Another Sunday and this time I plan to conquer all the six forts north of the Mandovi river on my trusty horse cycle.
*Information about the forts are in separate posts.
I started my ride from Britona Residency, under the Mandovi bridges at 8 am, 1 and ½ hour later than planned, overslept after watching my team Liverpool loose at home again. Google maps came in handy to plan the shortest route between all the forts (Click here to view the route).
Resi Magos Fort
Standing on the site of a small Bijapuri fort near the narrowest point of the Mandovi estuary, Reis Magos is probably the oldest Portuguese fort in Goa. The fort is now converted into a cultural centre, besides being used as a tourist attraction
Click here to read the post about the Reis Magos Fort.
Unfortunately could not enter the fort as it opens for the public only at 9 am. The entry ticket cost Rs. 50 for adults and Rs 25 for children. The fort is closed on Mondays.
Resi Magos Church
At the fort base rises the church of the Reis Magos, ascended by a beautiful flight of stairs. the first church in Bardez was built in 1550 by the Franciscans, with the sum allotted to them by the Government and bears a crown on its façade. Reis Magos is the Portuguese name for the Magi Kings of Biblical legend.
Ocean Sailing Node
1.5kms before the church I passed the Indian Navy’s Ocean Sailing Node. It was from here that the six-member Indian Navy all-woman team of Lt Commander Vartika Joshi, Lt Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lt Commander P Swati, Lt Vijaya Devi, Lt B Aishwarya and Lt Payal Gupta set sail on INSV Tarini to circumnavigate the globe. The Navika Sagar Parikrama started on 10th September 2017 and lasted 254 days with only 4 port calls, in Fremantle, Australia; Lyttelton, New Zealand; Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; and Cape Town, South Africa, and a forced technical halt at Port Louis, Mauritius, crossing the equator twice and passing through 3 oceans. The boat returned to Goa on 21st May 2018, after travelling 21,600 nautical miles (40,000 km).
The Ocean Sailing Node logo and the various pendants, mementos and medallions for the Navika Sagar Parikrama were designed by me.
Aguada Fort
Cycling through Nerul and Candolim, my first stop at the Aguada Fort was the iconic Queen Maria bastion that has been featured in many video and print adverts, it is located 7.8 kms from the Reis Magos fort.
Riding up the steep hill past the St. Lawrence’s Church got me to the main part of the fort. The Aguada Fort named for the fresh water spring that gives the fort a constant supply of potable water, ‘Agua’ being the Portuguese word for water and ‘Aguada’ signifying a place where water is collected was one of the largest Portuguese fortresses in the subcontinent.
Click here to read the post about the Aguada Fort.
Open all days of the week from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, entry ticket to the fort cost Rs. 25 per person. Since it was the first time I visited the fort, I took the opportunity to go inside and click some photos. The jail section of the fort is been converted into a museum and presently closed to visitors.
PS: There are a couple of free drinking water stations inside, unfortunately, none worked.
Having spent about 45 minutes exploring the fort I left to conquer the third fort in my itinerary. Till Candolim junction, I took the same route and then proceeded straight to Calangute. 20kms away via Arpora, Anjuna and Vagator, I reached the W hotel, along the way at Anjuna I passed the birthplace of Venerable Fr Agnelo de Souza.
Chapora Fort
Perched on the hill is the Chapora Fort. Its name is said to come from Shahpura, or Royal City, for there was a prosperous port and trading settlement here, with a population of Arab traders, well before the arrival of the Portuguese.
Click here to read the post about the Chapora Fort.
The fort got popularized after the Bollywood blockbuster movie Dil Chahta Hai was filmed here. Nothing much to see except for the views of the Vagator beach, the Colvale river, and herds of tourists taking selfies replicating scenes of the movie. You will have to walk around 500 steps to reach the fort from the parking lot and the entire route is filled with stalls selling touristy stuff.
The fort is open on all days and there is no entry fee.
Left the fort at 12.30 headed to Tiracol. This is the longest distance between two forts. The 31kms ride, through Siolim, Chopdem, Mandrem, Arambol, Kiranpani to the ferry wharf at Querim took me nearly 2 1/2 hours to reach due to the afternoon heat and the numerous steep roads that I encountered, Chopdem onwards.
Tiracol Fort
Crossing the ferry, I headed to the Tiracol fort. The last I had been here was 27 years back when I set-up a satellite cable network when Ruben Vasco da Gama who now manages the Palácio do Deão in Quepem had resorted and started a heritage hotel in the Fort.
Click here to read the post about the Tiracol Fort.
Originally named after the Holy Trinity, Tiracol fort stands on a headland above the wide estuary of the Tiracol river, on the site of an old foundation captured from the Bhosales of Sawantwadi in 1746. Being the northernmost of Goa’s new territories, this region needed good defences, resulting in the building of a new citadel, along with a chapel.
My next fort to conquer, the fifth in the itinerary was the Colvale Fort, but by the time I crossed and returned to Querim it was already 4.30 pm, decided to skip the last two forts – Colvale and Corjuem and head back as it would be dark by the time I reached there.
I took the same route back and at the Siolim church took the route to Mapusa via Marna and by the time I returned to Britona Residency is was 8.30 pm, having cycled 45kms from Tiracol fort.
Total distance cycled: 113.13kms
Total time: 12 hours 30 minutes
Moving time: 9 hours 58 minutes
Elevation gained: 1,004m
Highest elevation: 98m (Siolim-Marna to Ganeshpuri hill)
View the ride on Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv8QJjwZPO
or on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/4826195258
Some photos clicked during the ride:
