Corjuem Fort

Corjuem Fort
Forte de Corjuem
Part of Portuguese Goa
Bardez, Goa
Forte de Corjuem, Goa
Corjuem Fort
Coordinates	15°35′48″N 73°53′34″E / 15.5968°N 73.8928°E / 15.5968; 73.8928
Type	Fortress
Site information
Controlled by	Portuguese India
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	1705 (1705)
Built by	Caetano de Melo e Castro
In use	Abandoned in 1894

Corjuem Fort is a fortress situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the village of Aldona on the river island of Corjuem, Goa. It was a military fortress for the defense of Portuguese India. It is smaller than the other forts in Goa, but it gives a good view of the surrounding river and land. It is a protected monument under the Goa, Daman and Diu ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains act.^[1]

Corjuem Fort is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Panjim.

Location

The Fort of Corjuem (Portuguese: 'Forte de Corjuem') is situated on an island with the same name in Bardez, to the east of the village of Aldona, from which it is separated by the Mapuçá River (a tributary of the Mandovi).

History

The original occupiers of this Fort were the Desai's of Sankhali but it was traded into maratha hand later into Sawant-Bhonsle of Sawantwadi. Under the Portuguese Viceroy Caetano de Mello e Castro,^[2] the control of the fort came under Portuguese India's administration.^[3] The fort was subsequently rebuilt by the Portuguese to boost up defenses along Panajim.

In the early 1800s, the fort was used as a Military School and had in its defenses a battery of four guns. The fortress defended the town of Corjuem and also had a chapel under parochial church of Aldona.^[4]

Incidents

The fort also has an interesting incident in which an ambitious Portuguese woman named Ursula e Lancastre, who determined to see the man's world, dressed like a man and travelled the world. She landed up at Corjuem as a soldier but was later captured and stripped.^[5]

References

Coordinates: 15°35′48″N 73°53′34″E / 15.59678°N 73.89281°E / 15.59678; 73.89281