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{{Short description|Island fort in Maharashtra, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox ancient site
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|caption=Murud Janjira Fort
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|map_caption=Location in Maharashtra, India
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|map_dot_label=Murud-Janjira
|location=[[Raigad district]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
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'''Murud-Janjira''' ({{audio|Murud-Janjira.ogg|pron.}}) is the local name of a famous fort and tourist spot situated on an island just off the coastal town of [[Murud, Raigad|Murud]], in the [[Raigad district]] of [[Maharashtra]], [[India]].<ref name="dale">{{cite book |last=Hoiberg |first=Dale |author2=Indu Ramchandani |title=Students' Britannica India |publisher=Popular Prakashan |year=2000 |pages=403 |isbn=0-85229-762-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xzljvnQ1vAC&q=murud+janjira+fort&pg=PA403 |access-date=2009-03-17}}</ref> [[Malik Ambar]] is credited with the construction of the Janjira Fort in the Murud Area of present-day [[Maharashtra]] India.'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sohoni |first=Pushkar |title=The Fort of Janjira |work=African Rulers and Generals in India |publisher=University of North Carolina Ethiopian and East African Studies Project; Ahmedabad Sidi Heritage and Educational Center |year=2020 |location=Greensboro, NC; Ahmedabad |pages=167–183}}</ref>''' After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the [[Maratha Confederacy|Marathas]], [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]], and [[Portuguese India|Portuguese]] to capture Janjira.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kainthla|first=Anita|date=Aug 2011|title=The Invincible Fort of Murud Janjira|journal=India Currents|volume=25|issue=5|pages=56–57|via=ProQuest}}</ref>

==Origins of the name==
The word Janjira is a corruption of the word "jazira", which means "island" in the Arabic language. Murud was once known in [[Marathi language|Marathi]] as ''Habsan'' ("of the [[Habshi]]", that is, the [[Abyssinian people|Abyssinians]]). The name of the fort is a concatenation of the [[Konkani language|Konkani]] and Marathi words, "murud" and "Janjiri". The word "morod" is peculiar to Konkani and is absent in Marathi.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Richard|first1=M. Eaton|title=A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761: Eight Indian Lives, Volume 1 1], ["The" new Cambridge history of India A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761: Eight Indian Lives, Richard Maxwell Eaton|date=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0521254841|page=127|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DNNgdBWoYKoC&q=murud+janjira&pg=PA127|access-date=30 October 2015|ref=A. Razzaq M. H. Peshimam, a Short story; A.A Kadiri. "Inscription of the Sidi chiefs of Janjira," Epigraphia Indica, Arab and Persian Supplement; 1966; P. 55-76}}</ref>

== Itbarrao Koli & Malik Ambar of Janjira ==
[[Ram Patil|Itbarrao Koli]] was the [[Patil (title)|Patil]] of Janjira Island and a chief of the [[Koli People|Kolis]] who built this island in the 15th century for Kolis to live on peacefully away from pirates. The origin the old Wooden Garrison can be traced down to the fifteenth century when some local fishermen of Rajapuri constructed a small wooden fort on a huge rock to protect themselves and their families from the pirates. However, the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Nizam Shahi Sultan]] of [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]] wanted to capture this wooden garrison purely for strategic reasons, and when his general Piram Khan captured it, [[Malik Ambar]]—his spokesperson who was also an Abyssinian regent of Siddi origin—decided to construct a solid rock fortress in place of the original wooden structure. This fort was originally called Jazeera Mahroob Jazeera.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DigPvwHTqJ4C&q=Ram+Patil+janjira&pg=PA92|title=An African Indian Community in Hyderabad: Siddi Identity, Its Maintenance and Change|last=Yimene|first=Ababu Minda|date=2004|publisher=Cuvillier Verlag|isbn=9783865372062|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4bMIAAAAQAAJ&q=Ram+Patil+janjira&pg=PA435|title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Kola'ba and Janjira|date=1883|publisher=Government Central Press|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3CPc22nMqIC&q=Ram+Patil+janjira&pg=PA158|title=The African Dispersal in the Deccan: From Medieval to Modern Times|last=Ali|first=Shanti Sadiq|date=1996|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=9788125004851|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mdpcgy_aopwC&q=Ram+Patil+janjira&pg=PA197|title=The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean|last1=Jayasuriya|first1=Shihan de S.|last2=Pankhurst|first2=Richard|date=2003|publisher=Africa World Press|isbn=9780865439801|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uxeKDwAAQBAJ&q=Ram+Patil+janjira&pg=PT57|title=Shivaji Maharaj The Greatest|last=Gaikwad|first=Dr Hemantraje|date=2019|publisher=Prabhat Prakashan|isbn=9789353222628|language=hi}}</ref>

