Chapora Fort

Chapora
Chapora
	Ruins of Fort Chapora in Goa
	Location within Goa
General information
Country	India
Coordinates	15°36′N 73°46′E / 15.60°N 73.76°E
Completed	1617; 407 years ago

Chapora Fort (Konkani pronunciation: [ʃɑːpoːɾɑː], Devanagari: शापोरा), located in Bardez, Goa, rises high above the Chapora River. The site is the location of a fort built by Adil Shahi dynasty ruler Adil Shah and called Shahpoora, whose name was altered to Shapora (chapora) by Malvankar on the request of the Portuguese . It is now become a popular tourist spot and offers a view north across the Chapora river to Morjim

History

The fort changed hands several times after Portuguese acquired Bradez. Trying to end the Portuguese rule in Goa, the

Old Conquests. After the Portuguese recovered from an encounter with the Marathas

, they strengthened their northern defenses and provided shelter to the people there.

Across the Chapora river, the

New Conquests

, the fort lost its military significance towards the end of the century.

Architecture

The Chapora fort

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.

In popular culture

The Fort of Chapora got popularized by the movie Dil Chahta Hai (Starring Amir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna) and is now a prime attraction of Goa.^[4]