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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 hand 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.
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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 fort lost its military significance towards the end of the century.
It is a pleasant place to wander that offers fantastic views north
across the Chapora river to Pernem, south over Vagator and also far out
to the Arabian Sea in the West.
The fort sits on a prominent position which commands views in all
directions. It also has steep slopes on all sides. The fort follows the
outline of the higher slopes. This forms an irregular outer wall that
uses the natural form to add defensive height to the fortifications.
This offers an advantage over
dry ditches being dug. At the top of the steep approach track, the main
gate is small and unpretentious, but narrow and deep. Depending on
defence requirements, the positions of bastions are irregularly spaced
with enormous embrasures for cannon. Each bastion has a cylindrical
turret offering a special character to the fort.
Inside the fort, the church, once dedicated to St. Anthony, has
disappeared and inside only a few signs exist of the barracks and
housing that once filled this vast area. The wide expanse of open space
is only a tumble of stones, where a few herds of goats graze and cashew
bushes grow. A natural valley to the beach protected by rocky
promontories provides an excellent natural access to the sea.
How to
reach
Nearest airport is Goa
International Airport (IATA: GOI, ICAO: VOGO), more commonly known
as Dabolim Airport, is an
international airport located in the city of Dabolim in Goa.
One can easily reach Chapora Fort from the city by taking local Buses,
Rickshaws, Tongas and Taxis.
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