Janjira (Jaljira) - The Unconquered Fort

Tuesday 4 December 2007

Janjira Fort (Janjira may have originated from the arabic word Jazeera meaning island), also known as Jaljira, for the fact that it is one of the few forts of its kind - surrounded by sea.

The sea fort of Janjira has been unbeatable by any of the kings of the time and still remains unconquered and has thus gained the reputation of being the strongest marine fort of India. The stone walls of the fort are as high as 40ft. This fort, originally made of wood was made by the fishermen of Murud to protect their village from pirates in the late 15th century AD. Buran Khan, the minister of the ruler of Ahmed Nagar, Nizamshah, demolished the fortress later and built an impregnable stone fort in its place. This fort is spread over an area of 22 acres and it took 22 years to build it. The fort once boasted of nearly 500 cannons in its rein but today only a few are left. The largest of the cannons (Kalal Bangadi) is so huge that it was brought in pieces and then joined with the help of molten lead.

Within the walls of the fort are two deep sweet water wells, now, you may wonder how can there be a sweet water well when the fort is surrounded by sea. When the fort was built a large quantity of rocks were taken from the center of the fort, which brought the underground water to the level, and hence made a sweet water well.

Since it is an island fort, one has to get a sail boat (wind boat) from a small village on the coast, Rajapuri. It is a 15min ride from Rajapuri to the fort. The deep well with cold and sweet water - a wonder of nature in the midst of the saline sea, still provides water to quench the thirst of the weary visitors.

The fort of Janjira is an architectural marvel. Parts of the fort are being carroded and washed away after facing the fury of the ocean for centuries but it still stands promoting the history of its time.