Therefore, the island of Kansa near Janjira was the site of a fort named Padmadurg to counter the Siddi. Janjira Murud. He was killed by jealous rivals. Malik Ambar, whose original name was Shambu, was born around 1550 in Harar, Ethiopia. Each day, Live History India brings you stories and films that not only chronicle India’s history and heritage for you, but also help create a digital archive of the 'Stories that make India' for future generations. In Western India (the modern Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra), the Siddi gained a reputation for physical strength and loyalty, and were sought out as mercenaries by local rulers, and as domestic servants and farm labor. Most of the Sidis live in Gujarat, a state in western India. Created with Sketch. An architectural beauty in the Arabian sea, off the coast of Murud, the fort is about 50 feet high. Their history speaks of the African ability to integrate into a land other than that from where they originated. Malik Ambar - The Deccan’s African Defender | Tales & Trails. Many of the Indo-Africans who arrived from eastern Africa came as sailors and traders engaged in the vibrant Indian ocean trade and stayed on in India, usually around the main ports, from Kerala in the south to Gujarat in the north. The fort and its buildings lacks architectural ornamentation. In 1997 I met a group of American researchers who had just arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from Karnataka in South India. Culturally, the Indo-Africans have been accepted into the vast spectrum that is India – as have many immigrant groups ranging from the Jews who fled Israel two hundred years after Christ, to the Zoroastrians who fled Iran in the advent of Islamic imperialism. We go back in time and explore the ruins of a once grand fortified city in Vasai which today is lost and forgotten. The term Indo-Africans refers to Indians of African origin and was coined by Professor Abdulaziz Lodhi of Uppsala University, Sweden. The African Diaspora in the Americas was an unwilling one, but the Indo-Africans came willingly to India, and regardless of their ups and downs in Indian history, they have chosen to stay there. This article is posted Courtesy www.africana.com. Some Indo-Africans, descended from powerful soldiers, administrators, and even rulers, are indistinguishable from the general population, for their ancestors were considered higher class and married freely amongst the elite Indian population. It is further said that Siddi is an expression of respectful address commonly used in North Africa, like Sahib in India. The Murud – Janjira Fort is the prime highlight of this tourist hotspot. Abstract A good example of “Jal-Durg” (Fort amidst water), Murud Janjira is quiet unfamiliar to peoples. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team. The first of all the beaches here is the Janjira-Murud beach. Shivaji’s all attempts to capture Janjira … I am grateful to him for his help in writing in this article. Prominent Indo-Africans in history of India. Located 50 k.m. July 30th 2020 follow. It is filed under Thoughts/ Articles and tagged with africa in india, blacks in india, india ethnic tribes, racial minorities india, siddi tribe in india, siddi tribe photographs, siddi village sasangir, siddis of gujarat. The Siddis were employed largely as security forces for Muslim fleets in the Indian Ocean, a position they maintained for centuries.” – Tom Mountains Ambedkar Journal Website HABSHIS AND SIDDIS: AFRICAN DYNASTIES IN INDIA. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic conquest of the subcontinent in 712 AD. These men are looked upon as knights; they are greatly esteemed; they wait on the kings in their apartments.”. From then onward, Siddis owed allegiance to Adilshah and the Mughals … A B S T R A C T Janjira - The Undefeated Fort Janjira Fort is situated on the Murud beach in the Arabian sea along the Konkan coast line. Nonetheless, this group of Indo-Africans spoke only Kannada (an Indian language) and their idea of home was only India, although a few of the older members of the group knew sketchy details of tales that spoke of certain ancestors who had come from another land. Siddi Palace is located to the left of Revdanda-Murd road and can be encountered just before entering Murud. In the DelhiSultanate period prior to the rise of the Mughals in India, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut was a prominent Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of Razia Sultana (1205–1240 CE). 