Arnala Fort Historical Facts and Pictures

Arnala Fort, also known as Jaldurg or Janjire-Arnala, is an island fort, located in Arnala, about 8 miles north of Vasai in Maharashtra, India. It was constructed in 1516 by Sultan Mahmud Begda as a strategic masterpiece, at the mouth of the Vaitarna River.

Sometime around 1530, the Portuguese, who had established their headquarters at Fort Bassein, took control of Arnala Island. The captain of Fort Bassein donated Arnala Fort to a Portuguese nobleman, who began reconstruction of the fort. Although the reconstruction was never completed, the fort remained under Portuguese control for more than two centuries. After successfully winning the Battle of Vasai in 1737, Chimaji Appa, of the Maratha Confederacy, launched an attack on Fort Arnala, which was successfully repelled by the Portuguese. A second coordinated attack on March 28, 1737, forced the Portuguese to abandon the fort. The Marathas commemorated this victory by installing a plaque on the northern wall of the fort that is visible even today. In 1817, the British annexed the fort after the third British-Maratha war in lieu of their superior naval strength. The fort was returned to the Marathas in keeping with the Treaty of Salabai, only to be again taken over by the British as per the Treaty of Pune.

The main entrance to the fort is towards North, and the doorway is beautifully decorated with pictures of elephants and tigers. An octagonal fresh water reservoir and temples of various deities including Lord Shiva, Bhavani and Hajjali, are present inside the fort. Towards the southern end of the island, there is a watchtower with no entrance gate . The Marathas added three bastions – Bahirav, Bhavani and Bava, with the ramparts still being in good condition.