Often, the true mettle of the ruling Sidi nawab was revealed in his interaction with neighbouring powers and his competence in protecting the Janjira fort and adjoining territories from enemy attacks. As alluded to earlier, the structure and construction of the fort had potentially rendered it impregnable. This feature, in conjunction with the strategic location of the fort, had attracted at an early stage the attention of Shivaji, the overlord of the Konkan coast and founder of the Maratha kingdom in the seventeenth century. Shivaji had conquered much of the territory in the Konkan and Deccan regions ${ }^{2}$ and wished to gain control over the lands occupied by the Sidi nawabs of Janjira - the prime target being their seat of power, the fort. Under the tenure of the third Sidi ruler of Janjira, Sidi Fateh Khan, there was much discontent among the Sidi ranks. Shivaji took advantage of this unrest and lay siege to the fort of Janjira in 1659. Notwithstanding Fateh Khan's mettle, he could not endure the extended siege of the Marathas and, in order to save himself, he decided to hand over the fort to the enemy. Learning of this intent, two discontented Sidi chiefs who had left the fort in disgust sprang into action to save the fort and the position of the rulers of Janjira. They returned to the fort and soon fought off the Marathas (Robbins and McLeod, 2006, pp. 179-180). This setback, however, did not deter the Marathas, who laid siege to Janjira several times until the nineteenth century, first under the descendants of Shivaji and then under the Peshwas who took over the seat of Maratha power; but the Sidis remained triumphant. Thus, despite numerous attempts, the Janjira fort sustained its invincible status (Damad, c.1920, pp. 22-34, 45-46, 72-76, 94-95; Peshimam, n.d., pp. 4-8, 9-10, 16-18).  
It is therefore possible to argue that responsibility for the territory and subjects of Janjira lay not solely with its ruler, but also with the group of Sidi  
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