Dear Joe,
there are several forts in Goa, some from the pre-Portuguese period then
renovated/reconstructed by the Portuguese, and some from the Portuguese
period. And some in the post-Portuguese period, if we consider Project Sea
Bird at Karwar, occupying the Goan territory of Anjediv Island, or Indian
Navy's presence in Dabolim!
Curiously, the experience you narrate regarding a supposed fort in Chandor
happened to me also. If you follow the Goa Tourism Department Map there is
not only a fort in Chandor (inexistant, as you found out) as well as in
Nanuz, few km South of Valpoy, Sattari's capital. I went there in 1999. Only
after querying for over two hours with local villagers, some took us through
dense vegetation up to a hill. There I found only a pillar with an
inscription saying that there had been a fort there. Villagers told me there
used to be a silver cross on the pillar, but "taken back to Portugal".
Later I found out that the same fort of Nanuz had been destroyed by the
Portuguese themselves, in 1896 (I am not sure), to prevent it from serving
as a hideout for local rebellions which were frequent in this region by the
end of the 19th century.
This just to show the ridiculous fact of Goa Tourims Department Map's (and
most other tourist maps) showing a fort that does not exist for over a
century.
Please see the list of Goan forts (with images and brief history) I put up
at Supergoa.com:
http://www.supergoa.com/pt/fortes/f_intro.asp
Regards,
Constantino
*************************************
Goa @ http://www.supergoa.com/
_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar - get it now!
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/
