Murud

Introducing Murud

About 165km south of Mumbai, the sleepy fishing town of Murud is the most obvious first port of call. With a striking beach (though suffering from a little pollution carried down from Mumbai) and the commanding island fortress of Janjira, 5km south of the village, you’ll be happy you came.

Standing a little way offshore, the fortress was built in 1140 by Siddi Jahor and became the 16th-century capital of the Siddis of Janjira, descendants of sailor-traders from the Horn of Africa. Although constructed on an island, its 12m-high walls seem to emerge straight from the sea. This made the fort utterly impreg­nable, even to the mighty Marathas – Shivaji tried to conquer it by sea and his son, Sambhaji, attempted to tunnel to it. Today the fort has finally been conquered by none other than Mother Nature: its walls are slowly turning to rubble and its interior back into forest.

The only way to reach Janjira is by local boat (Rs 12 return, 10 minutes) from Rajpuri Port, about 5km south of Murud. Boats depart from 7am to 6pm daily, but require a minimum of 20 passengers. On weekends and holidays you won’t have to wait long. To get to Rajpuri from Murud, either take an autorickshaw (Rs 45) or hire a bicycle (Rs 4 per hour) from the small shop opposite the midroad shrine on Darbar Rd, Murud’s main beach road.

Back in Murud you can waste away the days on the beach, peer through the gates of the off-limits Ahmedganj Palace, estate of the Siddi Nawab of Murud, or scramble around the decaying mosque and tombs on the south side of town. If you want a quieter spot to swim, there’s a near-pristine beach a couple of kilometres to the north.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009