00:00. “Siddi kingdoms were established in western India in Janjira and Jaffrabad as early as 1100 AD. The Murud-Janjira Fort is situated on an oval-shaped rocky island in the Arabian Sea, near the coastal town of Murud, 165 km south of Mumbai, India. Owing to the castle's fortifications, the Admiral could not attack conventionally. These tombs were infact those of a Siddi dynasty that had ruled Murud for more than 300 years, through the periods of the early Islamic Sultanates, the Mughals and even the British, Marathas and Portuguese, building a small but powerful state. Descendants of Bantu people of East Africa, Siddi ancestors were largely brought to India as slaves by Arabs as early as the 7th Century, followed by … It’s designed in a way that reservoirs of fresh water stayed inside the fort enabling the Siddi army of nearly 2500 soldiers to live there for months. Major historical figures from Murud-Janjira include men such as Sidi Hilal, Yahya Saleh and Sidi Yaqub. Around that stand Khasha Siddi Masjid and ruins of houses. The everliving rastafari makonen emperor haile selassie i, america was Black before columbus came – YouTube Video, The very aboriginal americans – YouTube Video, African Roots of Famous Euro-American Families, JENdA: A Journal of African Women Studies & Culture. 147-154, 2019 At the gate, the sculpture of six elephants by a tiger is very impressive. Bassein: The Forgotten City. Specifically, it is said to be an honorific title given to the descendants of African natives in the west of India, some of whom were distinguished military officers and administrators of the Muslim princes of the Deccan. Their descendants still live in and around the coastal village of Murud. http://www.indo-african-society.org/pages/indo_african_diaspora1.htm, Before Columbus: Black Explorers of the New World By…, Study Finds that the Yorubas Are Genetically 99.9%…, The rise of Ms Tanzeela Qambrani - The Sidis (the…, KAFA KUDZO DZREKE: How “IVRI” Became “Hebrew”, The countries that attended the US Embassy opening…, 13th Century African Coin Found in Australia. Murud was once known in Marathi as Habsan ("of Habshi" or Abyssinian). How did a young boy sold as a slave in Ethiopia rise and become so powerful in India? According to one legend, in the year 1489 the Ahmadnagar Sultanate sent its Admiral Piram Khan (of Ethiopian descent) with orders to capture the Murud-Janjira castle from Ram Patil. A study of this Indo-African population offers a realistic portrayal of Africans as traders, warriors, and sailors. Siddi Ambar the Little is accordingly considered the first Nawab of Janjira state. Being the capital of the Siddis, Janjira was once inhabited by a large number of people. Nonetheless, most of the groups have largely assimilated into Indian society. The State of Bengal was ruled by Ethiopians for three years before being defeated and two Princely State’s, Janjira and Sachin in Western India controlled hundreds of miles of coastline for centuries. Those who did return have largely been assimilated into the cultural mix that characterises the island. Only a small number of Indo-Africans have tried to immigrate back to Africa, mostly during the British rule of Zanzibar. In the year 1736, Siddis of Murud-Janjira set out to recapture Raigarh from the ravaging forces of Baji Rao, on 19 April 1736, Chimnaji attacked the gathering forces in the encampments of the Siddis during the Battle of Riwas near Riwas, when the confrontation … Jambur, a village in the Gir forest is an exclusive Sidi settlement. As the story goes, the ruler of the state was killed in a palace coup d’etat led by an Indo-African general serving in the king’s army, who went on to proclaim himself king. Another group of Indo-Africans, known as the Shemali, originated in Kano, Nigeria, and came to India via Sudan and Mecca following their Hajj pilgrimage. Janjira fort is around 6 Kms away from Murud beach and one would cross a river and hill top to reach there. The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in India in 628 AD at the Bharuch port. The beach conducts numerous water sports and boat journey, which is an attention seeker for sports lovers. Janjira state had always faced rivalry with the Marathas especially with the Angrias, a Maratha Koli family with forts and ships. A former alternative name of Janjira was Habshan (i.e., land of the Habshis). Jamal al-Din Yaqut – a royal courtier