|
Cabo da Rama:
Located
in Canacona taluka Cabo da Rama - Cape Rama -, takes its name
from Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana, who, along
with his wife Sita holed up here during his exile from Ayodhya.
The promontory was crowned by a fort centuries before the
Portuguese cruised in and wrested it from the local Hindu
rulers in 1763.
They erected their own citadel soon after,
but this now lies in ruins; a crumbling turret still houses
a couple of rusty old Portuguese cannons. Until 1955, the
bastion housed a prison; now its only habitable building is
a lonely government observation post occupied from time to
time by a couple of young scientists from the National Institute
of Oceanography.
Moving south of Madgaon, a deviation from
the National Highway going to Karwar at Chinchinim, a quiet
bumpy road goes towards the hills on the edge of the sea.
At the end of this long winding road is the lonely Cabo De
Rama. The headland of Cabo De Rama had been a fortress much
before the Portuguese ever reached Goa.
The fortress on this site was held by various
rulers for many years, and it was in 1763 that it was gained
by the Portuguese from the Raja of Sonda. It was subsequently
rebuilt, and what remains today, including the rusty cannons,
is entirely Portuguese. Although the fort saw no real action
after the rebuild, it was briefly occupied by British troops.
There
is little to see of the old structure beyond the front wall
with its dry moat and main gate, and the small church which
stands just inside the walls. The church is still used, and
its pristine whitewash contrasts notably with the blackened
stone of the ruined front rampart.
The western side of the fortress, where
the cliffs drop sharply to the sea, provides a great view
both to the north and south. There is practically no sign
of life on the hilltop at all, apart from a few soaring sea
eagles, and the occasional monkey scampering between clumps
of vegetation. Own transport has to be arranged to reach the
fort.
See Also Other Forts:
| Aguada
Fort | Cabo da
Rama Fort | Chapora
Fort | Rachol Fort
|
| Reis Magos Fort
| Terekhol Fort
| Other Forts
| Forts of Goa
|
|