Sion Hillock Fort

The Sion Hillock Fort is a fort in Mumbai which was built by the British Governor of Bombay, Gerard Aungier, atop a conical hillock. The hillock is situated a few meters from the Sion railway station. Sion was the boundary between British-held Parel Island and Portuguese held Salsette Island and the castle marked the northeast boundary of their possession. The fort was built between 1669 and 1677.

At the base of the hill is the branch office of the Archaeological Survey of India, and a garden – the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Udyan. The fort is dilapidated and a collection of broken stone steps, scattered walls and ruins, overrun by trees and ground cover.

The fort wall has a small room on top with wooden trussed ceiling of old tree trunks. A series of pathways lead to it.

The fort offers a panoramic view, overlooking the salt pans in the Thane Creek. However vandalism and apathy have taken toll on the structure.

Nearby forts include the Riwa Fort and Sewri Fort. The British built this fort on a hill on the eastern face of the Mahim creek under the rule of Gerald Aungier. The Marathas took over this fort during the Vasai campaign. This fort was to safeguard the trade route via Mahim Creek.