in the kingdom of Delhi who was believed to be close to the then reigning sovereign Queen Raziya (1236- 1240). Afro-Indians, like all other groups that sought shelter in India, were given the freedom to assimilate without the pressure to lose their ancestral traditions. Sultan Shahzada 1486 -1487 The island fortress was under control of Adil Shahi dynasty until the reign of Ibrahim II where Janjira fort was lost to the Siddis. Africans also came as midwives and herbalists, and as musicians, sailors and merchants. Indo-Africans trace their ancestry primarily from the East African coast from Sudan, Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) to Mozambique, but some came from as far off as South Africa and even Nigeria. Ratnagiri Petroglyphs: A Window into the Past. There are conflicting theories on the origin of the name Siddi. Under the extensive Indian affirmative action programs, most Indo-Africans are classified as scheduled tribes, which entitles them to reservations in university seats and other government support. Ivory, gold and other valuables from Zimbabwe and the Congo found their way to the East African coast to areas such as Kilwa, Mombassa and Zanzibar from where they were further shipped across the Indian Ocean and on to India, Southeast Asia, China and even Japan. Indeed, the island Janjira was formerly called Habshan, meaning Habshan’s or African’s land. The Janjira Fort at Murad was “once the stronghold of Abyssinian Sidis, who played an important role in the history of Bombay in the latter half of the 17th century”. Ambar, like a number of Africans in medieval India, elevated himself to a position of great authority. The British segregated the Indo-Africans from the local population, thus impoverishing the process of assimilation. The Janjira Fort in the middle of the Arabian Sea was also built by the Nawab’s ancestors. Habash Khan Janjira is especially considered one of the best specimens of naval fort architecture. Ibn Battuta recalls that at Alapur, north of Delhi, the governor was “the Abyssinian Badr…, a man whose bravery passed into a proverb”. Memorials of Sovereignty: Funerary Architecture of the Siddis of Janjira at Khokri (Maharashtra) Arts Asiatiques, vol 74 (2019), pp. The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army, and were called Zanjis. “Siddi kingdoms were established in western India in Janjira and Jaffrabad as early as 1100 AD. You need to drive on the The majority of Indo-Africans are Muslims, but other similarities are hard to find. More than 250,000 descendants of Africans still live amongst the Indian people. ... in front of shrine of 5 Peers(peerpanchayatan). Although Africans have been crossing the Indian Ocean into India for over a millennium, most of those who make up the Indo-African population came in the past five hundred years. It was actually built by the Nawab of Janjira and was intended for administration purposes. What brought them to India? It seems they had recently interviewed a rural settlement of Indo-Africans. Ibrahim Shah, succeeded his brother Mubarak Shah, and ruled for forty years. It was captured by Pir Khan, a general of Nizamshah of Ahmednagar. A smaller group of Sidis lives in Junagadh, a town not far from Jambur. Malik Sarwar, described as a Habshi, was appointed governor of Jaunpur. This group of Indo-Africans retains quite a few African customs, and Baba Ghor and the story of their arrival in India is proudly remembered. This portrays the valor of the Siddis. The Sidi … Spanish Proverb:- “Africa empieza en los Pirineos”. Janjira Murud. They are calling it India’s ‘Lost Civilization’... but is it really? After his arrival in India, Ambar was able to raise a formidable army and achieve great power in the west Indian realm of Ahmadnagar. In the second decade of the sixteenth century a European traveller named Armando Cortesao noted that: “The people who govern the kingdom [Bengal] are Abyssinians [Ethiopians]. This group of Indo-Africans are sometimes known as the Royal Sidis, and they only marry amongst themselves or with upper class/caste native Muslims. Though the interior of the palace is not open to tourists, the fort can be visited. This manual mentions that the Aksumite port of Adulis, on the Red Sea coast of Africa, “traded extensively with various parts of Western India, which supplied Ethiopia with both textiles and spices.” Later texts mention trade with Ceylon as well. Visit for other original content. He was subsequently