Arnala Fort Trip

Went to Arnala Fort on Sunday with BD. First heard about the fort at this photo blog.

Took the 7.14 train to Virar and then an S.T bus to Arnala from Virar West that took 20 mins. Visited the town church first before heading out to the beach, which was filthy. Local villagers use it as an open toilet. We walked the entire length of the beach to get to where a boat takes people to the island that the fort is situated on. The boat ride is only a few minutes long.

Did take some pics though, before getting on the boat to the island.




Once on the island, we walked through a little village to reach the fort, which we explored quite thoroughly. The fort walls are intact and the square shaped area enclosed by those walls is used by the villagers for cultivation. It also houses a temple and a mosque.

I learned an important lesson while taking photos of the fort's interiors. Use natural lighting as much as possible instead of flash, particularly when indoors.




Stairs placed at intervals along the inner rim of the fort wall led us to the top of the wall, which is walkable all the way round.



Also saw a lot of gun turrets.


And the view from the fort's highest point.


The history of the fort mirrors the history of most of Mumbai's suburbs. It was originally under the control of the Mughals, who lost it to the Portuguese, who lost it to the Marathas, who lost it to the British, who lost it to the Republic.

We made our way back to the island's beach after exploring the fort, from where we returned to Arnala beach by boat. This time, instead of walking the length of the beach, we cut through the town on our way back to the bus stop, saving us time and preserving our sense of aestheticism.

Arnala Fort Trip