Chapora Fort Goa
Info About Chapora Fort Goa
Located 10 km away from the town of Mapusa, bewitching and vivid, Chapora Fort in Chapora Village has remarkably withstood the ravages of time. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and one only needs an eye to appreciate the beauty of this secluded ruined Fort.
This fort was shown in the filming of Bollywood movie Dil chahta Hai and became very popular among youngsters as Dil Chahta hai Fort after the movie gained a lot of recognition.
Native laterite stone and hilly terrains joined hands to take you back in time, when this fort used to be the pride of Portuguese rulers. Who knows about the great stories that were once created here? Who knows how many battles were once fought here? One can only imagine. Little remains of barracks, secret tunnels, officer quarters and cylindrical towers give fuel to the imagination.
Historical Tale of Ruined Beauty
The ruined Chapora Fort was once the stronghold of Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur but it was seized by Portuguese and became the precious pearl in their necklace of Forts. However, the fort could keep its grandeur intact due to the constant attacks from the mighty Marathas in 1684 and 1739. Hence the mighty Chapora Fort lost its shine.
In 1717, Portuguese conquered the Chapora Fort and a ray of hope was established in the form of secret underground passageways to allow access to supplies in case there is an invasion.
As luck would have it, Chapora Fort was again invaded by Marathas in 1739 and the secret underground passageway was proved to be useful in escaping the enemies. However, the effort was futile as the fort was unable to protect the northern boundaries.