== Major features ==
{{Main|Janjira State}}

[[File:Fort Murud-Janjira Gemälde.jpg|thumb|Fort Murud-Janjira paintings from the 17th century in the Mughal]]
[[File:Kalak Bangadi,Janjira Fort.jpg|thumb|left|Kalaal  Baangadi, the third largest cannon in India at Janjira Fort, weighing over 22 tons]]
Murud-Janjira Fort is situated on an oval-shaped rock off the Arabian Sea coast near the port city of Murud, {{convert|165|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Mumbai]], in the middle of the western Indian coastline. Janjira is considered one of the strongest coastal forts in India.  The fort is approached by sailboats from Rajapuri jetty. [[File:Janjiraushnish2.jpg|thumbnail|left|Janjira from the outside]] The main gate of the fort faces Rajapuri on the shore and can be seen only when one is about {{convert|40|feet}} away from it.  It has a small postern gate towards the open sea for escape.

[[File:Gate to Murud Janjira Fort.jpg|thumb|left|Entry Gate into Murud Janjira Fort. Accessible by ferry.]]
The fort has 26 artillery towers still intact. There are many cannons of native and European make rusting on the towers. Now in ruins, the fort in its heyday was a full-fledged living fort with all the necessary facilities, such as barracks, quarters for officers, a mosque, two small {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=mid|-deep}} fresh water ponds and so on.<ref>http://murudjanjira.blogspot.in/ {{User-generated source|date=August 2022}}</ref>  On the outer wall flanking the main gate, there is a sculpture depicting a tiger-like beast clasping elephants in its claws. 
[[File:Janjira-fort-gate-tiger-elephant.jpg|thumb|The sculpture on the main gate]]
The palace of the Nawabs of Janjira at Murud is still in good shape.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}

A special attraction of this fort are 3 gigantic [[cannons]] named Kalaal Baangadi, Chavri and Landa Kasam. These cannons were said to be feared for their shooting range.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gunaji |first1=Milind |title=Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra |date=2003 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=8171546692 |page=23 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JIjmDLardesC&q=kalal&pg=PA23}}</ref> Another gate to the west is sea-facing, called 'Darya Darwaza'.

There is another fortress which is located on top of the hill around {{convert|32|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Murud-Janjira, named [[Ghosalgad]], that was used as an [[Outpost (military)|outpost]] by the rulers of Janjira.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gunaji |first1=Milind |title=Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra |date=2010 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-8179915783 |page=20 of 260 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KHA9SzLMj3EC&q=murud+janjira&pg=PA20 |access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Janjiraushnish3.jpg|thumb|Inside the fort]]

During its heyday, the island fort boasted 572 cannons.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Verma|first1=Bharat|title=Indian Defence Review, Volume 24|date=19 January 2010|publisher=Lancer Publishers, 2010|isbn=978-8170621720|pages=49,156|edition=illustrated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kxAP9VTqjGQC&q=murud+janjira}}</ref>

Visitors can gain access to the Janjira fort from Rajapuri, a small village on the coast. After a short ride in a small boat, one can enter the fort through the main entrance. The fort is oval shaped instead of the usual oblong or square shape. The fort wall is about 40 feet high and has 19 rounded porches or arches, some of which still have cannons mounted on them, including the famous cannon Kalaal Baangadi. These cannons were greatly responsible for repelling oncoming enemies from the sea. Inside the fort walls are the ruins of a mosque, a palace and bath with water channelled from streams. There is evidence that royal ladies occupied quarters here. A deep well, still functional, provides fresh water despite the fort being surrounded by salt water.

