Chimnaji Appa Chimnaji Appa ( or Chimaji Appa ) ( ) ( 1707 – 1741 ) was the son of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat and the younger brother of Bajirao Peshwa of Maratha Empire . He was an able military commander who liberated the western coast of India from Portuguese rule . The crowning glory of his career was the capture of Vasai fort from the Portuguese ( who had technically advanced weapons and artillery at their disposal ) in a hard fought battle . Do not get confused between Chimaji Appa and Chimnaji Appa as Chimaji Appa was the son of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat and younger brother of Bajirao - 1and Chimnaji Appa was the posthumous son born to Anandibai , the wife of Raghunathrao . Background . While Portuguese naval supremacy had been weakened by the British , French and Dutch Navies , they still maintained a strong presence on the western coast of India , from the Gujarat coast , through the Konkan , down to northern Malabar . They maintained well defended fortresses all along the coast located in islands and harbour mouths . From their headquarters in Goa they ran a theological Christian state all along the western coastal region from Daman and Diu down to Mangalore . To further the spread of Christianity , Inquisition was promulgated throughout the Portuguese possessions in India , and a program to annihilate Hindus through conversion or massacre commenced . Hindus were subjected to torture frequently surpassing even the barbarity of contemporary Islamic rulers . Maratha campaigns against the Portuguese . It was in this milieu that the Marathas arose , ignited by the call of " swaraj " given by Shivaji , to restore the land of India to the sons of the soil . While Bajirao was waging war against the Mughal empire , Chimnaji Appa concentrated his energies towards the Western Ghats . Vasai ( formerly known as Bassein ) was the ultimate objective of the war , as this was the capital of the provincial government of Portugal ' s northern Indian possessions . Capture of Belapur Castle . In 1733 , the Maraths , led by Chimaji Appa , with Sardar Shankarbuwa Shinde wrested control of the Belapur Fort from the Portuguese . Sardar Janojirao Shinde actual Great grandfather of Ranojirao Shinde and real younger brother of Dattajirao Shinde [ The First ] ( Scindia ) opened the attack from maratha side . He had made a vow that if it were to be successfully recaptured from the Portuguese , he would place a garland of beli leaves in a nearby Amruthaishwar temple , and after the victory the fort was renamed as Belapur Fort . The capture of Vasai . After careful planning , Chimnaji Appa led a Maratha army into the occupied territories in 1737 . Chimnaji ' s strategy was to go for the weakest link in the chain to the strongest , thereby progressively weakening the Portuguese . On 28 March 1737 , Maratha forces led by Ranojirao Shinde and his great grand father Janojirao with both his sons Chengojirao [ actual grandfather of Ranojirao ] and Raoloji shinde fought gallantly in this war . Maratha General Shankarbuwa Shinde captured the strategic island fortress of Arnala , thus cutting off a crucial relief line to Vasai . Thane and Salsette Island were freed in 1737 . In November 1738 , Chimnaji Appa captured the fort of Dahanu and on 20 January 1739 , Mahim capitulated . This was speedily followed by the capture of the forts of Kelve / Mahim by Chengojirao shinde , Sirgão - by Ranojirao shinde , Tarapur - by Janojirao shinde , and Asserim on 13 February 1739 by Chimnajirao Peshwa self . On 28 March 1739 Portuguese lost the island and the fortress of Karanja to Raoloji Shinde ' s forces . Finally in February 1739 , Chimnaji Appa invested Bassein fort . He first occupied Versova fort . , Dharavi and blockaded Bassein Creek . Then mines were laid at various points under the fort walls and detonated , causing a breach in the wall . As the Marathas including Ranojirao Shinde and his cousin grandfather Janojirao son of Shrimanat Changojirao poured into the fortress , the Portuguese fought on desperately and viciously , using their technically advanced weapons and artillery , they caused high casualties among the Marathas . Inch by inch the fort was secured and resistance contained in small pockets . At this stage the tower of Saint Sebastian collapsed in an explosion , and Portuguese morale plummeted . All resistance ceased immediately . On the 16th of May the Portuguese army surrendered . Portuguese Captain Caetano de Souza Pereira signed the surrender as most of the top army officers were already dead . Chimnaji was magnanimous in victory , and surviving Portuguese were given a safe passage from the city . Legends also speak of his emulating Shivaji by returning with honor a woman of Portuguese governor ’ s household who was presented to him as a spoil of war . Portuguese were given eight days to take all their movable property and move out . Accordingly the last remnants of Portuguese army and administration pulled out of Vasai by 23 May 1739 . Great maratha warrior Manajirao , alias Jankoji Shinde Son of Chengojirao Shinde [ and actual father of Ranoji ] , killed Portuguese top official General Martinho da Sylveira , General Pedro de Mello and Lt . Colonel João Malhão . The Portuguese sources record that during the entire war with Chimnaji Appa during 1737 - 1740 , besides the Northern Province ' s capital Baçaim ( Portuguese name for Vasai ) , they further lost eight cities , four chief ports , twenty fortress , two fortified hills and 340 villages . The losses amounted to nearly the whole of the Northern Provinces . Jawaharlal Nehru finished what Chimnaji had started by reclaiming Goa in 1961 . To celebrate his victory and to fulfill a vow taken in front of Devi Vajreshwari , Chimnaji appa had a temple built for the goddess nearby . The Vajreshwari temple still stands there as a relic of Maratha glory . Chimnaji Appa died in 1741 . The conquest of Bassein was long cherished by the Marathas as a matter of national pride and glory . A relationship built on trust and camaraderie between Bajirao and Chimnaji was the key to the meteoric rise of the Marathas during Bajirao Peshwa ' s reign . Family . Chimajiappa was married to Annapuurnabai . He had only son , Sadashivrao known popularly as Sadashivrao Bhau who led the Maratha forces in the Third Battle of Panipat against Ahmad Shah Abdali .