Arnala is a small fishing village about 17 kms from Virar. The Arnala fort is on a small island. The island houses a village, fort and a private resort.
A mosque and a temple peacefully co-exists inside, without any qualms. The watch tower at the tip of the island, is a source of mysterious stories.
Reaching there: One can reach Virar by road as well as the Western Railway. State buses ply between Virar and Arnala. One can also catch a rickshaw from Virar to Arnala.

History
The fort was originally constructed in 1516 by a local chieftain of Gujarat, Sultan Mahmud Begda. In 1530s, the Portuguese, after establishing at Bassein (Vasai), conquered this fort, started reconstruction and named it as Ilhas das vocas. The Portuguese retained control of the fort for over 2 centuries.
In 1737, Chimaji Appa, brother of Baji Rao I, took control of Bassein fort in a battle, the Battle of Vasai. Soon after this, Shankarji Pant, Chimaji's general persuaded him to take on Portuguese to get Arnala Fort. The first attack was routed by Portuguese' naval force. Soon it was followed by a second assualt, which took Portuguese by surprise and they lost control of the fort. Marathas controlled the fort till 1817, when they were attacked by British and forced to surrender.

Information courtesy: www.Wikipedia.org