Siddis of Janjira
Also called: Janjira · Topic: India, a Home to Many: Diasporas and Refuge · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Siddis of Janjira were Siddi chiefs of African origin. They held Janjira, an island fort off the Konkan coast near Murud in present-day Maharashtra. They first held it as naval commanders, or sea generals, for the Deccan sultans from about the 16th century. Later they became allies of the Mughals at sea. The fort was never taken by the Marathas. It became a princely state, a state ruled by a local ruler under British control, until 1948.
Example
In the 17th century, Shivaji and later Sambhaji attacked Janjira several times. They failed to capture it, and the fort stayed with the Siddis.
Don't confuse with
- Siddis (general community): most Siddis came to India as enslaved people and live today in Gujarat and Karnataka as a Scheduled Tribe. The Janjira Siddis were a small ruling group among them.