Lighthouse, Fort Aguada, Goa, India: Fort Aguada and its lighthouse is a well-preserved seventeenth-century Portuguese fort standing in Goa, India, on Sinquerim Beach, on the mouth of the Mandovi River overlooking the Arabian Sea. This is the largest and the best-preserved Portuguese bastion in Goa. It is at the far south end of Bardez taluka, just 8km from Panaji, and 4km east of Sinquerim Beach, atop Sinquerim Plateau. It is about eight to ten minutes drive from the Candolim Beach.


The fort was constructed in 1613 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas by controlling the entry into the river Mandovi and to protect Old Goa. Ringed by thick battlements, the heart of the fort was protected by two hundred cannons and a deep dry moat, which one still has to cross to get inside. The walls of this fort are 5 metres high and 1.3 metres wide. Little surprise then that this remains to be the only fort that was not conquered by any invaders during the 450 yearlong rule of the Portuguese empire. This fort is divided in two segments: the upper part acted as fort and watering station, while the lower part served as a safe berth for Portuguese ships. Whereas the upper part has a moat, underground water storage chamber, gunpowder room, light house and bastions, it also has a secret escape passage to use during time of war and emergency. En-oute to the fort, one comes across the church of St. Lawrence, the saint of the sailors. The Portuguese used to build churches on the outskirts of the forts to prevent the enemy from firing at a close range. Though the entire fort is no longer intact, some buildings that are still in good shape have been converted into a prison. Interestingly, it happens to be the largest prison in Goa.


A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning Water. Crews of passing ships would often visit to replenish their fresh water stores. It has the capacity of storing 2,376,000 gallons of water, one of the biggest freshwater storages of the time in whole of Asia.


It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. On the fort stands a four-storey Portuguese lighthouse, erected in 1864 and the oldest of its kind in Asia. The lighthouse at initial stage is used to emit light once in 7 minutes. In 1834 it was changed to emit light creating eclipse every 30 seconds, however it was abandoned in 1976. This lighthouse was home to a gigantic bell that was retrieved from amongst the ruins of the St. Augustus monastery at Old Goa. However, the bell has now been moved to the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church at Panaji.

The video of the famous tourist attraction of Goa, Fort Aguada was captured in September, 2014.

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