Murud Janjira is a fort located on an island just off the coastal village Mund in Raigad district of Maharashtra. It was constructed by the Siddis of Ahmednagar in the 15th century. The Siddis became independent after the construction of the fort. The location and the support from the locals allowed this fort to remain unconquerable. Thus, Murud Janjira is the only fort along western coast of India that remained impregnable. The Dutch, the Maratha and the English East India Company, all tried to conquer this fort several times but remained unsuccessful. Even though the ravages of wind and tide, the fort is almost unscathed.
Murud Janjira Fort by Ishan Manjrekar on flickr.com
Murud Janjira is the strongest marine fort in India. It was completed in 1571. To get to the fort, one has to take a short ferry or boat ride from Murud Ferry Point. The island on which the fort is located is in oval shape and thus, so is the fort. The entrance of the fort faces the Rajapuri jetty near the shore. It also has a back gate that was designed to be used as an escape route into the open sea. The overall fort is now a ruin but the 19 rounded bastions around the fort are pretty much undamaged. The cannons on these bastions are rusting due to lack of maintenance.
Murud Janjira Fort Cannons by ranavikas on flickr.com
Murud Janjira Fort, during its prime, was fully independent fort. Palaces, homes for officers, mosque and two big fresh water tanks are some of the many facilities that allowed this fort to remain free. There are carving and images on the walls of the forts depicting lions, elephants, tigers and other creatures. All the major gates inside the fort have Ashok Chakras on them.
Sculpture of tiger-like beast clasping elephants
Glaring into the horizon from the barricades of this magnificent fort overlooking the sea, one can see many signs of the numerous attacks Murud Janjira withstood. This 400 plus years old fort is a major tourist hotspot in the long list of Maharashtra heritage sites. The appealing beach, murmuring casuarinas, coconut and betel palms along the costal area of Murud add to its attraction. There is also a shrine of Lord Dattatreya located on a hillock near the fort.
Satyender S Dhull
August 31, 2013 at 4:58 pm
Beautiful last pic
magiceye
September 2, 2013 at 9:21 am
Very interesting fort to explore
Harsha
September 2, 2013 at 10:06 am
This is Lovely..A fort worth visiting..Nice Pics
Lisa Gordon
September 2, 2013 at 3:14 pm
What a wonderful place to be with a camera.
Thank you for taking us along with you!
Wishing you a wonderful day!
Garden Walk Garden Talk
September 3, 2013 at 1:31 am
That is an amazing fort. We have one in our area, but nowhere near the age of the Fort of Maharashtra. Beautiful photos too.
Manu Kurup
September 3, 2013 at 6:51 am
I still remember driving from Pune to this amazing place and the beach not far from there, Kashid. I was pampered with Marathi food and hospitality in a homestay. Although, I almost fell into water while jumping off the boat to the steps of the fort, it was a lovely experience. 🙂
Mary {The World Is A Book}
September 3, 2013 at 7:00 am
Beautiful fort and such a wonderful past. I really like the carving and images on the walls. The details are amazing. What a great location too!
joshi daniel
September 8, 2013 at 2:26 pm
nice 🙂
frizztext
September 9, 2013 at 11:17 am
the wonderful elephant sculptures! my daughter, an architect, visited India and was excited by architecture there, both historical and modern (Mumbai); there must be an elephant island cave temple too, she told from …
Swati Singh
September 9, 2013 at 11:34 am
That is called the Elephanta Caves located on Elephanta Island. Visit the following post for that
https://indiaheritagesites.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/exploring-the-elephanta-caves/