On the island's outer wall is a luxurious mansion, the Palace of the Nawab. Built by the former Nawab of Janjira, it commands a panoramic view of the Arabian sea and the Janjira sea fort.
{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=January 2016}}

== History ==
{{See also|Shivaji's invasions of Janjira}}
In early 1100 AD, the Abyssinian [[Siddiqui|Sidis]] established the Janjira and Jafarabad state.<ref name="Segal 2001, 71">{{cite book |last1=Boyce |first1=Carole Elizabeth |title=Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture [3 volumes]: Origins, Experiences, and Culture |date=2008 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1851097050 |page=106 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nkVxNVvex-sC&q=ottoman+janjira}}</ref>

[[File:ASI NoticeBoard at Murud-Janjira Fort.jpg|thumb|right|[[Archaeological Survey of India]] noticeboard at fort entrance]]

In 1539, According to accounts written by the Portuguese admiral [[Fernão Mendes Pinto]], the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] fleet that first arrived in [[Aceh]] (prior to the [[Ottoman expedition to Aceh]] led by [[Kurtoğlu Hızır Reis]]), included 200 [[Malabars|Malabar]] sailors from [[Janjira State|Janjira]] to aid the region of [[Batak (Indonesia)|Batak]] and [[Maritime Southeast Asia]].<ref>''Cambridge Illustrated Atlas, Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492–1792'' by Jeremy Black. p.17 [https://books.google.com/books?id=neUKEvaYPZYC&pg=PA17]</ref> Later, in 1621, the Siddis of Janjira became exceptionally powerful as an autonomous state to the point that the commander of Janjira, Siddi Ambar the Little, successfully defied his overlord [[Malik Ambar]]'s attempt to replace him. Siddi Ambar the Little is accordingly considered the first Nawab of Janjira state.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hawley |first1=John C. |title=India in Africa, Africa in India: Indian Ocean Cosmopolitanisms |date=25 June 2008 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0253003164 |pages=255–256 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QMmu7gN8EwUC&pg=PA256}}</ref>

The island fortress was under control of the [[Adil Shahi]] dynasty of [[Sultanate of Bijapur|Bijapur Sultanate]] until the reign of Ibrahim II when the Janjira fort was lost to the Siddis.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ahmed|first1=Farooqui Salma|title=A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century|date=2011|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-8131732021|page=176|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxhAtCflwOMC&q=shah+jahan+janjira&pg=PA176}}</ref>  Major historical figures from Murud-Janjira include men such as Sidi Hilal, [[Yahya Saleh]] and [[Sidi Yaqub]].

In the late 1600's, during the rule of the Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]], Sidi Yaqut received a subsidy of 400,000 rupees. He also owned large ships which weighed 300–400 tons. According to records, these ships were unsuitable for fighting on the open sea against European warships, but their size allowed for transporting soldiers for amphibious operations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Roy|first1=Kaushik|title=War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849|date=30 Mar 2011|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781136790874|page=13|edition=Volume 3 Asian States and Empires|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zp0FbTniNaYC&q=ottoman+janjira&pg=PA13|access-date=15 Jan 2016}}</ref>

Despite repeated attempts by the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]], the [[British Empire|British]] and the [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] to subdue the island fortress, all of these efforts failed to displace the island's Siddi rulers.  The Siddis were themselves allied with the [[Mughal Empire]]. 

