Bombay Castle

Gazing up at the imposing structure, wouldn’t you guess Bombay Castle has seen centuries of history unfold? Bombay Castle stands as a testament to Mumbai’s rich and layered past. This isn’t just any castle. It’s built upon the site of a former Manor House, once leased by a Portuguese nobleman, Garcia de Orta, from the King of Portugal himself between 1554 and 1570. The British later transformed this site, constructing the current Bombay Castle from local blue Kurla stone and the red laterite stone of the Konkan region. Imagine the East India Company taking possession in 1668, fortifying the manor over the next decade. Bombay Castle boasted four bastions. Three, the Flag Staff Bastion, Flower Tree Bastion, and Tank Bastion, were originally enveloped by water. The fourth, the Brab Tree Bastion, stood near, you guessed it, a Brab tree, facing west. The original Portuguese structure remains somewhat of a mystery, with historians still piecing together its exact location. Two of its gates, however, can be found within INS Angre, a naval station in South Mumbai. There’s also a unique sundial, likely from the Portuguese era, which marks significant periods of time instead of the typical twelve hours. Within the castle walls stood the Governor’s House, home to Gerald Aungier, the second Governor of Bombay. This residence later moved to Parel, then Malabar Hill. Now, Bombay Castle houses the offices of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command. Its walls whisper stories of Portuguese noblemen, British governors, and the rise of a bustling metropolis.