Cabo De Rama Fort

Monday, October 18, 2010

I always make it a point to visit Goa during my summer holidays. On one such trip, I decided to go see the Cabo De Rama Fort also known as Cape Rama Fort. located in Cancona taluka in South Goa.

View from the top

The Cabo de Rama fort is currently in ruins. The name Cabo de Rama is Portuguese for the head of Rama. According to ancient Indian mythology, Prince Rama, from the epic Ramayana, along with his wife Sita took refuge here during Rama's exile from Ayodhya.

Fortification of Cabo de Rama Fort

Nobody knows who built this fort. At some point in the 17^th century, however, the Portuguese took it over from the Raja of Soonda.

Steps leading to the wate body or pond

My cousin Sholto and I decided to visit the fort. We took the National Highway-17 to reach Cancona where the fort is located. One has to have a vehicle if one wants to visit the fort. Those who don’t have their own vehicle can choose to hire one. There are some public buses plying from Margao to the fort but the frequency of these buses is pathetic, and it is better to not rely on them.

Entrance to Cabo de Rama Fort

There is a rampart to enter the fort. In the old days, if a visitor was expected to the fort, the rampart would have to be lowered to enable the visitor to enter the fort. As the fort is on an island, the only entrance is through the rampart. Sounds really cool, doesn't it? I had seen such ramparts in the movies of the yesteryears but never in reality. How I wish I was born in that era! Currently the mechanism for operating the rampart is not functional. It is therefore always kept lowered down to enable public access.

Coconut trees all around

After entering the fort via the rampart, we decided to survey the ruined fort. The fort has got a few cannons that are worth checking out. The Church of Santo Antonio, located within the fort, is in excellent condition. Masses are offered here regularly.

St. Anthony Chapel in the fort premises

While the fort is in ruins, the western end of the fort has steep cliffs which provide a panoramic view of the place. From the western end, one can sight plenty of coconut trees which cover the land extremely densely, making it difficult for us to see the shore. It took us around two hours to view the fort.

View from the fort

We walked on the wall of the fort to see the view from every angle. The view I liked best was the one available from the sea side. Later, we had some refreshments before calling it a day.