The Portuguese name for Vasai was Baçaim (Bassein), the Bassein region ruled by Portuguese in not just Bassein but included areas far away as Bombay, Thane, Kalyan and Chaul (Revdanda). It is located about 50 Kilometers North of Bombay, on the Arabian Sea, at approximately (19°20'N - 72°49'E). Vasai, as it is called today, was important trading center, it's sources of wealth and trade were horses, fish, salt, timber, stone quarry (basalt and granite) and shipbuilding. It was a significant trading center long before the Portuguese arrived. (Ancient Sopara was a important port in trade with the Arabs and Greeks, Romans and Persians.). It was also a wealthy agricultural region with rice, betel, cotton, and sugar-cane as some of the crops.
When Portuguese arrived, Bassein was under the rule of Bahadurshah, the Sultan of Gujarat. In 1528, Captain Heytor de Silveira, captured and burnt the city of Bassein. In 1532, the Portuguese, attacked Bassein again and after a weak resistance, they entered the smaller fort and destroyed it. Subsequently, the towns of Thana, Bandora (Bandra), Mahim and Bombaim (Bombay) were put under Portuguese control.
On 23 December 1534, the Sultan of Gujarat, signed a treaty with the Portuguese and ceded Bassein with its dependencies of Salsette, Bombaim (Bombay), Parel, Vadala, Siao (Sion), Vorli (Worli), Mazagao (Mazgao), Thana, Bandra, Mahim, Caranja.
In 1548, St. Francisco Xavier stopped in Bassein, and a portion of the Bassein population was converted to Christianity. In Salcete (Salsette) island, the Portuguese built 9 churches: Nirmal (1557), Remedi (1557), Sandor (1566), Agashi (1568), Nandakhal (1573), Papdi (1574), Pali (1595), Manickpur (1606), Merces (1606). All these beautiful churches are still used by the Christian community of Vasai.
In the second half of 16th century the Portuguese built a new fortress enclosing a whole town with in the fort walls. The fort included 10 bastions. This fort stands till today with the outer shell and ruins of churches. (The most authoritative book on Vasai fort is written by Dr. Rajin D'silva - Professor of History at Vartak College in Vasai)
Bassein during the Portuguese period was known for the refinement and wealth and splendor of it's buildings, palaces and for the beauty of it's churches. The Northern Province, included a territory which extended as far as 100 kilometers along the coast, between Damao (Daman) and Bombaim (Bombay), and in some places extended for 30-50 kilometers inland. It was the most productive Indian area under Portuguese rule.
At the end of 17th century Bassein reached the height of the prosperity. From 1611, Bassein and the whole region under the Portuguese had a mint or "Casa da Moeda". These old coins were found occasionally during digs and were locally called "Firgi paisa".
In 1634, Bassein numbered a population of 400 Portuguese families, 200 Christian Indians families and 1800 slaves (possibly from it's African colonies). In 1674, Bassein had 2 colleges, 4 convents and 6 churches. The importance of Bassein was reduced by transfer of neighboring Bombay island to the British in 1665 (It was a wedding dowry from Catherine Breganza of Portugal to Charles the Second of England). This was one of the factors that weakened Bassein and set stage for attack by Marathas.
In 1719, the province of Bassein numbered about 60,000 inhabitants, of these were 2,000 Portuguese and 58,000 Christian Indians.
In 1720, one of the ports of Bassein, Kalyan, was conquered by the Marathas and in 1737, they took possession of Thane including all the forts in Salsette island and the forts of Parsica, Trangipara, Saibana, Ilha das Vaccas, Manora, Sabajo, the hills of Santa Cruz and Santa Maria. The only places in the Northern Provinces that now remained with the Portuguese were Chaul (Revdanda), Caranja, Bandra, Versova, Bassein, Mahim, Quelme, Seridao (Sirgao), Dahanu, Asserim, Tarapur and Daman.
In November 1738, Marathas led by Chimaji Appa, captured the fort of Dahanu and on 20 January 1739, Mahim capitulated, the loss of Mahim, was speedily followed by the capture of the forts of Quelme, Seridao, Tarapor, and Asserim on 13 February 1739.
On 28 March 1739 Portuguese lost the island and the fortress of Caranja. This was the prelude to final loss of the city. In February 1739, Chimaji Appa attacked Bassein and after a desperate resistance on 16 May 1739 the Portuguese signed surrender. The Portuguese lost eight cities, four chief ports, twenty fortress, two fortified hills, the island of Salcete (Salsette) with the city and the fortress of Thana, the "Ilha das Vaccas", the island of Karanjà (Juem), and 340 villages. They left Bassein on 23 May 1739.
After 205 years of uninterrupted Portuguese rule, Bassein was progressively neglected, and the neighboring English Bombay assumed importance in trade and commerce.
In 1801 in Poona, Jaswant Rao Holkar rose in rebellion with a huge army and defeated the combined armies of Daulat Rao Sindhia and Peshwa Baji Rao II and captured the city of Poona. Peshwa Baji Rao took refuge in Bassein. The defeated Baji Rao had no hesitation in accepting the Subsidiary Alliance with the British and signed the Treaty of Bassein with East India Company on December 31, 1802.
The provisions of the treaty provided an English force of 6,000 to be permanently stationed with the Peshwa. In turn and for the maintenance of the army, districts yielding twenty six lakh rupees were given to the East India Company. The treaty restricted Peshwa from entering into any treaty or declare war without consulting the East India Company. The Peshwa also renounced his claim over Surat.
On May 13, 1803 Baji Rao II was restored as Peshwa under the protection of the British. The treaty of Bassein eventually led to expansion and influence of the East India Company over the Indian subcontinent.
In 1860 the Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) (present Central Railway) and the Bombay Baroda and (BBÿCI)Railway (present Western Railway) were started and a regular service of steamers on the west coast was commenced in 1869. These included railway stations of Naigaon, Bassein, Nalasopara and Virar. In 1927 the first electric locomotives manufactured by Metropolitan Vickers of England were put into service up to Poona and Igatpuri on the GIP railway and later electric multiple rake commuter trains ran up to Virar on the BBÿCI railway.
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