#Thread : Basrur Swatantrya Divas.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,the tales of his bravery is something that everyone from Maharashtra knows by heart. But do we know his contribution to making the town in Karnataka named Basrur free from the clutches of Portuguese?
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Basrur, a small village in Udupi District of Karnataka. One of the most important trade centres in ancient times, lost its glory as it was attacked and captured by foriegn rulers especially the Portugees.
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The area was exploited by the Portuges and the residents of this village were unhappy with these things.
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj at that time was raising his naval fleet. Shortly after establishing the fort of Sindhudurg, which was to serve as the base of his naval forces,
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Shivaji Maharaj took to the sea with a fleet of 88 ships. It included three mammoth ones with 4,000 infantry, and demonstrated the strength of his forces on the waters too.The Portuges rulers of Basrur had a monopoly over the marker and provided rice and pepper to Goa.
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This led to exploitation of the locals. When Shivaji Maharaj came to know about the plight of these locals, he decided to attack this village and free the locals from the clutches of these foriegn rulers.
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Shivaji Maharaj secretly planned and carried out a raid on the port of Basrur. He despatched a navy of eighty-five small frigates, three little ships and some small crafts with 4000 soldiers on 8th February 1665.
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He set sail from the creek of Malaiul, passed along the Goa Coast without being molested by the Portuguese, whose attention was on Bombay at the time. He must have passed through the North Canara coast,
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leaving Karwar, Honavar and Bhatlad behind and reached Kundapur in South Canara district of present Karnataka covering a distance of some 200 miles in four or five days
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The raid was aimed at breaking the trade control of the Portuguese and the Dutch who were competing for monopoly over the flourishing town.
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.The battle of Basrur took place on 13th February 1665. Shivaji Maharaj successfully carried out .the first naval raid in the history of nation after a pretty long time.
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It is said that Shivaji Maharaj who was an expert in the Guerilla warfare, carried out the raid before the day break when the Portuges were unaware and were in their beds. The clash ended in freeing the fort of Basrur from the hands of foreign rulers.
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Shivaji, The Great Maratha by A H Sardesai, looks at how local rulers neither resisted the raid nor was there any change in the political and economic scenario of the town after the raid, and how the town continued to be a major trade centre even after Shivaji Maharaj left.

There is a samiti in this town which celebrates this day as ' Basrur Swatantrya ( Independence ) day and every year they pay tributes to the Hinduhriday Samrat Hindu Raja Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
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Mr. Sudhir Pai of this samiti has a dream to set up a maritime study centre here to generate opportunities for locals, along with a Shivaji memorial that signifies the importance of the town in the life of the great ruler.
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The town witnesses a procession in which students of various schools participate. The procession highlights ‘the arrival of Shivaji Maharaj by a boat’, traverse through the town and visit all the key temples.
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It will culminate at the venue where an event will be held to enlighten the people about the greatness of the town.
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Naman to the Great Shivaji Maharaj on the Basrur Swatantrya Divas. Let's make sure that we spread the history of our great kings and ancestors and reinvoke the warrior spirit with us.
Har Har Mahadev !
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki Jay !
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References :
1. Shejwalkar, T. (1942). SIVAJI'S RAID ON BASRUR. Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute, 4(2), 135-146. Retrieved February 13, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42929309 
2. Shivaji, the Great Maratha, Volume 4
By H. S. Sardesai

3. S H I V A J I I N K A R N A T A K A
CONSOLIDATION OF M AR ATH A D OM A IN IN KARNATAKA
1640-1680 AD
4. https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/a-tiny-town-in-coastal-karnataka-is-gearing-up-to-celebrate-shivajis-first-naval-expedition