During the debri clearance and restructuring process, the officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have come across a secret room inside the Balle Killa of Vasai built by Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat.
Apart from the structure, the officials also found handcuffs, hand-printed bowl, porcelain antique, keys, earrings, ring, cannon balls and a photo frame among other materials that belongs to the ancient era.
Vasai fort, which is 55km away from Mumbai, was built by Gujarat king Bahadur Shah. It has gained historical significance the fort and the surrounding city was the second-most important site in the Portuguese empire after Goa.
ASI found the historical artefacts during the ongoing excavation and restoration work at the fort. After the treaty of Bassein the fort was in the control of Portuguese. The importance of Balle Killa was felt by Bahdur Shah as he developed it for war strategies as it was covered by sea and land on both sides and later, Protuguese went further to develop the fort in the 109 acres of land.
"We are examining the antiques and artefacts to find out which era they belonged to. The clearances in Balle Killa is an ongoing process and if we continue the clearances of visible structure and even the buried structures later, then we can come across a city underneath too," said an official from ASI in Vasai Fort.
"Till now, we have restructured the jails and the darbars, while clearing Balle Killa would be a herculean task as it has 3,300m of fortification wall, which has been in ruins," said the official.
Interestingly, the officials have also found a scale with Bentley Mc Entee and Co written on it.
"The scale is pure steel cast and we found it during the clearance. It is heavy and pure steel, which has been kept in the safe custody," added the official.
With the current speed of clearance, the process will take at least five years. "We have come across several wells which have been the major source of water and interesting facts about the fort are also coming out. We are coming across artefacts, tablets and the antiques which will be stored," said Madan Singh Chauhan, superintending archaeologist, Mumbai Circle.
He said after they find substantial antiques and artefacts, they plan to build an on-site museum in Vasai for the tourists.
"We will be exploring the entire fort through clearances and we would understand about the facts of the ancient era through the process," said Chauhan.
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