The Mormugão fort was located on the southern tip of the mouth of the

Zuari The Zuari River ''Zuvari,'' pronounced ) is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river which originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions. It ...

river in

Mormugao Mormugao is a seaport city situated in the eponymous Mormugao taluka (municipality) of the South Goa district, South district, in the Goa state, India. It has a deep natural harbour and remains Goa's chief port. Towards the end of the Indo-Po ...

in the state of Goa on the west coast of India.

History

This fortification was built on the order of the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

of the

Portuguese State of India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...

, Dom Francisco da Gama, Fourth

Count of Vidigueira Count of Vidigueira (in Portuguese ''Conde da Vidigueira'') was a Portuguese comital title of nobility awarded by King Manuel I of Portugal to Dom Vasco da Gama, who discovered the maritime route from Europe to India. The title was created by a roy ...

, during his second government, for the defense of South Goa bar, which was then capital of the state of India (

Estado da Índia The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...

). His works began in 1624, according to ancient epigraphic inscriptions. In that century, due to the continuous plagues and attacks that racked the old city of Goa, the Viceroys considered the transfer the capital of Portuguese India ( Índia Portuguesa) to

, for what purpose some buildings were erected. The high project costs led to its abandonment though. The area was lost in 1737, during the invasion of the Marathas. In the nineteenth century,

Nova Goa Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

(or Panjim, as it is currently known) became the new capital. Presently, the old fort is severely ruined.

Characteristics

The fort had a rectangular plan, with dimensions of 330 by 88 meters, with the vertices balurtes (pentagonal at the land side and quadrangular on the sea-side). Inside stood the service buildings. A "V" curtain with a circular tower at the angle, defended the fort's access to the harbor.

Bibliography

* AZEVEDO, Carlos de. ''A Arte de Goa, Damão e Diu''. Lisboa: Comissão Executiva do V Centenário do Nascimento de Vasco da Gama (1469-1969), 1970. plantas, fotos p/b.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mormugao fort Portuguese forts Forts in Goa

History

Characteristics

Bibliography

See also

References