This visit to the Reis
Magos Fort, Nerul, Goa,
was a part of the Goa Heritage walk to the temples and Heritage sites, organized
by Aatrupadai, from 5th December 2025 to 7th
December 2025. Thanks to திருச்சி பார்த்தி for organising the Heritage walk.
BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE FORT
The Mandon, unlike
the Ganges, is a quiet flowing river. But in the 16th century, when Alfonso de
Albuquerque made his entry into its waters in February 1510, he got the feel of
the might of a small fortified outpost built by the king of Bijapur. Yusuf Adil
Shah, on the southern side of Bardez taluka. This little outpost reached out into the narrowest point of the river and had strategic significance. On this
occasion, Albuquerque secured the port town of Ela (later known as Old
Goa), some ten kilometres from where the Mandovi debouches into the Arabian
Sea. This town, however, was soon reconquered by the Sultan of Bijapur. With
the fast approach of the monsoon, Albuquerque had no other recourse but to anchor
his fleet in Mandovi waters, where the outpost again caused heavy damage to his
forces.
On the 25th of
November of the same year, (after securing reinforcements from Portugal).
Albuquerque reversed his defeats. He assaulted the outpost and again stormed
the port town of Old Goa. Once the new territories of Bardez and Salcete were
added in the 1540s, the defence of the Mandovi river was further strengthened by
the building of the Reis Magos Fort, whose construction began in the early 1550s.
The Fort was built in stages.
Dramatically
rising over the steep slope of the headland, the Fort, built a little above the old
outpost, had a defensive system capable of curbing the crossing of enemy ships
through the Mandovi waters. A walled corridor connected the main fortress with
the river anchorage, while a passage connected the rooms which ran along the
river. The high walls are topped at vantage points by cylindrical watch
turrets. The Fort had the advantage of a perennial source of water from a nearby
spring.
The Fort of Reis
Magos was of great strategic importance because it served as a first line of
defence to the port town of Old Goa. To make it more effective against the
Dutch incursions, the Portuguese built in 1595 another fortification on the
opposite bank of the Mandovi River on land belonging to a nobleman named Gasper
Dias.
The two Forts
were capable of crossfire. Soon, however, it was realized that these two strong forces were not an effective way of obstructing the Dutch ships in their daring
attempts to cruise the Mandovi waters. This prompted the Portuguese to
realize the importance and necessity of raising strong Fortifications on the
mouths of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers at Aguada. Cabo and Marmagos, respectively. Notwithstanding this fact and due to the strategic importance of the
Reis Magos Fort, a new buttress was built in the early eighteenth century during
the time of the Viceroy Caetano de Mello e Castro. The Viceroy also ordered a
plaque to be placed at the main entrance of the Fort. At this stage, the Fort
was defended by 33 guns of different calibres.
During the
Maratha incursion in 1739. The Fort of Reis Magos and its counterparts, the Fort
Aguada, could hold valiantly while the province of Bardez was occupied by the
Bhonsles (allies of Marathas). It was only in 1741 with the arrival of the new
Viceroy. Marquis de Louriçal, the Bhonsles retreated back to Pernem. The
British occupied Goa from 1799 to 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1808, they
used the Fort of Reis Magos to lodge their soldiers.
The threat of
naval attacks decreased by the 19th century, as the Portuguese power in the
East had declined. The relevance of the Fort also declined. In the 1940s, the Reis
Magos Fort was converted to a subjail to lodge short-term convicts; it was also
used to lodge some of the Freedom Fighters working for the liberation of Goa
when the movement intensified in the 1950s. The Fort functioned as a jail till
1993, and during this period, a number of modifications were carried out. Once
abandoned, the Fort fell into decay.
In 2007, a
tripartite agreement was signed between the Government of Goa, INTACH and the
Helen Hamlyn Trust to restore and re-use the Fort as a cultural centre. The
restoration was sponsored by the Helen Hamlyn Trust. The Fort was thrown open
to the public on 5th June 2012.
TIMINGS
The fort will be kept open for visitors from 09.30 hrs to 17.00 hrs, from Tuesday to Sunday, and
Monday is a holiday.
LOCATION OF THE
FORT: CLICK HERE
--- OM SHIVAYA
NAMA---
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