Thane District : Current Scenario

Unlike several other Indian states the Thane district of Maharashtra has also undergone or in other words had been under the control of various rulers from time to time. Thus, the history of Thane can be divided into four periods. The early history which dates back to A.D. 1300 also known as ancient history. Second, the Muslim period from 1300 to 1660, third the Maratha period from 1660  to 1800 and then finally the British period from 1880 to till India’s Independence.

Ancient History of Thane: From B.C. 2500 to B.C. 500 there are signsof trade with Egypt, Phoenicia and Babylon; from B.C.250 to A.D. 250 there were treaties with Greeks and Parthians; from A.D. 250 to A.D. 640 there were Persian alliance and Persian settlements; from A.D. 700 to A.D. 1200 there were trade relations Muslim rulers of  Arab countries and Muslim settlements from Arabia and Persia; in 1530 there was part of conquest by the Portuguese; and in 1664 the settlement of British.
             
According to Shilharas Thane city has been described as a fascinating city by the Arab writers. The merchants who carried on the Thane trade were local Hindu, Muslims & Parsi traders. The shilaharas ruled over North Konkan for move than 400 years. They gave liberal patronage to art & Culture the temple at Ambarnath which is still extant testify the architectural & Sculptural skill of the age.
             
Mughals (1300 to 1500) : During the Mughal period, the Turk rulers had demolished number of Hindu temples and churches and constructed mosques on those places.          
During the rule of Muhammad Tughlak the Mughul’s maintained their dominance in  north Konkan.
             
Portugueses (1500-1670): Portuguese history would be incomplete without the mention of Vasai. The Portuguese had  been under the dominance of Vasai for almost two hundred years from 1535 to 1739. Nuno da Cunha, is known as the founder of Vasai. Thane coast was famous for its ship building.

The Portuguese power passed into the hands of Maratha after a long struggle by Chimaji Appa, the brother of Peshwa Bajirao I. After that for almost sixty-four years, from 1739 to 1802 Vasai remained under the Maratha. Later in 1802 as the result of  Treaty of Vasai it came under  British possession and then  1818 it was incorporated in the Bombay Presidency.
             
Marathas: In 1670’s one of the great Maratha warrior was defeated in 1670’s by the Portuguese forces at sea. But later these areas were captured by Shivaji.
Shivaji during his whole life struggled with Mughals and defeated them in the wards of Bijapur and  Golconda. Shivaji was crowned the title of Chhatrapati in June 1674 at Raigad fort. Shivaji started levying taxes which was used for strengthening the military power and for the expansion of his Swarajya.
             
Maratha –Portuguese: Vengaon near Karjat was part of Thane district and was the birth place of famous Nana Saheb. The city of Thane had not played an significant role in the revolt of 1857.
Under the British rule the trade of the district had developed from 411 lakhs of import & 330 lakhs of exports in 1805 to 2357 lakhs of imports & 2921 lakhs of export in 1881 an increased of about seven fold.

Thane at a Glance

 

Facts & Figures

Connectivity:

Air: Thane city is about 25 Kms away from the international airport located in the main down town of Mumbai City.

Rail: Connected by rail (broad gauge route) from Mumbai and Pune (143 kms).

Road: State highways and roads link district headquarters at Thane to all 15 tehsils (sub-districts) and towns. National highway No 8 passes through the district. Thane is also linked to NH - 4 and 17.

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