The Portuguese in Goa and Damaon built Fort Bassein to defend their colony and participate in the lucrative spice trade and the silk route that converged in the area.

[8] Vasai was a trading ground for many Greek, Arab, Persian and Roman traders and merchants who would enter through the west coast of India.

The Greek merchant Cosma Indicopleustes is known to have visited the areas around Vasai in the 6th century and the Chinese traveler Xuanzang later in June or July 640.

According to historian José Gerson da Cunha, during this time, Bassein and its surrounding areas appeared to have been ruled by the Chalukya dynasty of Karnataka.

They saw it as a vital service station that would give them access to global sea routes and goods such as salt, fish, timber and mineral resources.

[8] They wanted to build a shipyard to manufacture ships and use the fertile land to grow rice, sugarcane, cotton, betel nuts and other crops to trade globally.

[8] In 1530 the Portuguese, under António da Silveira, took advantage of its strong navy and pillaged and burnt the village of Vasai (Basai).

[9] In 1531 António set fire to Basai yet again as punishment for the Sultan for not ceding Diu, a vital island that would protect trade in the region.

In 1533, Diogo (Heitor) da Silveira set fire to the western coast leading from Bandora through Thana and Basai to Surat.

[8] Portuguese General Nuno da Cunha discovered that the son of Meliqueaz, the governor of Diu, Malik Tokan was fortifying Basai with 14,000 men.

Seeing this fortification as a threat, Nano da Cunha assembled a fleet of 150 ships with 4000 men and sailed to north of Basai.

Upon seeing the naval superiority of the Portuguese, Malik Tokan attempted to initiate a peace agreement with Nano da Cunha.

[8] The Treaty of Bassein was signed by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and the Kingdom of Portugal on 23 December 1534 while on board the galleon São Mateus.

Based on the terms of the agreement, the Portuguese Empire gained control of the village of Basai as well as its territories, islands and seas including Bombay.

Garcia de Sá was later appointed as the first Captain (governor) of Baçaim by his brother-in-law Nuno da Cunha in 1536, who ruled until 1548 when the governorship was passed onto Jorge Cabral.

The unexpected attack weakened the Portuguese control outside the fort walls[9] and Maratha warriors stationed in the west isolated them further.

Twelve Maratha chiefs, led by Nana Fadnavis, directed an effort to name the infant as the new Peshwa and rule under him as regents.

Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position of power, sought help from the British at Bombay and signed the Treaty of Surat on 6 March 1775.

According to the treaty, Raghunathrao ceded the territories of Salsette and Vasai to the British, along with part of the revenues from the Surat and Bharuch districts.

In 1777, Nana Fadnavis violated his treaty with the British Supreme Council of Bengal by granting the French a port on west coast.

[6] Reinforcements from northern India, commanded by Colonel Thomas Goddard, arrived too late to save the Bombay force.

[citation needed] The eastern part of Vasai is highly industrialized, with small- and medium-scale units producing a wide variety of goods.

Contributed by more affordable housing and its close proximity to Mumbai, Vasai has maintained a high population growth rate since the 1980s.

[26] There are also three well-known religious sites including the Vajreshwari Temple, St. Francis Xavier's Church, Giriz and the Datta Mandir of Dongri.

Vasai gained popularity as a shooting location with international hit song 'Hymn for the Weekend' by British band Coldplay being shot here.

According to The Times of India, the video was shot in October 2015 at various Indian cities including Worli Village, Bombay and Kolkata.