Strategically
built in 1612 at the estuary of the river Mandovi, the Aguada fort, is the
largest and the best preserved fortress in Goa! It was built to guard against
the Dutch and the Maratha invasions.
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| Entering the fort.... |
Fort Aguada was
the most prized and crucial fort of the Portuguese. It is so large that it
envelops the entire peninsula at the south western tip of Bardez! And is located
18 kilometres away from Panaji.
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| Inside the fort! |
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| History of the fort |
The walls of the
fort are 5 metres high and 1.3 metres wide. And it was protected by two hundred
cannons and a deep dry moat, which we had to cross to reach the inside of the
fort. No wonder it was the only fort which was not conquered by any invaders
during the 450 year regime of the Portuguese in Goa.
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| The moat and the high ramparts |
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| Dangerous terrain |
There is freshwater spring within the fort which provided water supply
to the ships that used to stop by to replenish their fresh water stores!
At the center of the courtyard, lies a huge
underground reservoir with a capacity of nearly 2.25 million gallons of water. It was one of the biggest
freshwater vaulted cistern of that time in Asia. "Agua" in Portuguese means water. Thus
"Aguada" denotes a place where water is accumulated and the fort was
aptly named ‘Aguada fort’
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| The massive water reservoir! |
This fort is
divided in two sections: the upper part comprised of a moat, underground water
storage chamber, gunpowder room, light house and bastions. It also has a secret
escape passage to use during time of war and emergency. The lower part served
as a safe harbor for the Portuguese ships.
On the ramparts,
behind the fort, is the famous Fort Aguada Beach Resort, a five star hotel,
owned by the Tata group. It is part of
an 88 acre (360,000 m2) complex, situated on Sinquerim beach, overlooking
the Arabian sea.
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| View of the Arabian sea |
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| Picturesque view from the fort |
A part of the Aguada fort has been transformed into
the Central jail too, which happens to be the largest jail in Goa.
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| The exit... |
A view of the St.
Lawrence church (Saint of the sailors) from this fort is very picturesque!
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| The distant view of the church |
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