Goa - Reis Magos Fort

Monday, February 9, 2015

After visiting Dona Paula we decided to head over to Res Magos fort. 

Res Magos Fort

Res Magos Church and Fort are located in Bardez in Goa,  they were constructed on the banks of the Mandovi River,  with the capital of Goa i.e Panjim located on the other side of Mandovi River.  Res Magos is a Portuguese word that stands for the Three Wise Men.  The Three Wise Men who came to visit Jesus.  UK based Helen Hamlyn Trust along with the Govt. of India funded the restoration of the fort in 2008.  The fort has a long history commencing from 1497 till 1993. It served as a defense fortress,  a hospital and then a jail for the freedom fighters of our country. 

Res Magos Church

Why Res Magos fort. My brother had gone to Goa for holidays and he had been to this fort and the photos he showed me were amazing, hence I decided to add this fort to my itinerary.

Emblem at the entrance of Res Magos Fort

It took us more than two hour to reach Res Magos, we were intially planning to take the ferry. But we missed the ferry by a couple of minutes and hence had to travel by the Betim-Vernem-Saligao Road. But nevertheless the journey was fun. 

One of the twin stairs leading to the top of the fort

Finally we were at the entrance of Res Magos Fort.
Parking is available near the fort premises. 

Fortification of Res Magos Fort

The Res Magos church is located very close to the Res Magos Fort. But the Church was closed for renovation purposes and hence we had to photograph it from the outside only. Though we did set foot in the church,  but it was all dusty.

Now there is a fee to visit the fort. We were charged a fee of Rs.50 each to visit the fort.

Citadel at Res Magos Fort

The fort is located on a hilltop very close to the Mandovi river. It is so close that the Nerul Res Magos Road divided the two. 

We started our long and zig-zag journey along the walkaway to visit the fort via the main entrance of the fort.

Fortification of Res Magos fort with Mandovi river in the background

The fort is primarily made of chire. But what you see now is the renovated version of the fort. 

The fort is small in size,  but offers a majestic view of the Mandovi River,  the Res Magos Church and the surroundings. 

Death Hole on fort premises

As the main entrance and the only way to enter the fort premises is from top,  it is the highest point of the fort.  From within the fort, two steep staircases lead to the lower portions of the fort.  
The fort is small in size in comparison to Cabo de Rama Fort and Fort Aguada.  But the construction of the fort is amazing. 

Royal emblem on the cannons at Res Magos fort

As this fort is renovated most of the structures atop the fort are converted into Art Galleries, There are plenty of photos by Mario Miranda here. 

One of the photo galleries is placed exactly over the main entrance of the fort and has a small hole on its floor,  this was called death hole was used to throw hot oil or shoot the enemy whenever they tried to attack the fort.  

Replica structure of Res Magos Fort

One of the structures houses info on the history of the fort.  It has a small model of what the fort used to look like when it was build. 
There are a couple of cannons placed atop the fort.  Most of them, have emblems on them along with numericals. Have seen emblems on the cannons of the Moti Daman fort in Daman. The cart on which they are placed was built during the renovation of the fort. Not sure. if they still fire.  Lol. 

Photo gallery

The basement of the fort,  houses sketches and paintings on how Goa used to look like in the 16th century. This section gives a lot of info on Goa and its development by the Portuguese. This place also showcases photos of Res Magos fort before the renovation.  
The fort though small can be covered in 30 minutes flat,  plus another 2 hours just to see the photos,  sketches and history section of the fort.

Cannons atop the fort

We then headed off to see Fort Aguada.