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The Mormugão fort was located on the southern tip of the mouth of the
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 fl ...
river in Mormugao
Mormugao is a coastal town situated in the eponymous subdistrict of Southern Goa state, India. It has a deep natural harbour and remains Goa's chief port.
Towards the end of the Indo-Portuguese era in 1917, thirty-one settlements were c ...
in the state of Goa on the west coast of India.
History
This fortification was built on the order of theViceroy
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 Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
of the Portuguese State of India
The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...
, 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 Don (honorific), Dom Vasco da Gama, who discovered the maritime route from Europe to India. The title wa ...
, 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, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...
).
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
The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...
) to Mormugao
Mormugao is a coastal town situated in the eponymous subdistrict of Southern Goa state, India. It has a deep natural harbour and remains Goa's chief port.
Towards the end of the Indo-Portuguese era in 1917, thirty-one settlements were c ...
, 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 est ...
(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.See also
* Império portuguêsReferences