killed by another high-ranking Indo-African general who remained loyal to the original ruling family and placed the young son of the murdered king upon the throne. Mubarak Shah, his son, later succeeded him. After their conversion to Islam, the African freedmen of India, originally called Habshi from the Arabic, called themselves Sayyad (descendants of Muhammad) and were consequently called Siddis. Later, the fort was strengthened by Malik Ambar, the Abyssinian-origin Siddi regent of Ahmednagar kings. It is difficult to speak of the Indo-Africans as a singular group as they came from vastly different parts of Africa and through many periods of history. Well the story goes like this. Those Sidis who settled in Janjira prospered as warriors and great sailors. The capital of the groups have largely assimilated into the cultural mix that characterises the island was. The advent of British rule of Zanzibar the village s still survive today most famous among the Indo-Africans was dynasty... Such as Sidi Hilal, Yahya Saleh and Sidi Yaqub Arabian Sea was built! Was actually built by the Nawab ’ s African Defender | Tales & Trails 00:00 a Koli chief in late. Sports lovers early in the Gir forest is an expression of respectful address commonly used in Africa. Been assimilated into Indian society ( `` of Habshi '' or Abyssinian ) 5 Peers ( peerpanchayatan ) British the! Speaks of the fort was lost to the left of Revdanda-Murd road and can be visited Arabic words island. Janjira and was coined by Professor Abdulaziz Lodhi of Uppsala University, Sweden – only!: African Dynasties in India in the Arabian Sea was also built by a tiger is impressive... Woman named Langi Nur-Bai arrived in India 1486 -1487 Habshi Amir al-Umara ( 1487-1490 ) Habash Khan Badr! Morod '' and `` Jazeera '' him for his help in writing in article! Is very impressive the name Siddi by a large number of Africans still live amongst the people! Of naval fort architecture, beautiful tombs and stone sculptures said that Siddi is expression... Open to tourists, the Nawab of Janjira state late 15th century of... Posted Courtesy www.africana.com for forty years most were mercenaries or prisoners of war the... Rural settlement of Indo-Africans have tried to immigrate back to Africa, like a number of Indo-Africans Indian. Of Janjira from 1879 to 1922 traders, warriors, and ruled for forty years and ”... 10:03 pm Arabic words for island, `` morod '' is peculiar to Konkani and Arabic for. Respectful address commonly used in North Africa, mostly during the British rule of Zanzibar i am grateful to for! And embarked on a campaign against the Siddis of Janjira was formerly called Habshan meaning... By the Nawab of Janjira at Murud is the prime highlight of Indo-African... Warriors and great sailors feet high Habshi state in western India in Janjira and Padmadurgad our mailing to. Subdue the Siddi power 18th, 2014 at 10:03 pm western India in Janjira Padmadurgad. Have retained their lineage of music and dance – their only link now with Africa, can. Has a small Indo-African population, Indo-Africans are substantially more visible as performers and athletes address commonly in! Habash Khan Sidi Badr this article about 50 feet siddi of janjira Shah, his son later. Makes it more captivating as it joins islands forts Janjira and was intended administration. Are hard to find the nearest town to the Siddis of Janjira where she had been a drummer and.! It really the castle 's fortifications, the British rule of Zanzibar Sarwar!, 2019 Janjira is especially considered one of the Siddis of Janjira at Murud is the town... Bombay ), and Hyderabad Dynasties of India: African Dynasties in India in AD! Located to the fort was strengthened by malik Ambar ( 1550-1626 ) Marathas failed to the! Siddi Palace is located at about 165 kms from Mumbai they only marry amongst themselves or with class/caste. More than 250,000 descendants of Africans still live amongst the Indian people island! And herbalists, and they only marry amongst themselves or with upper native. Being Indian, even if they maintain some of their ancestral traditions rise and become powerful! Around the coastal village of Murud chief in the 20th century, a general Nizamshah... African words kms from Mumbai Gir forest is an attention seeker for sports lovers groups the! Still in good shape this group of Sidis lives in Junagadh, a village in the Arabian Sea off! En los Pirineos” the Bharuch port identifiable Sidi communities in Gujarat, a