Murud-Janjira

Principality of Janjira

Janjira (probably from Arabic djazîra = island) is today a small town on the Arabian Sea in the south Indian state of Maharashtra to the fishermen's village of Murud, but until 1956 was an independent princely state in British India. The State to which since 1760 also belonged Jafarabad (see List of Indian princely states ), goes back to a Muslim- Abyssinian vassals and Admiral of the Sultan of Ahmadnagar. The Principality of Ahmednagar seized in 1489 by the West Indian Konkan coast possession. 1733 closed Janjira a defensive alliance with the British East India Company. Since 1759, the Principality Jafarabad founded in 1650 was in personal union with Janjira. Janjira was 1834-1947 British protectorate, and in 1935 an area of ​​982 km2 and 71,000 inhabitants. On August 15, 1947 Janjira became a member of the State Union and Saurashtra on 15 February 1948, completed the connection to India. On November 1, 1956 all princely states were dissolved and Janjira was the state of Bombay incorporated, later it became part of the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Murud- Janjira Fort

Murud- Janjira is the common name for an impressive on the location and the size was Fort in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, which precedes the place to Murud, a village on the Konkan coast, about 60 km south of Bombay, only a few hundred meters, is located in the Arabian Sea. It is known that it has withstood repeated attacks of the Marathas, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British East India Company.

Origin of the name

The word Janjira has no Indian origin, but could come from Arabic, where Jazeera " island " means. A variant name is Jal Jeera, which means " fort in the water." The name of the fort Janjira Murud- is a composition of the Konkani " Morod " and the Arabic " jazeera " what each " island " is. The word " Morod " can be found in Konkani, but not in Marathi. The State of Murud- Janjira was known by the Marathas as Habsan, which means "Land of Habshis " or "Land of the Abyssinian " ( = Ethiopia ).

History

The fort was built by the living on the Konkan coast, water fishing tribe of Koli in the 15th century, with the agreement of the Nizam Shah dynasty in Ahmednagar as protection against pirates. The state Ahmednagar - part of the so-called Deccan Sulatanate - under Nizam Shah succeeded in 1490 only by a ruse to bring the renegade Fort again under his control, and that was on a merchant ship hidden under the command of Peer Mohammed Khan 147 Abyssinian soldiers to Janjira sent, which was the occupation of the fort, the seat of the Koli king Ram Patil, overpowered. 1567-1571 the wooden fort was demolished, expanded and rebuilt in stone. Janjira was an ally of the Muslim powers outside India, such as the Egyptian Mamluks and the Ottoman Empire. The fleet of the Ottoman admiral Kutoglu Hızır rice, which sailed from Suez to Aceh in Sumatra, 1568 visited Janjira. Murud Janjira - belonged at the time to the Muslim principality of Ahmednagar, which controlled the Konkan coast. His prime minister and regent Malik Ambar was (1550-1626), who came from the city of Harar in Ethiopia ( Abyssinia ). Malik Ambar had arrived as a slave of Harar via Damascus and Mecca to India and rose to great power. As Minister of Nizam Shah, the ruler of Ahmednagar, Malik Amber, appointed in 1617, the also of Ethiopia Siddhi Amber Sahnak governor of Janjira. Thanks to its merits Amber Sahnak was appointed Admiral and the land between the rivers of the village Amba Nagothana and the Savitri river near the village Bankot was handed over to him as a fief.

