Trekking spot MURUD - JANJIRA | The Unconquered Fort Of Swaraj

Trekking spot MURUD - JANJIRA | The Unconquered Fort Of Swaraj

Murud-Janjira is the local name for a fort situated at the coastal village of Murud, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is famous for being the only fort along India's western coast that remained undefeated despite Maratha, Dutch and English East India Company attacks.

The word Janjira is not native to India, and may have originated after the Arabic word Jazeera, which means an island. Similarly, the Marathi word Habshi is thought to be a corruption of Abyssinian. Murud was once known in Marathi as Habsan, or Abyssinian's land.The term Siddi is an expression of respectful address commonly used in North Africa. The ruler of the Habshi state of Murud-Janjira was known as the Siddi. Others believe that Habshis that converted to Islam called themselves "Sayyadis" (descendants of Muhammad); from which came the term "Siddi".

At the time they seized the fort, the Siddis were employed by the Bahamani Sultan of Ahmednagar and a Habshi, Malik Ambar (1550-1626), held a prominent position in that government. Before the rise of the Maratha sardars, the courts of the Bahamani sultanates were rent by rivalry between the Indian Muslims and the foreign Muslims, as a result of which, the Sultans began to patronize the Marathas as a third force, leading to the rise of Shivaji and the Maratha Empire.

Malik Amber initially rose to great prominence as the Prime Minister of Ahmednagar. He is credited with having carried out a systematic revenue settlement of major portions of the Deccan, which formed the basis for many ubsequent settlements.

When the Ahmadnagar kingdom was conquered by Bijapur and the Mughals in alliance, the Siddis switched their allegiance to the Sultanate of Bijapur; when the Bijapur kingdom was conquered by the Mughal Empire, the Habshis switched their allegiance to the Mughal Empire.As clients of these Muslim states, the Siddis were nominally part of their navies, and fulfilled the role of defending Muslim interests in the sea, and particularly, access by sea for the Hajj and Umrah, for which reason, the interior Muslim states felt compelled to aid and rescue the Siddis from their enemies.

Despite being feudatories, first of Bijapur and then of the Mughals, the Siddis acted as if they were independent, and lived mainly by piracy on coastal shipping.

The piracy of the Siddis provoked the various local powers to attempt to suppress them, but despite eforts by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and the Marathas, the fort was never conquered. The fort thus earned a reputation for being impregnable.

The reputation may be false. Mass mobilizations by the English and Marathas were always forced off before they could complete the task by the intervention of another power, such as the Mughals, creating a diversion in order to prevent the fall of Murud-Janjira. It must be noted that the same happened with Goa, with the Mughals invading Maratha lands in order to divert Maratha attempts to conquer Goa.

The name of the fort is a concatenation of the Konkani and Arabic words for Island, "morod" and "jazeera". The word "morod" is peculiar to Konkani and is absent in Marathi. In Goa, the word is now more generally used for those parts of the village which were originally dry land as against the fields, which were swamps. Thus, during the rains, the fields get flooded, but the morods never flood.

The State of Murud-Janjira was known to the Maratha Empire as Habsan, the and of the Habshis.The founder of what later developed into the Maratha Empire, Shivaji Bhosale, sent his Prime Minister or Peshwa, Moropant Pingle to conquer the Siddis and end their piracy during August, 1676, albeit unsuccessfully. Shivaji's inability to capture this fort led him to build the Vijaydurg fort down the coast, and also a fort named Sindhudurg on the island of Padmagad, near the town of Malvan. The Siddis remained a formidable foe to him until his death.Several further attempts were made by the Marathas to conquer the Siddi principality, but in vain.

The English too strived in vain to suppress the Siddis, and the Siddis even succeeded in seizing Bombay for a day, overwhelming the English garrision, before being driven away by a militia organized by a Parsi from his fellow-immigrants from Surat.

As the Muslim powers of the interior waned in the face of rising English power, the Siddi state submitted to England under the system of Subsidiary Alliance, becoming a dependency under paramountcy of the Kings of England. HH Nawab Sidi Muhammed Khan II Sidi Ahmad Khan was the last Ruler of Murud-Janjira. The state continued in this condition until late 1947, when the last prince acceded his state to the Indian Union, and his state was merged into the Bombay Presidency which was later transformed into the State of Bombay and the State of

Maharashtra.

HOW TO REACH THERE

What to see:

(1) Janjira fort: where a stone carving at the main entrance shows six elephants trapped by a single tiger-a- symbol of the bravery of the Sidis.



(2) Kalal Bangdi, Landakasam and Bhavani, the cherished weapons of the Sidis, built from five metals



(3)Beaches: which are filled with the serenity

(4) Carambi Dharan (Dam), a picnic spot providing clean water through pipes to Murud throughout the year channeled from its natural springs.

(5)Datta Mandir (temple) atop a hill, a picturesque spot giving an extraordinary view of the sea.

(6)Sidhi Vinayak Temple of the Hindu deity Lord Ganapati.

