Tiracol Fort in Goa
North of Arambol, the sinuous coast road climbs to the top of a
rocky, undulating plateau, then winds down through a swathe of
thick woodland to join the river Arondem, which it then follows
for 4km through a landscape of vivid paddy fields, coconut
plantations and temple towers protruding from scruffy red brick
villages. The tiny enclave of Terakol, the northernmost tip of
Goa, is reached via a clapped-out car ferry from the hamlet of
Querim, 42-km from Panjim,
The Fort
It was a key Portuguese fort for the defense of Goa, on the north
side of the estuary of the Teracol River, the most northern
boundary of Goa. Hyped as one of the state's most atmospheric
historic monuments, it turns out to be little more than a down at
heel country house recently converted into a low-key luxury
hotel. Decorative turrets and dry moat with commanding views of
the estuary and ocean mark the fort.
If ones visit coincides with the arrival of a guided tour, one
may get a chance to look around the gloomy interior of the chapel
of St. Anthony, in the fort's claustrophobic cobbled square; at
other times it's kept locked. The Chapel also has a classical
late Goan facade.
