PLACES

NAGOTHANA

Nagothana (T. Roha; 18° 30' N, 73° 05' E; p. 3,064; RS. Karjat, 72 m). This village is prettily situated in a hollow surrounded by wooded hills, on the right bank of the Amba river or Nagothana creek about twenty-four miles from its mouth. Between Nagothana and the mouth of the Amba, the creek varies from an eighth to three quarters of a mile in breadth. Above Dharamtar the bed is blocked with sand banks, and, within four miles of Nagothana, it is crossed by reefs of rock which can be passed only at full tide. The creek is so filled up with sand that it is not navigable even for country craft. Steamers cross daily from Bombay to Dharamtar. From Dharamtar a steam launch plied to Nagothana till 1914-15 but it was discontinued with the growth in automobiles. The vessels chiefly employed on the creek are phatemaris and macvas, with an occasional bandar-boat used by travellers between Bombay and Mahabalesvar. Phatemaris are mostly used for carrying rice and salt; and macvas for rice and firewood. In the fair season there is a considerable traffic at Nagothana, chiefly the export of rice and the import of salt and fish.

History.

In the beginning of the sixteenth century Nagothana belonged to Gujarat [ De Barros, VII. 217, in Nairne's Konkan, 41.]. In 1529 Hector de Sylveira of Bassein went up the river Nagothana, and burnt six towns belonging to the king of Cambay. The Commander of Nagothana took the field against him with five hundred horse and a large force of infantry, and endeavoured to cut off his retreat [Faria in Kerr, VI. 210.]. In 1540 Dom Joao De Castro mentions the Nagothana river as running into the south of Bombay harbour [ Dom Joao De Castro, Prim. Rot. 63.]. On the defeat of the prince of Gujarat by the Portuguese, the neighbourhood of Nagothana seems to have passed from Gujarat to Ahmadnagar, the allies of the Portuguese, with whom it remained till in 1636. The Moghals handed the Ahmadnagar Konkan to Bijapur. About ten years later is passed to Sivaji. In 1670 Nagothana is mentioned by Ogilby as a town and landing-place at the extreme south of Gujarat [Atlas, V. 243-244, Ogilby compiled from earlier writers.], and in 1675 it appears in Fryer as Magatan [ New Account, 50, 61, 77.]. It is called Negotan [Aitchison's Treaties, V. 15.] in a treaty between the English and the Pesva in 1739, and is probably the Nagina of Tiffenthaler with 249 villages and a revenue of Rs. 17,726 a year [Des. Hist. Et. Gog. I. 505.]. In 1818 it is described as less prosperous than Pen, because the river was longer and shallower and there were no salt-works [Revenue Diary 142, p. 2370.].

The chief object of interest is the old Musalman bridge about half a mile south-west of Nagothana. It is 480 feet long, nineteen feet high, and nine feet nine inches broad between the parapets, this narrowness being the chief peculiarity. The span of the main arch is twenty-two feet nine inches [East India Papers, III. 786.]. It is said to have been built about 1580 by Kaji Ala-ud-din of Ceul at a cost of Rs. 3,00,000. As this date falls between the siege of Ceul, during the alliance of the Musalman kings against the Portuguese, and the activity of the Nizamsahi troops twenty years later, it is probable that the bridge was built to facilitate the march of troops from Ahmadnagar, probably by the Koarl pass. In 1826 repairs costing Rs. 2,590 were sanctioned [East India Papers, III 786; Nairne's Konkan, 38.]. The bridge is at present in good condition and is much used by foot travellers, bullock carts and occasionally automobiles, the approaches not admitting of the passage of two carts. The masonry work is repaired from time to time. The town comes under the electrification scheme under which the electricity generated at the Tata Power House at Bhira will be used to electrify the southern part of the district. Nagothana has a Zilla Parishad dispensary, three primary schools, two dharmasalas, a State Transport Stand, a post and telegraph office and a pancayat office.

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