My road trip to Murud with Milan is one of my favorite road trips till date, not only because the ride and destination was not planned until we were already on the bike but also because of the various experiences we faced on the way..attacked by locusts,getting lost in the mountains at Roha,riding in the night through swarms of insects and having an hour long baffling conversation with a koli woman for our accommodation for the night..just to name a few.

Murud is famous for the impregnable fort of Janjira and beautiful beach, situated in Raigad district of Maharashtra.It is famous for being the only fort along India’s western coast that remained undefeated despite Maratha, Dutch and English East India Company attacks.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, or Abyssinian’s land. Some of the people also split the name as “JAL JEERA” meaning fort in the water.

To Reach the Janjira Fort, sailboats are available from Murud Port (which is behind Ekdara Village) and Rajpuri port.
Murud doesn’t just have a Beach & the fort. It also has a Temple over the hill next to the New Bus Depot (known as Datta cha Dongar) Hill of Lord Dattatray. One can have a paranormic view of Murud & both the islands together from the hill.
Further ahead of the hill is an Idga Mosque, the walk though the dense jungle is a experience in itself.
The fort also boasts of a sweet water lake inside it. It is considered to be a miracle that the Fort surrounded by the salty water of the sea has a lake full of sweet water. Also the cannons in the fort are quite unique. The biggest cannon boasts a range of around 18 km. It is said that since the entire cannon could not have been transported at once they had to be brought in pieces and they were then assembled inside the fort.

A short history of the fort
The fort was built by the Koli (Fishermen) kings of Konkan and repelled all the attacks of Muslim rulers for almost two hundred years (till 1490). The subedar of Junnar, Mallik Ambar also tried to capture the fort in vain in 1485-86. Finally around 1490, he secretly sent a warship disguised as a merchant ship with 147 Habashi soldiers. The ship’s crew asked for refuge in the fort. The officer at the time, Etbatrao, agreed and took the ship in. The Habashi general, pretending to be a merchant gave liquor to the Koli soldiers. Habashi soldiers hiding in the goods containers attacked and defeated the intoxicated Koli soldiers.

Come the rains, Malshej Ghat, just three hours away from Mumbai offers a sublime experience to savour the beauty of the monsoon magic.
Everyone should visit Malshej in the monsoons atleast once – but not on a weekend when it is full of drunken louts misbehaving and littering the place with their broken bottles. Having said that,if you visit mid-monsoons mid week, it is paradise on earth.Post monsoons, go for the wildflowers and butterflies. From Dec to March go for the birds. But monsoon reveals the true glory of the region.

Mumbai to Malshej Ghat (Distance : 140 Kms):

Take Eastern Express Highway upto Bhiwandi and then state highway road to Malshej ghat (Mumbai – Bhiwandi – Kalyan – Saralgoan- Malshej Ghat)

Fun at Malshej Ghat

There are many trails that are ideal for a long walk in the rains. There are plenty of awe-inspiring sights of mountains and valleys as you walk. Sometimes, the dense fog means you cannot enjoy the views. Instead, you can enjoy the walk in the mist. If you do not want to follow any of the offbeat trail, walk on the road itself. The Malshej Ghat road in itself offers excellent views of waterfalls. However, it gets too crowded on Sundays.
It rains heavily in Malshej Ghat and the fun is actually in getting drenched and soaking oneself in one of the waterfalls. There’s nothing better than these simple pleasures of life. There are millions of waterfalls and finding the one that is right for you at Malshej Ghat should not be too difficult.

Malshej offers a unique phenomenon – the mountains are so aligned that the wind speed is very high. Owing to this, there are plenty of places where water rises upwards instead of falling down as a waterfall. Locals will tell you that when the velocity of the wind is too high, 50 ft of natural water sprays are formed.

The most famous guests of Malshej Ghat are the Flamingos. Myriads of pink-legged European flamingos arrive during the monsoon and breed in the waters of the Pimpalgaon-Joga Dam. It is just 4 kms away from Flamingo Hill and worth the visit to watch the mating dance of these birds. Apart from flamingos, many species including the Alpine Swift, Purple Moorhen, Pitta, Quail, Whistling Thrush, Green Pigeon, Pied Crested Cuckoo can be sighted in and around Malshej Ghat.

For those into trekking, Harishchandragad offers an excellent climb. To start the trek, reach Khubi village at a distance of 7 Kms from Malshej Ghat. It is advisable to hire services of a local guide. Peak monsoons may not be the best time for the trek. It is generally more enjoyable during winters.

Get on and get moving to Malshej Ghat and enjoy the next rains.