One example of such a failed attack was the account of the 10,000 soldiers who were sent by the Maratha [[Peshwa]] [[Moropant Trimbak Pingle]], and who were roundly repulsed by the Janjira army in 1676.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kyd Nairne |first1=Alexander |title=History of the Konkan |date=1894 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=8120602757 |page=71 of 131 |edition=Reprint |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nzPCcILP-XwC&q=portuguese+janjira&pg=PA71 |access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref> During this [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] assault, the Marathas, led by [[chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj]], attempted to scale the {{convert|12|meter|ft|adj=mid|-high}} [[granite]] walls but failed in their attempts. [[Shivaji|Chatrapati Shivaji maharaj's]] son [[Sambhaji|Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj]] even attempted to tunnel his way into the fort and was very close to capturing the fort. His attempt was thwarted when a Mughal army attacked the Maratha capital city, forcing Sambhaji to withdraw his forces from the siege and return to the Maratha capital.<ref>''India, Lonely Planet''.</ref> He built another sea fort in 1676, known as [[Padmadurg]] or Kasa fort, to challenge Janjira. It is located northwest of Janjira. Padmadurg took 22 years to build and is constructed on 22 acres of land.

[[File:Janjiraushnish4.jpg|thumb|Janjira ruins]]
[[File:Janjiraushnish6.jpg|thumb|The small freshwater pond inside Janjira fort]]
In the year 1736, the [[Siddi]]s of Murud-Janjira set out in a battle with the forces of the Peshwa [[Baji Rao I|Baji Rao]]. On 19 April 1736, the Maratha warriors Nanaji Surve and [[Chimaji Appa]] attacked the gathering forces in the encampments of the Siddis near [[Rewas]]. Chimaji Appa advised Siddi Sat to run from battle field otherwise Nanajirao will have no mercy on him but Siddi Sat captured Nanajirao Surve and took him to Sagargad fort. Nanajirao rescued himself and beheaded Siddi Sat along with his entire family and his army. Nanajirao Surve was rewarded with village name Kusgao <ref>Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803) By G.S.Chhabra</ref> When the confrontation ended, 1,500 Siddis, including their leader Siddi Sat, had been killed. Peace was brokered in September 1736, but the Siddis were confined to only [[Janjira State|Janjira]], [[Gowalkot]], and [[Anjanvel Fort|Anjanvel]], with their power greatly reduced. However, Janjira remained unconquered until it became part of Indian territory after independence from the British in 1947.<ref name="bbc">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0fngc6l/a-marvel-of-engineering-on-india-s-west-coast |title= BBC Reel: A marvel of engineering on India's west coast |date=2023-05-16 |last=Soni |first=Mayank |type=Video |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Janjira fort - panoramio.jpg|Janjira fort - panorama
File:Murud-Janjira Fort near Murud Raigad Maharashtra DPP 0093 (1).JPG|Inside complex of Janjira fort
File:Janjira Fort bastions 3.jpg|Bastion of Janjira fort
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{portal|Islands}}
* [[Murud, Raigad|Murud]]
* [[List of Indian Princely States]]
* [[List of forts in Maharashtra]]
* [[Khokri Tombs]]
* [[Janjira State]]
* [[Jafarabad State]]
* [[Maratha Navy]]
*[[Siege of Janjira]]

== Sources ==
* Imperial Gazetteer of India, 2. A., 26 Bde., Oxford 1908–1931
* Malleson, G. B.: ''An Historical Sketch of the Native States of India'', London 1875, Reprint Delhi 1984
* Schwartzberg, Joseph E., Hrsg.: ''A Historical Atlas of South Asia'', 2. A., New York/Oxford 1992, {{ISBN|0-19-506869-6}}
* http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/MTDC/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Forts/Forts.aspx?strpage=Murud_JanjiraForts.html Maharashtra - Murud Janjira Forts Official Govt. Page

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
Short BBC video on the fort [https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0fngc6l/a-marvel-of-engineering-on-india-s-west-coast]

{{Commons category|Murud-Janjira}}
{{Forts in Maharashtra}}
{{Forts in India}}
{{Princely states of India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Konkan]]
[[Category:Princely states of India]]
[[Category:Islands of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:1490 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:15th-century establishments in India]]
[[Category:Sea forts]]
[[Category:Forts in Raigad district]]
[[Category:Populated places in India]]
[[Category:Islands of India]]