The 15th century inhabitants of Murud (a coastal village in India) would never have imagined that the wooden defensive structure built by a Koli chief would be invaded by a naval, Abyssinian ‘Trojan horse’ and fortified by intruders to such an extent that Murud-Janjira would remain the only undefeated fort on the western coast of India today.
Minister Mallik Ambar was the brains behind the masquerading warship and it is hardly surprising that the fort he built is also a pinnacle of grand design. The fort remained undefeated despite all the battles, hopeful foreign aggressors and salty waves that for hundreds of years, crashed into Janjira’s stony walls.
Murud-Janjira only became a part of Indian territory in 1947, when India finally gained independence from the British. Until that time though, the Siddis kept a firm grip on their fort and on their independence. This was not an easy thing to do for the strategic position of the Ambar’s sea fortress meant that coastal ships were at its mercy. This simply invited invaders from everywhere to try capture that power for themselves. The neighbouring king Shivaji, for example, tried and failed thirteen times and his equally obsessive son Sambhaji attempted entry by an underwater tunnel, and when this failed he spent 22 years building another fort from which he could base future attacks on Janjira. The fort also withstood various English East India Company, Dutch, Portuguese and Maratha attacks.
The impregnability of the fort was not entirely due to its 40-foot walls, cannons and soldiers. The strategies of the Siddis that controlled it played a large role in Janjira’s strength. Imbued with great political sense, the Siddis managed to juggle alliances around but retain their independence too. By mobilizing their allies, the keepers of Janjira distracted their attackers and kept their stronghold safe. Don’t let this think that they just hid behind high walls and let their allies do the fighting. The Siddis, on occasion, attacked an English garrison and seized Bombay; a show of their power before retreating into their symbol of it, the sea fort Murud-Janjira.
The respect many feel for Janjira today pales in comparison to the anger of failed conquerors and the awe of the onlookers decades ago. Today visitors can access the fort in a little boat, a stark comparison to the battalions that would have been required to access it back then. While we can only imagine Janjira’s former strength, we can still fully appreciate its past, as well as its present condition. Architectural wonders of the island include the fort itself, which is almost fully intact, and the luxurious palace of Nawab within. Natural marvels of the site are the Janjira caves and the fresh water well.
Janjira is 165km away from Mumbai Airport and is popular tourist attraction today. If you really want to take that journey back in time, just stop at the shore of the fishing village and look out into the sea. Forget the boats and people around you, and ask yourself how on earth you are going to enter that. The pause for imagination, I assure you, will make you appreciate the tours and traipsing a whole lot more.
Minister Mallik Ambar was the brains behind the masquerading warship and it is hardly surprising that the fort he built is also a pinnacle of grand design. The fort remained undefeated despite all the battles, hopeful foreign aggressors and salty waves that for hundreds of years, crashed into Janjira’s stony walls.
Murud-Janjira only became a part of Indian territory in 1947, when India finally gained independence from the British. Until that time though, the Siddis kept a firm grip on their fort and on their independence. This was not an easy thing to do for the strategic position of the Ambar’s sea fortress meant that coastal ships were at its mercy. This simply invited invaders from everywhere to try capture that power for themselves. The neighbouring king Shivaji, for example, tried and failed thirteen times and his equally obsessive son Sambhaji attempted entry by an underwater tunnel, and when this failed he spent 22 years building another fort from which he could base future attacks on Janjira. The fort also withstood various English East India Company, Dutch, Portuguese and Maratha attacks.
The impregnability of the fort was not entirely due to its 40-foot walls, cannons and soldiers. The strategies of the Siddis that controlled it played a large role in Janjira’s strength. Imbued with great political sense, the Siddis managed to juggle alliances around but retain their independence too. By mobilizing their allies, the keepers of Janjira distracted their attackers and kept their stronghold safe. Don’t let this think that they just hid behind high walls and let their allies do the fighting. The Siddis, on occasion, attacked an English garrison and seized Bombay; a show of their power before retreating into their symbol of it, the sea fort Murud-Janjira.
The respect many feel for Janjira today pales in comparison to the anger of failed conquerors and the awe of the onlookers decades ago. Today visitors can access the fort in a little boat, a stark comparison to the battalions that would have been required to access it back then. While we can only imagine Janjira’s former strength, we can still fully appreciate its past, as well as its present condition. Architectural wonders of the island include the fort itself, which is almost fully intact, and the luxurious palace of Nawab within. Natural marvels of the site are the Janjira caves and the fresh water well.
Janjira is 165km away from Mumbai Airport and is popular tourist attraction today. If you really want to take that journey back in time, just stop at the shore of the fishing village and look out into the sea. Forget the boats and people around you, and ask yourself how on earth you are going to enter that. The pause for imagination, I assure you, will make you appreciate the tours and traipsing a whole lot more.