SOME



(7)Alkapuri, a picnic spot favored for its lush green vegetation.



SOME MORE SNAPs :

Fisherfolk at Murud Beach



Sand Castle at Murud Beach

Dumeril's black-headed snake Sibynophis subpunctatu...

Mosques inside Janjira (Jazeera) fort

caves at Murud



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Trekking spot - Matheran nerul karjat

Trekking spot - Matheran nerul karjat

Matheran is tiny hill station with exceptionally striking pastoral beauty. It is set in the mountainous region in between Mumbai and Pune. The term ‘Matheran’ suggests "forest on top". Amidst the green Jumbo forest, it is indeed the most impressive and notable hill station in Maharashtra.

Hugh Poyntz Malet, who was the collector of Thane district, discovered this pretty resort in 1850. During camping around the village, he came across a spring and it still bears his name.

ORIENTATION

It is located at an altitude of 803 meters. It is situated about 108 kms from Mumbai City, in the Karjat Tehsil of Maharashtra.

WEATHER

Temperature: 12.35 to 36.35 (Celcius)

Rainfall in Matheran varies from 0.0 to 828.0 mm/month.

Best time to visit: Though Matheran is a year round destination, the best time to visit is from October to May. Average temperatures range from 16° C in winter, to 32° C in summer.

Entry Fee: There is an entry fee of Rs.25 per head, which you need to buy to enter Matheran. These tickets are sold at the small ticket window at the entry of the main gate and have a map behind it.

GETTING THERE / ROUTE INFORMATION

Matheran is 100 km from Mumbai and 26 km from Neral, from where you can get the toy train to Matheran, a journey of 1½ hours. You can get to Neral on a local train on the Mumbai-Pune line, a journey of 2 hours from Mumbai Central. The drive via Karjat and Neral is 108 km.

By Air
The nearest airport, Mumbai, 100 km, is well connected with national and international flights. From there, you’ll need to switch to train or road.
By Rail
The rail journey to Matheran is half the fun of your trip. Neral, the nearest railhead (21 km), is connected to Mumbai, Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. From here, a special, narrow gauge "toy train" gets you up, puffing and wheezing all the way. Except during the monsoon season (June-September), there are several trains a day on the mountain railway. These take 2 hours to cover the climb to their destination. Stations on the way have names like Water pipe and there is also the famous One Kiss Tunnel. During the monsoon, the service is restricted to one train a day and during heavy rains even this can be cancelled due to landslides.

By Road
State Transport buses regularly ply from Mumbai and Pune. A taxi from Neral to Matheran takes about half-hour to reach. Taxis stop about 2.5 km from the center of the hill station. After parking the car at the base of the hill, You can go to the top on horse.

SHOPPING INFORMATION

Shop for Chikki, honey walking sticks, and custom-made leather footwear. Matheran is a foot freak delight and the more you bargain the more you will get!

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS

Its 8 sq. kms cover a hilltop in the Sahyadri Hills, and its proximity to Mumbai ensures its’ continued popularity for weekend getaways.

There seems to be an obsession with unusually named lookout points; Matheran has 33 such points from where you can feast your eyes on the Sahyadris and the valleys below, and admire rosy sunrises and sunsets.

Matheran does not have any internal motorized transport, making it all the more special. The only modes of transport are horses, donkeys, by foot or a ”Taxi” which basically is a cart pulled by a guy.

Charlotte Lake is the prime attraction of Matheran, owing to its greenery and picturesque surroundings. The hoary charm of British and Parsi homes still allures people from both far and near. Malet Spring draws everyone’s attention with its scenic setting and clear waters. Panthers’ Caves and Paymaster Park are big attractions for children. One can take a wonderful view of the Towers of Bhivpuri Power House, Karjat Palasdari Lake, Borgaon Village and Rambaug Point from the renowned Alexander Point.

Declared an Eco-sensitive region by the Union Environment Ministry, Matheran is an exceptionally beautiful place, in the company of sightseeing places like Mount Berry, Luisa Point, Echo Point, One tree Hill, Garbut Point, Olympia Racecourse and Hart point. A large number of medicinal plants and herbs thrive in the region. The red laterite earth here completes the vision of the bucolic and unscathed hill resort.

NightLife: Well, there is no nightlife in Matheran.

Nearby spots: Panvel, Karnala, Lonavla, Poona and Mumbai.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Carry light woollens for winter. Walking-sticks.

Accommodation

Regarding places to stay, this serene place has a few ancient bungalows that have been turned into Hotels and guesthouses. Here, you can avail all basic facilities. Since this place falls under environment friendly region, construction is not allowed here. Probably that’s why Matheran has maintained its lovely charisma. Thus, come to Matheran and see yourself, the beauty and splendor that have been bestowed upon it by Mother Nature.

From simple lodges to luxury resorts, an MTDC bungalow to pure vegetarian guesthouses, Matheran has accommodation options to cater to all budgets.

MORE SNAPSHOTS FROM MATHERAN :)

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