# Mormugão Fort

- **Country:** India
- **Coordinates:** 15.426667, 73.822222

Mormugão Fort is a historic military structure situated on the southern tip of the mouth of the Zuari River in Mormugao, within the Indian state of Goa. Commissioned by Dom Francisco da Gama, the Viceroy of the Portuguese State of India, construction of the fortification began in 1624. It was originally designed to defend the South Goa bar, which served as the capital of the Portuguese Estado da Índia at the time. Due to recurring plagues and attacks on the old city of Goa, colonial authorities briefly considered relocating the capital to this site, leading to the erection of several buildings before high project costs ultimately caused the plan to be abandoned.

Architecturally, the fort featured a rectangular layout measuring 330 by 88 meters, characterized by pentagonal bastions on the land side and quadrangular ones facing the sea. Internal service buildings were housed within the walls, while access to the harbor was protected by a distinctive V-shaped curtain wall topped with a circular tower at its angle. Despite its strategic design, the area was lost to Maratha forces during an invasion in 1737. Following this defeat, the administrative center of Portuguese India eventually shifted to Nova Goa, now known as Panjim, in the nineteenth century.

Today, the once-mighty fortress stands in a severely ruined condition, with little remaining of its original grandeur. Although it no longer serves any military or administrative function, the site retains historical significance as a testament to Portugal's colonial maritime history in India. The remnants offer a glimpse into the defensive strategies employed during the era of the Portuguese Empire, marking it as an important, albeit dilapidated, landmark in the coastal heritage of Goa.

![Photo of Mormugão Fort](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Mormugao_Fort.png)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormugão_fort (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)