Bankot is the most famous town in Maharashtra. This place is famous for Bankot Fort. It was the part of Bombay Presidency in the year 1756.
Bankot Fort is one of the tourist attractions in Bankot. This was the first residency of the British East India Company in Southern Konkan Region.
History of Bankot Fort
Bankot fort is the medieval monument and the origin of this fort is still speculative. The fort was known to be under the control of Adil Shah and later in 1548, the Portuguese traders took control over it.
Later, the Marathas, under the able leadership of the great Kanhoji Angre took control over Bankot. They rechristened the fort as Himmatgad.
Bankot is a historical place because it was the first residency in the Southern part of Konkan coast of British East India Company.
In the year 1756, now the census town of Bankot became the part of Bombay Presidency. Apart from this historic fort the nearby village of Velas village can be a treat to one`s eyes.
Later the British East India Company took the power of the Bankot Fort from Marathas. During British times, Bankot Fort was renamed as Fort Victoria by British East India Company. But when British saw no benefits to retain the ownership of this fort in terms of business or ruling they gave its ownership back to Peshwas. Due to its location this place could never witness any significant historical events during its life time except seeing various ownerships.
Mango is one of the most important crops of Bankot and mango trees occupy about 60 percent of land used to cultivate fruit. The hill-slopes near the coast where drainage is assured and climatic conditions are ideal, present most suitable site for mango cultivation. The cashew nut stands next in importance to mango and occupies nearly one-third of the area used to cultivate fruit. Other fruit cultivations like the Banana and coconut are grown on a smaller scale.
Bankot, the census town of Maharashtra is a nice place to visit in any season. The temperatures range from a minimum of 20 Celsius and can go up to around the 34 Celsius mark in the summer times. The heavy rain and thunderstorms can be expected in monsoon season.
