Context: In the latest step toward eliminating colonial practices and mindsets within the armed forces, Fort William in Kolkata, the headquarters of the Eastern Army Command, has been renamed Vijay Durg.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about Fort William; Vijay Durg.
Major Highlights:
- The new name, Vijay Durg, is derived from the oldest fort along the Sindhudurg coast in Maharashtra. It served as a naval base for the Marathas under Chhatrapati Shivaji.
- Additionally, Kitchener House inside Fort William has been renamed Manekshaw House, and South Gate, formerly known as St. George’s Gate is now Shivaji Gate.
About Fort William
- Location: It is situated on the banks of Hooghly River, Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Built: The fort was completed between 1696-1702, by the British East India Company.
- Construction work started under the supervision of John Goldsborough.
- It was named after King William III of England.
The fort was built twice:
- Old fort building:
- Built in 1696 CE. The permission to build the fort at this location was granted by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
- It was associated with the infamous ‘Black hole tragedy’(1756). In 1756 the then Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud Daulah, took over the fort and the city by conquering the British East India Company.
- He named the city Alinagar after his grandfather Aliwardi Khan.
- New Fort Building:
- Robert Clive along with Admiral Charles Watson took the fort back in 1757. Siraj Ud Daulah was defeated and killed in the Battle of Plassey (1757) and Bengal came entirely under the control of the British East India Company.
- The foundation to rebuild the fort was laid in 1758 by Robert Clive (the first British Governor of Bengal).
- The fort also remained as a centre for Indian Ordinance factories since 1775.
- At present Fort William is the property of the Indian Army and is the headquarters of Eastern Army Command. It has provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel.
Vijaydurg Fort, Maharashtra
- It is situated in the Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra.
- This fort was built in the 12th century and was conquered by Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century.
- It is the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty (construction period 1193-1205).
- The fort was earlier known as “Gheria”, as it is situated close to the village of “Girye”.
- Shivaji captured this fort from Adil Shah of Bijapur in 1653 and renamed it as “Vijay Durg”.
- Vijaydurg Fort was called the “Eastern Gibraltar”, as it was virtually impregnable.
- It served as a naval base for the Marathas under Chhatrapati Shivaji.