Introduction:Murud
is a village in Raigad district, south to Alibag. It is just 45 Kms.
from Alibag. The place is full of coconut and betel nut trees and has
a nice and prosperous sea shore. Like other villages in Konkan, Murud
is also on the seashore and there are many businesses dependent on sea
which are the natives lives like Fishing and tourism. Murud is not a
big village but it has a huge palace of Nawab of Murud. That is the
only attraction in the village.But Murud is famous for the fort of
Janjira. The fort is build in the sea 2 Kms. inside of Murud. This is
one of the vital sea-forts in Maharashtra. The fort is old one but
still very strong. Though, today it is not in a proper condition, one
can still imagine its hugeness and toughness. Some monuments inside
and the walls of the fort are destroyed after so many years now. But
the toughness of the fort can be still felt. There are in all 19 Buruj
in the fort. Every buruj has huge guns on it especially 3 big guns 'Kalal
Bangadi' , 'Chavari' and 'Landa Kasam' are very famous. There are 2
water tanks inside the fort and some tombs as well. The fort was built
by Burhankhan - a minister of Nizmashah. Many times , Marathas tried
to capture the fort, even Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji and Peshwas tried
- but all those attempts failed. So this is one of the rare forts in
Maharashtra which was not managed by Marathas .Padmadurg - a
fort built by Shivaji Maharaj is to north -west of Janjira. Though not
as big as Janjira, still Padmadurga is also a sea fort that can be
visited and enjoyed. Truly, Murud Janjira and Padmadurg are the places
to visit and enjoy the weekends or holidays.
Formerly
the capital town of the Siddis of Janjira, Murud is today popular for
its alluring beach, whispering casurina, coconut and betel palms and
an ancient fort. On a hillock to the north is the shrine of Lord
Dattatreya, the three heads representing Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara.
Battered on all four sides by sea waves, its strong walls yet standing
intact and 40 feet high even at full tide is the majestic island
fortress of the Siddis -- Murud-Janjira. Never conquered by an enemy
for over 350 years since its construction by the Ahmednagar rulers
under the supervision of their regent Malik Ambar in the 15th
century, Murud-Janjira is probably the only impregnable fort on the
720 km Maharashtra coastline.
Neither the Portuguese nor the British could subjugate the fort. And
the Marathas, despite their repeated attempts failed to subjugate the
Siddi power.
The palace of the Nawab and the Janjira Caves are also a must for the
tourist. And just a few kilometres away are two undiscovered beaches:
Nandgaon and Kashid. Nandgaon is famous for its Ganapati temple and
the annual fair held in honour of ths elephant-headed god every
February.
Transport
Bus:Regular buses from Swargate to Satara and buses from
Satara.
Rail
: Roha on the Konkan Railway is the nearest railhead. Mumbai
is 165 kms by road. Another fun-filled route is by ferry from Mumbai
to Rewas jetty, 90 minutes away and then by bus via Alibag and Chaul.Connecting
Places Alibag
