans. [The Revenge as admiral, two two-masted grabs, three armed trading boats Shibars, and two machvas a stronger kind of trading boat] On the eighteenth of October the Maratha fleet bore down from Alibag, and, getting to Khanderi before the English were ready, took one of the grabs and put the rest to flight. The Revenge though left alone, by the bravery of Minchin, her captain and of Keighwin the commander of the troops, sank five, of the Maratha boats, and drove off the whole fleet of fifty sail, chasing them to shoal water at the mouth of the Nagothana river. Still the English were not able to prevent the Marathas streng-thening their forces on Khanderi. The boats kept passing at night, cannons were mounted on the island, and a man in one of the English ship was wounded. On the tenth of November the Sidi, as Moghal admiral, joined the English with a strong fleet. [The fleet consisted of two large three-masted frigates, fifteen stout gallivats, in which besides lascars there were 700 excellent soldiers.] He proposed that he should assault the island if the English covered the landing. But Keighwin, the English commander, found that the Sidi did not mean to give up the island if he took it, and, judging that the Sidi was likely to prove a more dangerous neighbour than Sivaji, held aloof. Fighting went on till the end of December but to no purpose. [Orme's Historical Fragments, 79-84.] The Sidi continued to batter Khanderi till the ninth of January, and then suddenly fortified Underi. Daulatkhan Sivajis admiral, tried to stop this, bringing guns on the mainland opposite. But on the 27th of January he was defeated and severely wounded, his small open boats not being able to stand against the Sidi's stronger and larger vessels. [0rme's Historical Fragments, 88; Bruce's Annals, III 442; Low's Indian Navy, I. 66-68. In this engagement Daulatkhan lost four grabs and four smaller vessels, while besides those taken prisoners, 500 of his men were killed and wounded. The Sidi lost no vessels, and had only ten men killed.] For several years after this there were constant struggles between the Sidi and the Marathas for the possession of these islands. [Nairne's Konkan, 73.] In 1693 Khafi Khan mentions ' Kolaba and Gandhi' as the strongest of Sivaji's newly built forts on the seashore. [Elliot and Dowson's History, VII. 290, 355.] In 1685 Gemelli Careri calls them Underin and Canderin two forts on the island and continent, a rock with some dwellings of Sivaji's who was at war with the great Moghal and consequently in action against the Sidi. [Chruchill's Voyages, IV. 200.] About 1706, Mr. Strutt, Deputy Governor of Bombay, described Khanderi as strongly fortified by Angre and covered with houses. [Chruchill's Voyages, IV. 200.] Khanderi was one of the ten forts, and sixteen fortified places of less strength, which in 1713, Kanhoji Angre obtained on siding with Sahu and renouncing Sambhaji [Grant Duff, Vol. I, 327 and note.] of Kolhapur. In October 1718 the English tried to take Khanderi and failed. [Bombay Quarterly Review, III, 57. On the first day of attack, a continual fire was kept up, on both sides, from morning till eight at night; but the English were shorthanded. They landed next morning and attempted to carry the strong fortifications by storm, but were driven back with considerable loss. Low's Indian Navy, I. 98.] This failure is said to have been due to the treachery of one Rama Kamat who held a confidential post under Governor Boone. [Rama wrote to Kanhoji 'Our general here has resolved in council to attack and take the fort of Cundry, and thus it is agreed to environ the said fort the 1 7th day of October, and the armada, powder, and all other necessaries for war are ready. I therefore write your honour that you may have the said fort well furnished.' Rama was brought to trial on 24th March 1 720 on this and other charges of treachery, and lifting convicted, was condemned to-life-long imprisonment, and confiscation of all hit property. Low's Indian Navy, I. 98-99; Bombay Quarterly Review, III. 57.] There seem to have been other traitors than Rama Kamat, if Alexander Hamilton's (1690-1720) account is correct, that Khanderi would certainly have been taken in 1718 had not a Portuguese captain, who laid on one quarter of it with some war vessels to hinder relief coming to it, betrayed his trust, and let some boats pass in the night with provisions and ammunition which the island greatly needed. [New Account, I. 243.] About 1740 it was settled between the English and the Sidi that, if Khanderi was taken, it should be delivered with all its guns and stores to the English. [Low's Indian Navy, I. 106.] In 1750 Grose notices Khanderi and Under as having once been in the hands of Angre and the Sidis but ere long taken from them. In the possession of an enemy they would be disadvantageous to the English. Probably, he adds, they will fall to the Marathas who have lately swallowed up the whole neighbourhood. [Grose's Voyage, I. 50.] The cession of Khanderi to the English was proposed in 1755. [Aitchison's Treaties, V. 16.] It was not actually ceded until 1775 under the terms of the treaty of Surat, [Aitchison's Treaties, V. 23.] and shortly after was taken back under the treaty of Purandhar. [Aitchison's Treaties, V. 33.] In 1787 Khanderi is noticed as being in the possession of Raghuji Angre. [Low's Indian Navy, I. 190. Lieut. McCluer who surveyed the island at this time, found it roughly about 600 yards in circumference, surrounded by a bad wall very irregularly divided by towers, covered at the top with coconut tree leaves but no embrasures or anything like a gun well-mounted. He found the whole island covered with houses, and Raghuji behaving very civilly to any English vessel that went nigh. The surroundings about Khanderi were very irregular. On the off side vessel could go within a quarter mile of the shore in four fathoms at half tide; off where boats lay, to the north-east of the island, was a knoll dry at half tide. It lay about 500 yards from the island forming a good harbour between. Raghuji he calls, an arrant pirate, who will make free with any vessel he can manage, except the English to whom he was friendly only through fear. He had one ship, one snow three ketches, and a number of armed gallivats. The top sail vessels mounted from ten to fourteen guns, and the gallivats were armed with lances, bows, and arrows, each carrying from eighty to a hundred men whose only business was boarding. Lieut. McCluer's Description of the Coasts of India 1791, in Moore's Little's Detachment, 8, 9.] In 1799 Lieutenant Hayes was ordered to proceed to Khanderi, which is described as strongly fortified and mounting 200 pieces of cannon, to demand restitution of some merchant vessels and property carried on shore. Hayes took his fourteen-gun schooner the Alert, close to the enemy's gateway on the north-east of the island, landed with part of his crew, brought off the vessels and property, and caused Ahgre to pay 500 per cent upon the deficient cargo. [Low's Indian Navy, I. 293.] About this time, Khanderi was captured by Sakavarbai, the wife of Jayasing Ahgre, but it was soon after treacherously taken from her by the commander of Sinde's forces who promised to set her husband free if she gave up the fort. The fort was given up, but Jayasing was killed and Sakavarbai put in prison. [Mr. Douglas' Book of Bombay, Kanhoji Angre.] In 1800 (6th May) Khanderi chieftains are noticed as seizing boats and as stating that they came from their mistress at Khanderi who was sending letters to Lohogad. [MSS. Diaries for 1800.] In 1813 Manaji Angre handed Khanderi to the Pesva in return for support given against Baburav. It seems to have passed to the British, in 1818, with the Thana district as part of the Pesva's territory.

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