Murud-Janjira (pron.ⓘ) is the local name of a famous fort and tourist spot situated on an island just off the coastal town of Murud, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India.

[2] After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira.

However, the Nizam Shahi Sultan of Ahmadnagar Sultanate wanted to capture this wooden garrison purely for strategic reasons, and when his general Piram Khan captured it, Malik Ambar—his spokesperson who was also an Abyssinian regent of Siddi origin—decided to construct a solid rock fortress in place of the original wooden structure.

Murud-Janjira Fort is situated on an oval-shaped rock off the Arabian Sea coast near the port city of Murud, 165 km (103 mi) south of Mumbai, in the middle of the western Indian coastline.

[10] On the outer wall flanking the main gate, there is a sculpture depicting a tiger-like beast clasping elephants in its claws.

[citation needed] A special attraction of this fort are 3 gigantic cannons named Kalaal Baangadi, Chavri and Landa Kasam.

There is another fortress which is located on top of the hill around 32 km (20 mi) east of Murud-Janjira, named Ghosalgad, that was used as an outpost by the rulers of Janjira.

[14] In 1539, According to accounts written by the Portuguese admiral Fernão Mendes Pinto, the Ottoman fleet that first arrived in Aceh (prior to the Ottoman expedition to Aceh led by Kurtoğlu Hızır Reis), included 200 Malabar sailors from Janjira to aid the region of Batak and Maritime Southeast Asia.

[16] The island fortress was under control of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur Sultanate until the reign of Ibrahim II when the Janjira fort was lost to the Siddis.

According to records, these ships were unsuitable for fighting on the open sea against European warships, but their size allowed for transporting soldiers for amphibious operations.

One example of such a failed attack was the account of the 10,000 soldiers who were sent by the Maratha Peshwa Moropant Trimbak Pingle, and who were roundly repulsed by the Janjira army in 1676.

On 19 April 1736, the Maratha warriors Nanaji Surve and Chimaji Appa attacked the gathering forces in the encampments of the Siddis near Rewas.