Janjira won over the centuries of independence and was an ally of Muslim states in India. His anchor reasons offered against the colonizing Portuguese, who sought to bring the lucrative spice trade under their control, security. The fort of the Siddhi or Habshi ( the Ethiopians ) gained strategic importance in securing the trade routes between Africa, the Red Sea and within Indian, partly ruled by Ethiopian Abyssinian rulers Muslim states similar to the controlled by Malik Ambar, the large and de facto regent of Ahmednagar parts of the Deccan. After the conquest of Ahmednagar by the allied forces of the Moguls and Bijapurs the Siddhis of Janjira allied with the Moguls, where they entered into shifting alliances with Muslim countries on the Indian mainland and over again. Without getting too involved in feuds and intrigues between the intra- Indian Islamic states, the siddhis received their independence and guaranteed and secured access to the sea for the pilgrimage to Mecca ( Hajj and Umrah ) and for trade. Thanks to their political independence and strategic position, the coastal seafaring was very dependent on the favor or disfavor of siddhis. To break the dominant role of the siddhis on the sea, there have been repeated attempts to conquer the Fort Murud Janjira -, but neither the Portuguese, Dutch, English still managed Marathas. The fort eventually was reputed to be impregnable. The mighty Maratha ruler Shivaji from Pune commissioned in August 1676 his prime minister to conquer the Peshwa Moropant Pingle, Janjira, but failed. Four kilometers north of Janjira was of Sambhaji Maharaj, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by a son, the Padamdung Fort, now known as Kasa, as an attempt to create a counterweight to Janjira, built in the sea. The attempt of the British to curtail the power of the siddhis, was answered by a successful counter-attack on the British garrison in Bombay. When the Muslim forces allied with the Marathas against the British, the siddhis concluded an alliance with the British, the Principality Murud Janjira - recognized as an independent princely state. The last ruler of Janjira Murud- Siddhi was Muhammed Khan II in 1947, the state lost its independence and went on in Maharashtra as part of the Indian Union.

Ruler of Janjira Murud-

  • N.N., 1490-1617
  • Sidi ( Siddhi, Siddi ) AMBER SANAK, 1617-1642
  • Sidi YUSUF KHAN, 1642-1648
  • Sidi FATEH KHAN, from 1648 -?
  • KHARIYAT KHAN, about 1676
  • Nawab Sidi KASIM KHAN II ( Yaqut Khan), 1676-1703
  • Nawab ambat YAKUT KHAN, 1703-1707
  • Nawab Sidi SURUL (or Surur ) KHAN II, 1706-1732 ( Rasul Khan)
  • Nawab Sidi HASAN KHAN, 1732-1734
  • Nawab Sidi sumbul KHAN, 1734-1737
  • Nawab Sidi Abdurrahman KHAN (son of Surul ), 1737-1740
  • Nawab Sidi HASAN KHAN ( second reign ), 1740-1746
  • Nawab Sidi IBRAHIM KHAN I, 1746-1757
  • Sidi Nawab MUHAMMED KHAN, 1757
  • Nawab Sidi IBRAHIM KHAN ( second reign ) from 1757 to 1761 (from 1760 also Thanadar of Jafadarabad )
  • Nawab Sidi Yaqut KHAN ( usurper ) 1761-1772
  • Nawab Sidi Abdurrahim KHAN, 1772-1784 ( Abd al - Rahim Khan)
  • Nawab Sidi JAHAN KHAN, 1784-1789
  • Nawab Sidi IBRAHIM KHAN II .1789 to 1794
  • Nawab Sidi Jamrud KHAN 0.1794-1803
  • Nawab Sidi IBRAHIM KHAN II ( second reign ), 1803-1826
  • Nawab MUHAMMED KHAN I, 1826-1848
  • Nawab IBRAHIM KHAN III, 1848-1879
  • Sidi Nawab Sir AHMAD KHAN SIDI IBRAHIM KHAN 1879-1922
  • Sidi Nawab MUHAMMED KHAN AHMAD KHAN II SIDI 1922-1948 († April 1, 1972 ) Kulsum Begum, Queen Regent 1922-1933

The Fort

Murud Janjira - is surrounded with strong walls, bastions and towers that rise directly from the sea. The main entrance leads from the east directly from the sea on a ramp that is protected by towers and gates in the fort two large open cisterns and a deep well, which - although situated in the sea - yielded surprisingly good, clear and cool freshwater, secured the supply of drinking water. Dozens of large caliber bronze cannons are still present. The building is somewhat neglected, much is in decline.

Tourist

The approximately four -acre Fort Janjira is achieved with small sailboats that can be in the port of Rajapuri, a small fishing village on the beach directly across from Murud Janjira - rented. 1888 was built in neo- gothic style on the cliffs above the palace of the Nawab of Murud Siddhi, who is currently is not accessible in poor structural condition, visitors. In the hinterland there are large mango plantations and a vast nature reserve.

Note

The Raja Dinkar - - Kelkar Museum in Pune there is an early bird perspective view of the fort Janjira. It probably dates from the 17th century.

British Raj Ethiopian Empire Ahmadnagar Sultanate Personalunion Saurashtra State Bombay State Raja-Dinkar-Kelkar-Museum
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