Y2 - Technical Talk 3

Details: 

Date: Friday, 25th July 2025
Time: 7.15 pm

Topic: Decoding Spatial Configuration of Konkan Coastal Forts through Viewshed Analysis: Case of Fort Anjanvel, Dabhol 

  

Guest Speaker: Ar. Mrudula Mane, PhD Candidate, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.  

 

Abstract

The Konkan region has one of India's largest concentrations of forts (Ray, 2016). The region is part of the broader maritime landscape of the Indian Ocean Rim. Although the ocean has facilitated major cultural and technological exchanges throughout history, the deep-rooted effects of the exchanges are yet to be comprehended (Alpers, 2014). While the popular perception often portrays a fort as a standalone military monument, the triangulation of historical records, results from GIS analysis and architectural documentation of the archetypal case study of a coastal fort Anjanvel at port Dabhol reveals a different profile. A similar analysis of Fort Korlai in northern Konkan and Vijaydurg in southern Konkan supports the argument. 

The paper explores 'Viewshed Analysis' – a GIS-based tool to decode the spatial configuration of the coastal fort in context to the maritime and in-land movement patterns. Viewshed is a geographical area visible from the given location and elevation. Reciprocally, it is also the area from which the given location is visible (Rajani, 2021). The analysis demonstrates that the form of the forts in the Konkan region allows a degree of cohesiveness in guarding the coast, estuaries, navigable sections of the rivers, and the associated trade routes. Hence, establishes a correlation between transoceanic trade mechanisms, coastal and riverine movement patterns and the built form of the coastal forts. 

About the Speakers

Mrudula is a conservation architect from Mumbai and holds a Masters in Conservation of Historic Buildings from the University of York, UK. She is currently pursuing research on challenges in the conservation of forts, focusing on the coastal region of Maharashtra, India. She aims to explore how technological advancement can improve architectural interpretation and decision-making processes in conservation of built heritage sites situated in complex topographical conditions.