Janjira Fort
Origins of the name The word Janjira is not native to India, and may have originated after the Arabic word Jazeera , which means an island. Murud was once known in Marathi as Habsan ("of Habshi " or Abyssinian). 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 . History Janjira State During its heyday the island fort boasted having 572 cannons. Visitors can gain access to the Janjira fort from Rajapuri, a small village on the coast. After a short ride in a small boat, one can enter the fort through the main entrance. The fort is oval shaped instead of the usual oblong or square shape. The fort wall is about 40 feet high and has 19 rounded porches or arches, some of which still have cannons mounted on them, including the famous cannon Kalaal Baangadi. These cannons were largely res...