THE ISLAND FORTRESS OF JANJIRA AND ITS AFRICAN MASTERS

Janjira Fort. Built between 1567-1571

I start my drive from Bombay, down the Pune Expressway.  We turn right before Khopoli and continue down the Pen-Alibaug Road. After a ride of about five hours, we are at Murud, a small town with a fine beach and unpack into our rooms on the beachfront. The fine sandy beach is relaxing to be on, the sound of the gentle waves soothing to the ear. We are on the Arabian Sea and before us, lies an exciting visit to a unique island fortress. It is clearly visible from the beach, rising like a giant creature from the blue waters.

Aerial view of Janjira

The fortress was a strong-hold of African rulers, who were masters of it for three centuries. They held out against the Mughals, the Portugese and the Marathas, in an unbroken rule that lasted until 1948. They even had a tributary ruler in faraway Gujarat. The nawabs of Jafarabad.  And one of their descendents founded the tiny State of Sachin, just seven square miles large, but nevertheless one of British India’s 565 princely states.

BY SAILBOAT TO JANJIRA
The next morning, we proceed to Rajpuri, a small village a few kilometres from Murud. There, my friend Arvind and I set sail for the island of Janjira. Arvind is a professor at Bombay University and has been here before. It’s a short ride and there are dozens of boats ferrying tourists to the island.

As we approach, we can see the granite walls looming ahead of us. They look intact and every bit as formidable as they would have been as they were when they were first built in the early 16th century.

HISTORY OF JANJIRASome local fishermen of Rajpuri built a small wooden fort called Medhekot on a huge rock within the sea. The idea was to protect themselves from sea pirates. The Nizamshah of Ahmednagar had his eye on this fort. He sent Piram Khan, a general of the Ahmednagar  to capture Medhekot. Piram Khan came with three ships, defeated the fishermen and captured the fort. Malik Ambar, the Abyssinian regent of Ahmednagar ordered its strengthening.  Burhan Khan who succeeded Piram Khan, demolished the old fort and built an impregnable structure on 22 acres between  1567-1571.

As we enter, there is a monumental gateway, on which is carved a royal emblem, showing a tiger fending off several elephants. It is said to represent the might of the Siddi rulers, who were formidable sailors and fighting men.

Royal emblem carved on main portal of the fortress

Cannon, one of over 500 guarding the fortress

The island of Janjira (from ‘jazeera’, island or peninsula in Arabic) was a formidable fortress entirely surrounded by large walls with 22 rounded bastions. Well-conceived and well-defended, Janjira was never conquered. Originally, the fort counted 572 cannons; most were made in India, and seven came from various European countries.  One of these cannons is said to be among the largest in India. Siddi rule over the island lasted 330 years. It was inhabited until 1972.

Mughal emperor Aurangzeb confirmed the title of Nawab on the rulers of Janjira, a title they already held.  In 1803, the British did the same, and later, conferred a 11-gun salute upon the ruler of Janjira State.

Inside the portal is evidence, now in ruins of a once-flourishing settlement.  There were two Muslim and one Hindu neighborhoods, which contained hundreds of houses. “The Sidis deck their walls with swords, shields, lances, muskets, guns, knives, and daggers. Most well-to-do families have male and female servants, and a stock of cows, buffaloes, goats, and bullocks. Rich families have four to eight bondsmen and bondswomen, generally the children of poor Hindus who have been bought and made Musalmans. These bondsmen and bondswomen are not hereditary and they can at their pleasure leave their master who feeds them and clothes them.”—Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, 1883.

There were four mosques on the island. One was the royal mosque and another was reserved for visitors. The Jama Masjid, located by a water reservoir, was the main mosque. Parts of it are still standing.

The Jama Masjid

Palace of the nawabs on Janjira

Janjira is considered one of the best specimens of naval fort architecture. Its inner buildings that housed a full court and garrison were powerful and elegant. Plaques with inscriptions in Persian to the glory of the nawabs decorated some walls. The fort had a grand entrance and underground passages. A small entrance at the back  provided a last resort, if the fortress had to be evacuated.

One reason why Janjira was never conquered by invaders was because it had its own supply of fresh water. There are two large reservoirs of fresh water, besides wells that are over sixty feet deep. Janjira’s population in 1941 was more than 103,000, 82 percent of whom were Hindus and 17 percent Muslims. The African descendants were all related to the king. Several hundred Jews (Bene Israel) also lived in the kingdom. Not all of them lived inside the fortress, of course. The town of Murud was a thriving trading post and supported this large population.

The large, fortress-like structure erected on a knoll was the palace of the nawab. It was built around 1707. The walls and floors of several rooms were decorated with coloured glass. It, like the rest of the structures inside the fortress, is in a state of decay. There is evidence of the once-splendid houses, with beautifully decorated doorways still intact, and ruined tombs of noblemen.

AHMADGANJ PALACE AT MURUD
After leaving the island of Janjira, the nawabs settled in Murud on the mainland. Their Ahmadganj Palace was built in 1904. The grounds cover 45 acres and hold a mosque, the tombs of the previous rulers, and a number of other structures (some of which no longer exist) such as staff and servants’ apartments, nursery, dispensary, tennis court and swimming pool.
The palace is built on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea. Its Turkish architect designed it so that it appears to be a different structure depending on the angle from which it is viewed. The palace itself is more than 20,000 square feet, and an extension covers more than 10,000 square feet. The palace, with its magnificent rooms, stained glass ceiling, marble staircases and unique decorations is still inhabited by the nawab’s family.

Ahmadganj Palace, Murud Town

Text credit: Shankar A. Narayan, Dr. Omar H. Ali and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Cluture.

Photo credits: Himanshu Sarpotdar, Iyer Rajgopal, Pradosh Biswas, Akshay Charegaonkar, Khali Sawant,Siddhesh Mangela.