Cabo De Rama Fort

Cape Rama is named after the hero of the Hindu epic the Ramayana, who is said to have lived there with his wife Sita during their period of exile. The Cape was an obvious site for a fort to any power whose interests might be threatened from the sea. Its origins pre-date the arrival of the Portuguese who captured it in 1763 and used it as a prison too.

The road runs through the small village, with the amazingly brightly painted Fernandez Corner Restaurant about 500m from the car park at the Fort's entrance followed by Pinto's Bar, near the entrance to Fort; Zina Bar, next door. These offer meals, drinks and some very basic rooms.

The Fort. The gatehouse, which has been restored, looks rather quaint, with narrow firing slits irregularly spaced like a miniature design by Le Corbusier. The main entrance seems far from impregnable, considering the scale of the fortifications, but note the strategically positioned hole in the wall, pointing straight at the door, behind which a cannon could be stationed.

The outer ramparts are excellently preserved, with several cannons still scattered along their length. Despite the absence of buildings, other than the church, the magnificence of the site gives it an extraordinary atmosphere. There are stunning views from several of its major bastions, and you can walk virtually the entire outer length of the fort. From two of the gates it is possible to scramble down to the sea, but great care is needed on the crumbly laterite paths. The most dramatic of the walls is on the landward side, where it rises 10-15m above the floor of the moat which was dug both to provide laterite blocks from which the fort is constructed and to create the moat itself.

The gatehouse is at the lowest point of the whole fort, the ground rising to its highest in the southwest. The view is particularly good to the south in the evening light, across bays stretching down past Palolem to Karnataka easily visible on a clear day. From the highest point and observation post (where a modern but disused and run-down building has been built) there is a 360° view, and the wall then drops down to the north. At its lowest it is only 20m or so above the sea. At this point of the compound, deeply wooded now, is the source of the Fort's water supply. A huge tank was excavated to a depth of about 10m, and even today it has water right through the dry season. There are two springs, one of which gives out water through two spouts at different temperatures.

The whole atmosphere of the Fort, untroubled by more than a handful of visitors, creates a sense of history and drama to which only the most unimaginative could fail to respond.

Getting there from Margao, the bus departs at 0730 from southeast corner of the Municipal Gardens, return at 1200 or later. From Betul or Palolem, hire a motorcycle, followed by a few others.

After retracing your steps along the road from Cabo de Rama to the junction you can either return along the Betul/Bali road or take the road south, the coast road to Agonda and Palolem (although there are no signs to tell you this). It is a very attractive alternative to the National Highway.