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Thank you RBSI for posting this book.It's really a treat for me. This book has a chapter on Raigad fort which was capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji was formally crowned Chhatrapati (chief, or king of the Kshatriyas), on 6 June 1674 at Raigad fort.The British had banned anyone from venturing near Raigad after its fall from Maratha hands in 1818. After there conquest of Raigad, troops of EIC destroyed and burnt down lot of wooden structures like wadas etc. James Douglas visited this fort somewhere in 1880s.The fort, which rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level, is located in the sanhadri mountain range.It is situated in Konkan which receives very high amount of rainfall every year.So the fort was exposed to the vagaries of nature for long period of time. It was James Douglas who tried to describe the lay out of various ruins found there .Unfortunately his observations and inferences are treated as absolute facts even today.For example some historians believe that what is described as Bazarpeth(market place) is actually Rajpath or Kingsway! For info. and pics.of Raigad please click the following link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raigad_fort .Thank you.

At the time that this book was written (1883) the 'skyline' of Bombay was changing dramatically ~ almost as dramatically as the change that has occured in modern times. In architectural terms the city was for many years a poor relation to Calcutta with its wonderful classical and palladian buildings (many of which have since, sadly, been allowed to fall into rack and ruin or have been demolished entirely) ~ but ~ from about 1850 onwards there was something of a 'Bombay renaissance' fuelled partially from a competitive spirit of civic pride and partially from the cities rapidly increasing commercial importance. Many of these Victorian buildings were designed in a very interesting and somewhat unique blend of the European neo-Gothic with various Indian schools of architecture. A very good account of this transformation can be found in 'India Revisited' (1886) by the great Sir Edwin Arnold (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Arnold), for example: "The [change] effected in this great and populous capital of Western India during the last thirty years... manifests itself [to the traveller] who has long been absent from India and returns here to visit her. [He] sees strange and beautiful buildings towering above the well-remembered yellow and white houses, but misses the old line of ramparts, and the wide expanse of the Maidan behind Back Bay... And the first drive which he takes from the Apolloo Bunder ~ now styled the Wellington Pier ~ revelas a series of really splendid edifices, which have completely altered the previous aspect of Bombay... I left Bombay a town of warehouses and offices; I find her a city of parks and palaces."

The sheer number of Victorian buildings in Bombay have to be seen to be believed. Colaba is an open air museum and I just love to simply soak the sites there. Victoria Terminus is the most magnificent structure of all doubtlessly. I hope we are able to save this heritage. Calcutta even till the sixties was at par in terms of growth with Bombay but now sadly there is no comparison left. @ Nitin: The forts of Raighad and Panhala are truly majestic remnants of the times of the glory of the Marathas.

@ DSK You must visit Sindhudurg ,Vijaydurg near Malwan and Janjeera near Murud on Konkan coast !

@Digvijay I wonder if you've been inside the cantonment area in Colaba. I recently visited that area after decades and was IMPRESSED at how well the buildings have been maintained including the Bombay Barracks (1774?) possibly one of the oldest barracks in India and the Afghan Chruch which was built commemorate the Afhgan War 1878-80. The Bombay Barracks is now a guest house for visiting ex-servicemen of all ranks.

I had visited Afghan church some years ago and I was surprised to see that every bench had a stand for keeping Rifles

@Sameer Are you sure that the slots were for keeping rifles and not unbrellas? During the Victorian era ladies carried umbrellas. I cannot imagine weapons being allowed inside a Church.

I'm sure it was for guns