A well preserved seventeenth century Portuguese fort overlooking the Arabian Sea never ceases to invite with an open hand. Constructed in 1613 to protect the Dutch and the Marathas, the fort Aguada served as a reference point for the vessels that came from Europe at that time.
The fort Aguada stands on the south of Candolim at the Shore of Mandovi River. Standing majestically on the Sinquerim beach in Goa, fort Aguada has a fresh water opening from within its premises. It is the fresh water opening that gives the fort its name as fort Aguada. All the passing ships would stop over to fill up their drinking water barrels.
Tourism at fort Aguada
The fort today attracts several tourists from across the globe. Within the forts premises stands a lighthouse which is another attraction in the area. The lighthouse was erected in 1864 and it is the oldest of its kind. Serving as a grandstand of 79 cannons with a fresh water storage capacity of 2, 376,000 gallons of water, the storage capacity of the fort was a spectacle and the largest in entire Asia at that time. The fort comprised of two segments. The upper segment consisted of the fort and fresh water storage area and the lower segment served as a safe berth for ships to halt.
The upper segment of the fort also has a moat, a water storage chamber that’s underground, a gun powder room, light house and bastions. The upper segment of the fort also has a secret passage which was meant for escape during war and emergency. The lighthouse was abandoned in 1976 but prior to that it was used to flash light once in seven minutes. In the year 1834 it was changed to emit light to flash every thirty seconds.
Fort Aguada was an important and crucial fort for the Portuguese. The fort is huge in size which makes it a spectacular tourist attraction spot. The fort covers the entire peninsula at the south western tip of Bardez. The fort stands at the mouth of river Mandovi. It held a strategic importance for the Portuguese against the Dutch and Marathas.
Fort Aguada architecture
Surrounded by the sea, the moist wind, the old fort, the abandoned light-house, the intricate architecture behind the construction of this old fort makes it an interesting place to visit in Goa tour package. When the Salazar administration came into action the use of fort was changed to imprisoning prisoners especially Salazar’s political opponents. However these were just claims not a confirmed theory. It was also learnt that the inmates were tourists serving in theprison for crimes they committed with regards to dealing with drugs.
Despite the claims and all the other history related fort Aguada earned enough fame to make the Tata’s build a resort named fort Aguada beach resort. This 88 acre vast spread five star hotel overlooks the Arabian Sea and makes for a popular accommodation option in Goa.