Chapora Fort

Chapora Fort

Chapora Fort, located in Bardez, Goa, rises high above the Chapora River. The site was the location of a fort built by Muslim ruler Adil Shah called Shahpura, whose name the Portuguese altered to Chapora. The fort changed hands several times after Portuguese acquired Bardez. Trying to end the Portuguese rule in Goa, Prince Akbar joined his father’s enemies, the Marathas in 1683 and made this place his base camp. It became the northern outpost of the Old Conquests. After the Portuguese recovered from an encounter with the Marathas, they strengthened their northern defences and provided shelter to the people there.

The fort sits on a prominent position which commands views in all directions. It also has steep slopes on all sides. The fort follows the outline of the higher slopes. This forms an irregular outer wall that uses the natural form to add defensive height to the fortifications. This offers an advantage over dry ditches being dug. At the top of the steep approach track, the main gate is small and unpretentious, but narrow and deep. Depending on defence requirements, the positions of bastions are irregularly spaced with enormous embrasures for cannon. Each bastion has a cylindrical turret offering a special character to the fort.

Inside the fort, the church, once dedicated to St. Anthony, has disappeared and inside only a few signs exist of the barracks and housing that once filled this vast area. The wide expanse of open space is only a tumble of stones, where a few herds of goats graze and cashew bushes grow. A natural valley to the beach protected by rocky promontories provides an excellent natural access to the sea.

Chapora Fort or Dil Chahta Hai Fort
This ancient laterite fort on the Chapora river, although long since abandoned from a military standpoint, is nevertheless majestic and an enduring historical monument. Known for its spectacular views and sunset vistas, this is a popular spot for tourists to visit especially in the evenings.

Although little remains of the barracks and other buildings that once stood within the forts embrace, it continues to attract historical buffs, who know about the great battles that were once fought here. To the average visitor however, it is a collection of sturdy, irregularly shaped walls, with just a hint of secret tunnels that can be found by the keen observer.

More recently, Chapora Fort’s biggest claim to fame is that it was the fort used during the filming of the Hindi blockbuster film ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ (the heart desires), a 2001 comedy-drama movie starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia. In fact, it is often known as the ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ fort, after the movie gained cult status.

Best time to visit
The fort is best visited in the evenings, once the fierce afternoon heat has receded. It offers a spectacular view over the peninsula, the Chapora River and the beaches of Chapora, Anjuna and Vagatore. It is also a great place to watch the panorama of a fiery sunset over the Arabian Sea. This alone, makes a visit and the climb up to the Chapora fort, more than worthwhile.

Location
Located in the Bardez Taluka, Chapora Fort is easily accessible from the market town of Mapusa, which is about 10 km away. There are buses that run from Mapusa to Anjuna and Vagator with a stopover at the fort.

History
The history of the fort is long and varied. It has been held by many rulers for varying lengths of time. The village of Chapora, and the fort, get their name from ‘Shahapura’ or, ‘the town of the Shah’. This was due to the fact that it was once the stronghold of the Sultanate of Bijapur.

When the Portuguese defeated the Shah and seized the fort, it had great military significance for them, as the Chapora river marked the northern boundary of Goa, with Pernem on it’s opposite bank, being the province of the Maharaja of Sawantwadi.

This fort, although formidably built has fallen multiple times to the Maratha might, once in 1684 and again in 1739. In 1741, during the ‘Novas Conquistas’ or New Conquests, the Portuguese regained the fort and further conquered the Northern territory of Pernem, thus decreasing the military significance of the Chapora fort.

Architecture
The fort is the only laterite fort in the village of Chapora. Its walls follow the natural slopes and drops of the peninsula. This makes them steep and difficult to climb (although not impossible if legend is to be believed). The walls also had irregularly spaced bastions with large embrasures to hold canons. The bastions are topped by cylindrical towers with lend an air of interest to the fort.

The main gate is small and unadorned, but the path is narrow and deep so that it would be more difficult for an enemy army to march up that way.

There was once a church dedicated to St. Anthony that stood within the walls, however it is no longer standing. There were also barracks and officer’s quarters to house the defenders within the fort’s walls, little of which remain today. When the Portuguese rebuilt the fort in 1717, they added tunnels to allow to the fort’s defenders a safe retreat should their battlements be breached, a fortuitous decision as it turned out. Visitors can just see the mouths of these tunnels today.

Legends
There is a very interesting story told about Sambhaji’s conquest of this fort. Since the fort is built using the natural slopes of the terrain, it was thought that the enemies of the fort would be unable to scale its walls. However, the shrewd and canny Maratha leader had his men cling to 1.5m long monitor lizards and so easily breached the forts walls.

It is said that the Portuguese general in charge of the fort was so taken aback and reluctantly impressed, that he surrendered the fortification without firing a single shot.

The fort is a monument rich in historical lore and intrigue. Of course, none of this can be seen in what remains of the fortifications today, it is left instead to the ingenuity and imagination of the observer. What the fort does offer is a great view of the sunset, since it has a limitless view of the Arabian Sea from its western walls and a spectacular view over the peninsula, the River and the beaches.

Courtesy - Wikipedia and Goa Tourism
Images : Wikipedia and Goa Tourism