Revdanda

Revdanda
Village
Revdanda Location in Maharashtra, India Revdanda Revdanda (India)
Coordinates:18°33′N72°56′E
Country	AlibagIndia
State	Maharashtra
District	Raigad
Founded by	Dom Lourenço de Almeida
Government
• Body	Gram panchayat
Demonym	Revdankar(kotkar)
Languages
• Native	KonkaniandKristi
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30(IST)
Nearest city	Alibag, Murud, Roha

Revdandais a village nearAlibaug,RaigadDistrict,Maharashtra.It is the site of the medieval 'Chaul harbor'.

Directions

India. It is connected through a coastal highway (Sagari Mahamarg) 17 km (11 mi) away from Alibag, 125 km (78 mi) away fromMumbai,37 km away from Roha and 33 km away from Murud.

Until a few years ago the coastal road that goes south from Alibag used to terminate at Revdanda where it encountered the Kundalika creek. A bridge now spans the creek and the whole stretch southward of Revdanda up to Murud-Janjira has now become accessible. Part of the town is situated within the premises ofRevdanda fort,an old Portuguese fort.

History

The history of Revdanda and the surrounding villages are quite similar toChaul,due to their close proximity to the town.

Muslim Rule

In 1490 the area fell under the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.

Portuguese Era

In 1505, Portuguese commander Dom Lourenço de Almeida defeated the Muslims and conquered the area around Chaul. In 1508,Venetianmercenaries along with theMamluknavy had allied withSultanate of Gujaratand defeated the Portuguese in theBattle of Chaul.The first Portuguese settlement at Chaul took place in 1521 with the construction of thefirst forton the south bank of the Kundalika River. In October 1531, the Portuguese erected anew square stone fortress,named Santa Maria do Castello, which contained a church and dwellings for 120 men. A village developed around the fortress, which is now called Revdanda. A 1558 treaty precluded fortifying the town.

Maratha Era

The Marathas led constant raids against their neighbors, for more land and wealth. Chaul and Revdanda fell to the Marathas during theBattle of Bassein. After the successful campaign by the Marathas, the tower bells from the local churches had been taken as victory symbols and came to be installed in temples.They also gave out parcels of land to their subjects as well as plundered the churches and houses of the native people.

British Era

Revdanda became a British territory after they successfully defeated the Marathas in 1818, and took control of theconfederacy.

Notability

Portuguese Fortresses

TheFort of Santa Maria do Castellois one of two 16th century fortresses built by the Portuguese, in the area aroundTschoul- The other beingKorlai Fort.

Portuguese Church

It is whereSt. Francis Xavierdelivered one of his early sermons in India. The Church of St. Barbara still exists, but in a run down condition. The church is within the walled fort, on the south side and not far from the main road.

Russian presence

Revdanda came into limelight when Russian historians found out that the first Russian traveller to India landed in Revdanda. A monument was raised in his memory on 23 November 2000. A foundation stone for the monument in memory of Afanasy Nikitin, the first Russian traveller to India was laid at Revdanda. A high level delegation from Russia, accompanied by Mr. V.T. Trubnikov, the first deputy of the minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. A.M. Kadakin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to India, all senior diplomats from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Mumbai, attended the function.[1].

Indian Jewry

Revdanda is one of the most important places of Konkan, Maharashtra for the Indian Jewish community. Almost 700 years ago after the destruction of the Holy Temple of Israel in Biblical era, a group of Jews who already knew about India and had been in contact with India. This group of people arrived inNagãowhich is 8 km north of Revdanda. They adopted Indian culture, names, lifestyle and founded an Indian Jewish community.

Flora

The area is known for the coconut and beetlenut plantations in the region.The plantations of coconut trees is called "naralachi baag" or "wadi" in Marathi language. The place is also known for a species of aromatic flower called "Bakuli". It's a small flower with a wonderful fragrance. Apart from the plantations of coconut and beetlenut the livelihood of people in this region comes from the production of rice. The best time to visit Revdanda is December and during the Monsoon season.

Temple

Datta Mandir located in theChaulpart of Revdanda. It is a temple dedicated to Datta, who is mainly worshipped byMarathi immigrantsto theKonkan.The temple is situated at the top of the peak with almost 1500 steep stairs to be climbed to reach the peak. The entire region around the Revdanda can be viewed from the temple. The temple is said to have been built duringShivaji's reign to keep an eye out for hostile forces.

The red-domed temple of Datta Mandir situated at the hill top is said to have been constructed by a Swami Bramhendra. The temple has a three-headed statue of ShriDatta and this idol represents the trinity of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara.