Murud-Janjira Fort

Janjira stands on a rock island off the Konkan coast, where Koli fishermen raised a wooden fort in the fifteenth century; rebuilt in stone around 1567 and held by the Siddis, it became a stronghold with walls rising straight from the water, nineteen bastions and a gate invisible from the sea until a boat is almost upon it. Marathas, Portuguese and the British all attempted it and none succeeded, which makes it among the few Indian forts never taken. Inside are palace ruins, a mosque, cannon including the large Kalal Bangdi, and two freshwater tanks, which is the puzzle of the place: sweet water sits in tanks a few metres from the sea.

History

The name comes from the Arabic jazira, "island", and Murud was once called Habsan, "of the Habshi", the Abyssinians. In the fifteenth century local fishermen of Rajapuri, led by the Koli chief Itbarrao Koli, built a small wooden fort on the rock to protect their families from pirates; the island later passed to the Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur and was lost to the Siddis in the reign of Ibrahim II, and the stone fort, credited to Malik Ambar, was built around 1567, after which it let the Siddis withstand repeated attacks (Wikipedia, Murud-Janjira).

What's there

• The sea walls - fortifications rising directly from the water.
• The hidden gate - an entrance invisible until a boat is close.
• The freshwater tanks - sweet water pools inside a fort surrounded by sea.
• The cannon - large guns including Kalal Bangdi on the bastions.

When to go

November to May; the monsoon stops the sailboats entirely from June to September. Morning crossings are calmest. Weekends bring crowds and long jetty queues.

Things to know

Boats are open sailing craft, crowded and weather-dependent, and do not run in rough seas or the monsoon. The interior is ruined with no shade or facilities. Time on the island is limited by the boat schedule.

Nearby

Murud lies north; Alibaug is further north.

Key facts