A Mighty Fort Untouched by Enemies

  

 During one of my trips to Pune, Maharashtra State, my friends and I decided to venture out the western Ghats extensively and view the grandeur of some famous forts. We had heard about the Fort Janjira (Janjira-Jal-Durg) and decided to grab the opportunity of visiting the magnificent monument. When we reached the fort, we were absolutely mesmerized by the sight of it and couldn’t take our eyes off.

Looking back into history, we couldn’t remember having come across any fort which has never been invaded. This is the only fort so far, that has not encountered an invasion. The fort is believed to be one of its kind in India. As the fort is surrounded by water on all sides, it is also known as an Island Fort. This gigantic fortress is located in Murud, a small town in Maharashtra state. Murud is a small fishing hamlet in Raigad District, 165 Kms away from Mumbai on the lush green western coast of Maharashtra. Janjira is just about 5 kms south of Murud which was at one time the capital of the former state of Janjira. With its picturesque lush green beauty, this place is still a remote and tranquil area. Janjira is the Marathi translation of the Arabic word Zizera which means island. Murud and its surrounding areas were once called Janjira, the name truly referred to the mighty island fortress in the sea

This amazing structure was built by Malik Ambar, who was an Abyssinian Minister in the court of the Sultan of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra State. The fort was made during the end of the 17^th century and has withstood all the tests of time. The structure definitely reflects the marvel of ancient engineering which stands to an impressive height of 40 feet surrounded by high walls on all sides. It has been enduring the lashes of sea waves through ages and still stands strong.

It is believed that fort Janjira spread over 22 acres, was attacked many a times by various enemy forces, but no one could conquer it. Janjira fort is very well fortified and probably that is the reason it has survived countless attacks by Portuguese, British and Marathas. Great rulers like Shivaji, Sambhaji and the Peshwas attacked the fort but failed to capture it.

The surrounding of the fort is full of coconut and betel nut trees. There are several towers and turrets in the fort that was used for keeping guns and cannons. As per our guide Imran, the fort originally had a total of 600 guns and canons but now only a counted few are left. Inside the fort there are 19 burj and under every burj there were guns and cannons installed. Each cannon was given a name like kala bangadi, chavari and landa kasam. Because the cannons were made out of copper and other precious metal, the thieves took the opportunity and stole them whenever possible. The last cannon that was stolen from the fort was in August 2016, during the rainy season when there was very little activity. The robbers utilized this time to take away the massive cannon which weighed nothing less than 200 to 300 tones. This must have been a massive plot the robbers planned.

Inside the Janjira fort, one can see the water tanks, beautiful tombs and stone sculptures. At the gate, the sculpture of six elephants trapped by a tiger is very impressive. This portrays the valour of the Sidis.  The main gate of the fort faces Rajapuri village. There is another small gate towards the open sea which leads to the sea shore from under the sea.  In case of an attack, this was a secret escape route that could be utilised.

This Fort was built by Koli community (fishermen community). At first it was built as a small wooden structure to defend themselves from the pirates. Later, in the 17^th century, Sidi Sirul Khan an Abyssinian Sidi of Ahmednagar Kings, strengthened this fort. There is a sad story attached though to the construction of this fort. It is believed that during its construction, the structure collapsed three times. Sidi was told that a sacrifice was required and therefore as per the ritual, he offered his 22 years old son to God.

The Sidis are the descendants of slaves, sailors and maritime workers, forced and voluntary migrants from the East African countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Zanzibar. The process of enslavement, transportation and the sale of Africans was carried out through an established slave trade network in the African interior. From the African interiors, they were transported into neighbouring Arab nations, who in turn sold them off to Asian as well as European countries. The process of enslavement continued utill slavery was finally restrained through passing of anti-slavery laws in 1807.

This wonderful structure is frequented by thousands of travellers from all over the country. To have access to the Janjira Fort, various means of transport can be availed. The closest Airport is the Mumbai Airport, the nearest railway station is Roha in Raigad district, Maharashtra. By road it takes about 5 hours to reach Murud from Mumbai.

Looking at the accommodation factor, the best choice would be private beach resorts or the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). Besides the rooms and cottages, there is accommodation available on rent with the local residents at their homes.Wherever, you decide to stay, the beach is just a couple of minutes’ walk. A walk along the beach, edged with coconut and palm groves is something really enjoyable. The beach is absolutely clean and the water is crystal clear. The color of the sand is golden. There are jetties available at the beach which ferries the visitors to the Fort and bring them back to the beach. These jetty operators are normally the descendants of the workers who were employed at the Fort during their hey days. The sunset into the Arabian sea from here is absolutely breath-taking.