Fort Aguada is a seventeenth-century Portuguese-era

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, built in 1612, along with a lighthouse, standing in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, India, on Sinquerim Beach, overlooking the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

. It is an ASI protected Monument of National Importance in Goa.

Origins and history

Aguada fort was originally constructed in 1612 to guard against the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

. It was a reference point for the vessels coming from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

at that time. This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of

Candolim Candolim is a census town in North Goa and is located in the Bardez taluka in the state of Goa, India. It is situated just south of Calangute, Calangute Beach and North of Sinquerim. History During the late 16th century, Candolim became the ...

, at the shore of the

Mandovi River The Mandovi (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) or Mahadayi (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), formerly known as the Rio de Goa, is a river described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa. The Mandovi and the Zuari River, Zua ...

. It was initially tasked with defense of shipping and the nearby

Bardez ''Bardez'' or ''Bardes'' ( IPA: ) is a ''taluka'' of the North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. Etymology The name is credited to the Saraswat Brahmin immigrants who emigrated to the Konkan via Magadha plains in northern India. B ...

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 Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

y in the Portuguese language. Crews of passing ships would often visit to replenish their freshwater stores. The Aguada Fort Lighthouse erected in 1864 is the oldest of its kind in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Built in 1612, it was once the grandstand of 79

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

s. It has the capacity of storing 2,376,000

gallon The gallon is a unit of volume in British imperial units and United States customary units. The imperial gallon (imp gal) is defined as , and is or was used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including Ireland, Canada, Australia ...

s of water, one of the biggest freshwater storage of the time in whole of

. This fort is divided in two segments: the upper part acted as fort and watering station, while the lower part served as a safe berth for Portuguese

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

s. Whereas the upper part has a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

, underground

water storage Water storage is a broad term referring to storage of both potable water for consumption, and non potable water for use in agriculture. In both developing countries and some developed countries found in tropical climates, there is a need to store ...

chamber,

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

room,

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

, and

bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

s, it also has a secret escape passage to use during time of war and emergency. The lighthouse at the initial stage is used to emit light once in 7 minutes. Fort Aguada was the most prized and crucial fort of Portuguese. The fort is so large that it envelops the entire

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

at the southwestern tip of

. Built on the mouth of

, it was strategically located and was the chief defense of Portuguese against the

. During the Salazar Administration, Fort Aguada was repurposed for use as a prison primarily, some claim, for Salazar's political opponents.

Aguada lighthouse

The Aguada lighthouse was built in 1864 on a hill located on the west to the fort. It is one of the oldest in Asia. It is located across the river from the peninsula encompassing Panaji and just south of Candolim beach. It was replaced by a new lighthouse in 1976 after serving for about a century. There was a large bell on the lighthouse which was found in the ruins of Saint Augustine monastery in Old Goa.

Aguada Central Jail

The jail is a part of the fort and was the largest prison in Goa until 2015. The 17th-century Portuguese-era structure has been renovated by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation along with the Goa Heritage Action Group and Goa's freedom fighters and opened for tourists as a Freedom Struggle Museum to showcase Goa's freedom struggle and be a true tribute to the heroic deeds and glorious sacrifices of all those who took part in Goa's Liberation and who fought against the Portuguese rule and British rule for the freedom of India and were jailed there. It was inaugurated on December 19, 2021 by PM

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

. The redevelopment cost approximately Rs 22 crore under the Centre's Swadesh Darshan Scheme. This museum has two particular cells dedicated to liberation fighters T B Cunha and Ram Manohar Lohia, where they were imprisoned under the Portuguese regime. This site also contains Portuguese cannons, and several monuments to Goa's anti-colonial struggle.

Taj Fort Aguada Resort

Taj Fort Aguada Resort formerly Fort Aguada Beach Resort is part of Taj Hotel Group. The hotel opened in 1974 at the site of the historic Portuguese Fort Aguada.

Gallery

File:Aguada Fort , Goa, India.JPG, File:Fort Aguada, Goa.jpg, File:Fort Aguada Goa.JPG, Fort Aguada lighthouse File:FortAquada1.jpg, Information Plaque File:FortAquada2.jpg, File:FortAquada5.jpg, File:FortAquada4.jpg, File:Fort Aguada Light House .jpg, File:Fort Aguada Light House 1.jpg File:Fortification wall of Auguda Fortress 1 ( Lower ).jpg, Fortification wall of Aguada Fortress (Lower) File:Fortification wall of Auguda Fortress 4 ( Lower ).jpg, Fortification wall of Aguada Fortress (Lower) File:Auguda Fortress 2 ( Upper ).jpg, Aguada Fortress (Upper) File:Auguda Fortress 5 ( Upper ).jpg, Aguada Fortress (Upper) File:Auguda Fortress 7 ( Upper ).jpg, Aguada Fortress (Upper) File:Auguda Fortress 8 ( Upper ).jpg, Aguada Fortress (Upper) File:Auguda Fortress 10 ( Upper ).jpg, Aguada Fortress (Upper) File:Agoda Goa RajakumarDhaamodharan.jpg, Agoda Goa RajakumarDhaamodharan File:Aguada Fort - Sinquerim Beach - Goa - 0001.jpg, Part of Aguada Fort, Sinquerim Beach, Goa

References

10 forts in goa

External links

Fort Aguada
- spherical panorama 360°. {{Forts in India, state=collapsed Aguada Portuguese forts in India Lighthouses in India Colonial Goa 17th-century forts in India 1612 establishments in India 1610s establishments in Portuguese India Buildings and structures completed in 1612 Tourist attractions in North Goa district Buildings and structures in North Goa district Star forts