The fort of Murud was being built by minor Koli chieftains as part of their defense against piracy when, by a stratagem, Siddis (African Muslims from Somalia), slaves and employees of the Bahamani Sultanate, seized it and made it their headquarters.
The tiny Muslim state of Murud-Janjira withstood attempts by many local powers, such as the Portuguese, English, Marathas, etc. to seize it but was never conquered. It allied at different times with different powers, often with the Mughal Empire and thrived off piracy. The Siddis even attempted to seize Bombay from England, and actually succeeded in overwhelming the English force but were driven out by a militia organized by a Parsi settler from among the natives who had immigrated from Surat. Finally, it entered the system of subsidiary alliance with Britain, becoming a princely state of British India, in which condition it remained until 1947, when it acceded to newly-independent India.
Created with Web Album Generator
