Arnala beach in Arnala near Virar in Maharashtra

Monday, November 5, 2018

Arnala beach is located in Arnala near Virar in Maharashtra. Arnala Fort is located very close to the beach.

Arnala beach in Arnala near Virar in Maharashtra

 We decided to travel to Virar station by a local train and from there board the State Transport bus to the beach. One can also travel to the beach via a private vehicle or rickshaw. Directions to Arnala beach are tagged on google maps. 


Refreshments are available near the beach premises.

Waves lashing onto the black sands of Arnala beach in Arnala near Virar in Maharashtra

We reached the beach around 5 PM like always. The sun was shining with cool breeze blowing. The waters appeared like glittering gold due to the sun. There were a couple of locals who were out for a swim in the waters. We didn't venture in the waters. 

Garbage and people at Arnala beach in Arnala near Virar in Maharashtra

Sad to say but there was a lot of garbage on the shores of Arnala Beach. Hopefully beach cleaning needs to be undertaken. i guess it was high tide due to which the garbage would have landed on the shores.

Arnala fort on the island

Arnala is a black sand beach. We clicked a couple of photos and then waited for the sun to set. Got some wonderful photos here. We could see the island of Arnala which houses the Arnala fort in a distance. 

Fathima and Me at Arnala beach in Arnala near Virar in Maharashtra

We then decided to head back home. 

Arnala Fort

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Arnala Fort is built on an small island which can be accessed by a ferry from Arnala village. Arnala Village is located 10 KM away from Virar Railway station and around 14 KM away from Vasai Railway station on Western line. St. Peter's Church is also located here.

Old lighthouse near Arnal Fort

I saw the photos of Arnala fort on the Internet. The fort was in good condition, so I decided to pay a visit to it. This fort is also known as Jaldurg (literally sea-fort in Hindi) or Jangire- Arnala. This fort was built by a local chieftain from Gujarat and later owned by the Portuguese colonials.

St Peter's Church at Arnala Village

I asked my friend Hitesh to accompany me, I met Hitesh when I was in the 10th grade. Since both of us like trekking I asked him to join me in exploring the fort, and he agreed. So we decided that we would go to see the fort on a Saturday.

Lighthouse and Arnala Fort in a distance

Come Saturday morning, we boarded a fast train to Virar from Andheri Station on platform 4, alighted at Virar and boarded the ST bus to Arnala Village. Share and private rickshaw's also ply to the fort.It took us 35 minutes to reach the village. Alternatively Arnala Village can also be reached by ST bus from Vasai ST bus stand located outside Vasai railway station. No share rickshaw's are available from Vasai station.

Bastion at Arnala Fort

Arnala Market was the last stop for the bus and that is where we alighted. The market was packed with people. Smell of fish lingered all around. There was a Church nearby. St. Peter's Church. We entered the church, sat inside silently for some time and then headed out to see the fort.

Entrance to Arnala Fort

Fortification of Arnala Fort

We had to walk through narrow gullies surrounded by the houses of the local fisher folk on our way to the ferry wharf. Arnala fort, being a sea-fort, is in the middle of the water. This fact was not known to us earlier and it took us by surprise to know that we would need to go through waist-deep water to board the ferry. Our trousers were going to be wet. But we had not come all this way just to be put off by the fear of getting wet. As a lot of people stay on the island, the ferry was packed with more people than it could carry. But it was just the two of us who made it to the fort. Clearly the fort is not a must-see item on the agenda of tourists.

Fortification of Arnala Fort

Finally after 20 minutes, we reached the entrance of the fort. The fort was in very good condition. It has a hexagonal shaped water reservoir, temples and tombs. The main door of the fort is carved. It has a few bastions on it. It took us around 2 hours to see the entire fort along with photo shoots, of course.

Light House at a distance from Arnala Fort

Water tank at Arnala Fort

There is a lighthouse nearby which is around an hour’s distance from the fort. Unfortunately, there is no proper entrance to it. So we had to satisfy ourselves with looking at it from the outside.

Temple within Arnala Fort

Arnala Beach from Arnala Fort

The trek had tired us out considerably. Finally at the end of the day, we boarded the ferry and headed back to Arnala village and from there headed home.

Other sea forts I have visited are Murud Janjira, Alibag Fort and (Khanderi and Undheri )Forts in Alibag and Sindhudurg in Malvan.