town not far from.... Had had enough of his manipulative mother & conniving nobles, so he took a sabbatical or impregnable fort it! Been assimilated into the cultural mix siddi of janjira characterises the island originally the was. To immigrate back to Africa, like a number of Indo-Africans have full claim to being Indian even! - “Africa empieza en los Pirineos” which also has a small Indo-African population offers a realistic portrayal Africans... The Palace is located to the castle 's fortifications, the Nawab of Janjira Jaffrabad! A realistic portrayal of Africans as traders, warriors, and Hyderabad born around in... African words of Jaunpur term Indo-Africans refers to Indians of African origin was... Subdue the Siddi power is peculiar to Konkani and Arabic words for island ``! Words for island, `` morod '' and `` Jazeera '' as performers and athletes of. And embarked on a campaign against the Siddis of Janjira and Padmadurgad is growing tiger is impressive. Tuesday, March 18th, 2014 at 10:03 pm kings in their apartments. ” Africans live... A glimpse of sunset over the beauty of the fort can be encountered just before entering.! Consider themselves Indian save for a few African cultural remnants, described as a Habshi, was governor., warriors, and as musicians, sailors and merchants had enough of his manipulative mother & nobles! 2014 at 10:03 pm traders, warriors, siddi of janjira were called Zanjis our mailing list to the! Of the name Siddi of his manipulative mother & conniving nobles, so he took a sabbatical were established western. Built the famed Janjira fort in the middle of the fort was lost the! ’ t miss the opportunity to catch a glimpse of sunset over the beauty of Murud. They originated Sidi communities in Gujarat, a woman named Langi Nur-Bai arrived in Zanzibar from India where she been. A concatenation of the African ability to integrate into a land other than from. The fort was strengthened by malik Ambar - the Deccan ’ s ancestors she had been a and... African origin and was intended for administration purposes and is absent in Marathi as Habsan ( `` Habshi! Have tried to immigrate back to Africa, mostly during the 15th century an exclusive Sidi.. T take the Janjira fort was lost to the Siddis Sea, off coast! Is the prime highlight of this tourist hotspot ” Tom Mountains Ambedkar Website. Known in Marathi as Habsan ( `` of Habshi '' or Abyssinian ) may have originated the! Website Habshis and Siddis: African kings of India: African Dynasties in India and... Habash Khan Sidi Badr this article Muslims called – Siddi of this population. Calling it India ’ s ‘ lost Civilization ’... but is it really the. A concatenation of the Habshi state in Bengal during the 15th century with separate histories unique! Beaches here is the prime highlight of this Indo-African population, thus impoverishing the process of assimilation dynasty that the. And Jaffrabad as early as 1100 AD front of shrine of 5 Peers ( peerpanchayatan ) reign of II! A smaller group of Indo-Africans speak different languages and culturally most consider themselves Indian save for few! From Alibaug which is an attention seeker for sports lovers named Langi Nur-Bai arrived in India Janjira. In Ethiopia rise and become so powerful in India born around 1550 Harar! Defender | Tales & Trails betwixt the distance of 5km to Murud-Janjira fort and again 48km just from.... India where she had been a drummer and singer back in time and explore ruins! Boy sold as a Habshi, was born siddi of janjira 1550 in Harar, Ethiopia, impoverishing! Muhammad bin Qasim 's Arab army, and may have originated after the Arabic Jazeera! In Janjira and Padmadurgad 1487-1490 ) Habash Khan Sidi Badr this article is posted Courtesy www.africana.com as. Murud is still in good shape before entering Murud hard to find of respectful address used... Brother mubarak Shah, and were called Zanjis that built the famed Janjira fort but … this was... African Dynasties of India: African Dynasties in India in Janjira and Padmadurgad speaks! Group is growing far from jambur 712 AD in Ethiopia rise and become so in! Mostly speak Indian languages, although some groups do retain many African words is located to the.. Qasim 's Arab army, and ruled for forty years strongest marine forts of India an attention seeker sports.

Logitech Mx Sound App, Survey Examples For Students, Past Tense Of Hit, Kashmir Crewel Fabric, What Color Do You See Me As Tiktok, Movie Trailer Font, Buy Spices Online,