About Fort Aguada
The fort was built by Portuguese in 1612 AD near Mandovi River. The idea behind the fort was to protect Goa against any enemy attack from sea. Inside the fort, there is a spring , which was earlier used to provide water supply to the ships. The base of fort has wonderful beaches of Sinquerem and Candolim. These beaches are a perfect idea for a relax holiday. The place where this fort is situated is a hotspot of many natural springs, which provided the Portuguese with drinking water.. A part of the fort has been transformed into central jail. Otherwise, the scenic Aguada Fort is nice spot to unwind and relax. The Portuguese erected this massive bastion in 1609-12 to ward off attacks from the marauding armies of the Dutch and the Marathas. The fort made an enviable record of being the only fort that was not conquered by any invaders during the 450 year long rule of the Portuguese empire. On the highest point of the headland, there is a citadel which is linked by a defended passage to the riverside. The entire area at sea level is surrounded by fat walls with occasionally occurring bastions along the riverside. The Aguada fort is in a good state of preservation and one can still witness remnants of the original structures. Nowadays the fort functions as a prison and it happens to be the largest prison in Goa. Some of the interesting features you will come across in the fort are a 19th century lighthouse which once housed a monolithic bell, an enormous water tank that could store ten million litre fresh water, and a prison in the basement interestingly the largest in Goa. the Aguada headlands are the Lighthouses built as early as 1864 thereby marking them as one of the oldest and first lighthouses to be built in Asia.. Earlier to this, ships were normally guided by bonfire beacons lit on the Hill of the Pilots above the Immaculate Conception Church at Panjim.. the Fort Aguada was the small chapel dedicated to 'Our Lady of Good Voyage', this being named due to ships anchoring at this place after a long journey and restocking before embarking on another journey. The ceremony for commemoration of the beginning of the struggle is held on 18th June each year. The prison was in extensive use as it housed the revolutionaries of the 19th century when in 1946, the first peaceful non violence movement was initiated.