# Rachol Fort

- **Country:** India

Rachol Fort is a historical structure situated in the village of Rachol within the Salcette concelho of Goa, on the west coast of India. Originally constructed by the Sultanate of Bijapur under Ismail Adil Shah to defend the left bank of the Zuari River, the site holds significant strategic importance dating back to the early sixteenth century. In 1520, the fort was conquered by Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Kingdom and subsequently handed over to the Portuguese Empire in exchange for military protection against the Mughal Empire. Following this transfer, Portuguese forces occupied the site, renovating the structure and adding two bastions in 1604. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it served as a formidable military post equipped with approximately one hundred pieces of artillery.

The fort endured several conflicts, most notably a siege imposed by the Maratha Empire leader Sambhaji in 1684. Following this event, the Viceroy of Portuguese India, Dom Francisco de Tavora, ordered extensive renovations, commemorated by an epigraphic inscription above the entrance. Further reforms were conducted in 1745 under the first Marquis of Alorna. Eventually, the cannons were relocated to other defenses, and the site was abandoned as an active military post. Today, the fort exists in a severely ruined condition, though visitors can still observe sections of the original walls, the moat, and the old gate of arms. This remaining gateway, surmounted by the coat of arms of the Portuguese monarchy, has been officially protected as a monument by the government of Goa since 1983, preserving a tangible link to the region's colonial past.

![Photo of Rachol Fort](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Arch_of_Rachol_Fort.JPG)

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