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Showing posts from March, 2018
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GOAN FORT Introduction It is named after the river on whose banks the fort is located Though built by Sawantwadi ruler Maharaja khem Savant Bhonsale Terekhol fort was captured by Portuguese in 1746 it is also famous in goan history as the site of revolt against the Portuguese rule              REIS MAGOUS FORT ·         History The fort which stands on the hill overlooking the Reis Magos Church today, is by no means the original structure, nor is it the first to have been constructed in this locale. The first incarnation of this fort was a military outpost, built in 1493 by the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur. When the Sultanate was defeated by the Portuguese, a fort was constructed in 1551 to be the first line of defence for the then capital, Velha Goa. This fort was enlarged at various times, before being completely reconstructed in 1707.
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SINQUERIM   FORT The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas . It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim , at the shore of the Mandovi River . It was initially tasked with defense of shipping and the nearby Bardez sub district. A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning Water. Crews of passing ships would often visit to replenish their fresh water stores. On the fort stands a four-storey Portuguese lighthouse, erected in 1864 and the oldest of its kind in Asia. Built in 1612, it was once the grandstand of 79 cannons. It has the capacity of storing 2,376,000 gallons of water, one of the biggest freshwater storages of the time in whole of Asia. This fort is divided in two segments: the upper part acted as fort and watering station, while the lower part...
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  CHAPORA FORT Chapora Fort , located in Bardez , Goa , rises high above the Chapora River . Before the Portuguese arrived in Goa in 1510, this location was the site of another fort. The fort changed hands several times after Portuguese acquired Bardez. Trying to end the Portuguese rule in Goa, Prince Akbar joined his father’s enemies, the Marathas in 1683 and made this place his base camp. It became the northern outpost of the Old Conquests . After the Portuguese recovered from an encounter with the Marathas, they strengthened their northern defences and provided shelter to the people there. The present fort was built in 1717, replacing the older fortifications. Across the Chapora river, the Hindu ruler of Pernem , the Maharaja of Sawantwadi who was an old enemy of the Portuguese held the fort for two years after it fell to the Marathas in 1739 in its first test. When Goa's border moved northwards with the acquisition of Pernem as part of the New Conquests , the fo...