FORTRESS OF AGUADA, SINQUERIM Fort Aguada and its lighthouse is a well-preserved seventeenth-century Portuguese fort standing in Goa, India, on Sinquerim beach, overlooking the vast expanses of Arabian Sea. |
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IMAGE COLLECTION Aaron C., 2008 (Flickr) Goa Central, 2001 (goacentral.com) Shail, 2006 (Panoramio) Elisabeth, 2008 (Picasa) (Google Images) |
SOURCES OF INFORMATION 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 District. More... O início da construção do complexo da Aguada é posterior ao da Fortaleza dos Reis Magos de Goa. Os seus trabalhos iniciaram-se com a construção do Forte de Santa Catarina em 1605, após o ataque de sete embarcações Neerlandesas à barra de Goa no ano anterior (1604), por determinação do Vice-rei do Estado da Índia, D. Aires de Saldanha, e estavam concluídos em 1612, no governo de Rui Lourenço de Távora. More... The Fort Aguada, built of laterite stone in AD 1812, comprises of a lower fort with bastions all around and an upper fort. The lower fort, besides offering a safe berth to Portuguese ships, was also their water storing point – for the place had a perennial water supply. The word Aguada in Portuguese means a “watering place”. The upper fort, located about 200 feet above sea level comprises of a moat, underground water storage chamber, lighthouse, gunpowder room and bastions. It also has a secret escape passage to use during the time of emergency. The storage capacity of the tank is 23,76,000 gallons. More... The construction of the fort of Aguada had begun in 1604 and on its tip a round tower, tall and white that could be seen from a distance. It was in all probability the structure upon which was placed a light to aid navigators approaching the creek. However, Priest Gabriel Saldanha affirms that ‘the lighthouse of Aguada is of the time of the conquest of Goa’, implying that in 1510 there already existed a light atop the hill at Aguada to aid ships that approached the creek of Goa. More... Aguada Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1612 and stands on the beach at Candolim flanked by the bank of the Mandovi River in the district of North Goa in Goa state, India. The fort was constructed to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas. More... Conservation of the fortification of the Lower Aguada Fortress and related socioeconomic pressures at Candolim, Goa – A case study Fort Aguada is strategically situated at the estuary of the river Mandovi and was constructed in 1612 as a guard against invasions from the Dutch and the Marathas. The walls of the fort are 5 m high and 1.3 m wide. It is of little surprise then, that this remains the only fort that was not conquered by any invaders during the 450 year long rule of the Portuguese empire. "Agua" in Portuguese means water, thus the fort derived its name "Aguada" to denote a place where water is accumulated. The area around the fort housed a large well and a number of springs that provided fresh drinking water to voyagers that arrived by ship. More... |
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