Murud-Janjira

Murud-Janjira is a fort on an oval rock in the Arabian Sea just off the town of Murud in Raigad district, about 165 kilometres south of Mumbai. Janjira comes from the Arabic jazira, island. Its construction is credited to Malik Ambar and dated to 1567, and from it the Abyssinian Sidis held off one attempt after another by the Marathas, the Mughals and the Portuguese. It is counted among the strongest coastal forts in India.

Visitors cross by sailboat from Rajapuri jetty. The main gate faces the shore yet stays hidden until a boat is about 12 metres away, and a small postern opens to the sea. Twenty-six artillery towers survive, many still holding rusting Indian and European cannon. Inside are ruins of barracks, officers' quarters, a mosque and two freshwater ponds about 18 metres deep, and a carving beside the gate shows a tiger-like beast gripping elephants.