Perched majestically on an oval-shaped rock stretching amidst the azure blue of the Arabian Sea, off of the coastal village of Murud, and located around 165 kilometres south of Mumbai, the impregnable Murud Janjira Fort is considered one of the strongest coastal forts in India. Surrounded by the Arabian Sea from all sides, the massive fort stands as a testament of the formidable naval and military base of the ruling Siddis, which remained unconquered through centuries, despite occasional violent political upheavals and fierce military sieges in the region. It changed hands only once, after the end of the British rule of India in 1947, when it was handed over to the government of India.

It is believed by the scholars that the name of the fort is made of two separate words from two different languages, consisting of Murud, which was once linked to the Marathi language to mean a sandy beach or coastal area or a coastal village, and Janjira, derived from the Arabic word Jazeera, which stands for an isolated island. The origin of the initial wooden structure of the garrison can be traced back to the fifteenth century when several local Koli tribesmen, engaged in fishing, constructed a small wooden fort on a massive rock to protect themselves from the cunning and plundering pirates who used to attack them frequently, disturbing the otherwise peaceful atmosphere of the island. However, the strategic importance of the place was first perceived by Malik Ambar of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, who later replaced the wooden structure with the present robust stone fortification in 1567 AD. This Malik Ambar was originally a slave from modern day Ethiopia, brought to India by his last owner, the chief minister of the then Ahmadnagar Sultanate, who eventually became a powerful military leader, as well as a popular Prime Minister of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Nevertheless, the radical transformation of the wooden structure to the impregnable fortress marked the beginning of Murud Janjira’s prominence as a strong naval base of the ruling Siddis.

The architecture of the robust Murud Janjira reflects a unique blend of military ingenuity and aesthetic appeal. Soaring approximately 40 feet high, the surrounding walls of the fort contain the ruins of a mediaeval mosque, granaries, and residential quarters for the soldiers, along with two small 60-feet-deep (18 m) freshwater ponds. Strangely, although almost all the structures in the complex represent desolate ruins, the palace of the ruling Nawabs of Janjira at Murud is still in good shape. Among the original 28 bastions, the fort still contains 26, each of which was once equipped with powerful cannons, which include the three gigantic cannons, namely Chavri, Kalaal Baangadi, and Landa Kasam, renowned for their formidable range and massive destructive power.

Significantly, unlike most of the other Indian forts, the huge Murud Janjira Fort has only two entrances, of which the main entrance, named Sher Darwaza or Tiger Gate, facing the coastal village of Rajapuri, is a hidden entrance, visible only from a distance of around 40 feet, adding an element of surprise for the possible invaders. The outer portion of the arched gateway significantly contains the motifs of mighty animals, depicting six elephants trapped in the claws of an aggressive tiger on one side, and two giant elephants locking tusks before two onlooker lions on the other side. The main entrance leads to the Durbar Hall or the royal court, a three-storey building, now in ruins, while the other doorway, located on the west and known as the Darya Darwaza, opens into the sea and was probably served as an emergency escape back in the days.

Today, the Murud Janjira, a dumb witness of the valour, courage and heroism of the ruling Siddis, the original ethnic group of African origin, has become an interesting visiting place for enthusiastic visitors. But as it is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on all sides, visitors are to embark on a sailing boat from the coastal town of Murud to approach the desolate fort. Apart from experiencing the journey by boat through the azure blue water of the Arabian Sea, exploring the labyrinthine passages and the towering bastions of the fort, the ruins of the ancient structures, as well as the exquisite panoramic vistas of the Arabian Sea from the ramparts of the fort, provide a lifetime memory to be cherished forever.