Diu Fortress
Did you know that the Diu Fort in India was voted one of seven wonders of Portuguese colonialism in an opinion poll in Portugal?
The Diu Fortress is a Portuguese-built fortification located on the west coast of India in Diu. It was known in Portuguese as 'Praça de Diu'. The fortress was built as part of Portuguese India's defensive fortifications at the eastern tip of the island of Diu during the 16th century. The fortress, which borders on the town of Diu, was built in 1535 subsequent to a defense alliance forged by Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat and the Portuguese when Humayun, the Mughal Emperor attempted to annex this territory. It was strengthened over the years, till 1546. The Portuguese ruled over this territory from 1537 until the Indian invasion of December 1961. Today it is a landmark of Diu and one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.
Historically, since ancient times, the place Diu, was linked to several Kings and Dynasties; the earliest quoted is of the Puranic period, followed by the Mauryans, the Kshatrapas from the 1st century to 415, Guptas from 415 to 467, by the Maitrakas from 470 to 788, by Chavda dynasty of Gujarat and Saurashtra from 789 to 941, by the Chalukyas (under the Chalukya as local Chieftains) and the last was that of the Portuguese colonial rule till Diu was taken, along with Goa and Daman, by the Government of India on 19 December 1961.
In a seige of this fort In 1538, the Turks, who were ill-disposed towards the Sultan of Gujarat and the Portuguese, had mobilized a strong naval force comprising sixty-six ships and 20,000 soldiers. Starting from Egypt in 1538 they laid siege to the fort, repeatedly assaulted and intensely bombarding it. When the fort's forces were about to collapse, the Turks, for unknown reasons, lifted the siege and turned back to the Red Sea.
The fortress is a large structure on the coast of the Diu island and commands views over the sea. Built with sandstone and lime mortar, it skirts the sea on three sides. The outer wall of the fort was built along the coastline. The inner wall had bastions on which guns were mounted. A double moat (outer one is a tidal moat) between the outer and inner walls provided security to the fort. The moat that separates the fortifications from the castle has been cut through sandstone rocks. A jetty built then on the northwestern side is still in use. The fort was provided with three entry gates. A bastion built earlier by the Sultan in the deep water channel, next to the fort walls, was further strengthened by the Portuguese.
Within the fortress, there are three main churches - the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the St. Paul’s Church, and the St. Thomas Church.
Historic Venetian Gothic style bungalows and typical carved wooden or stone havelis (mansions), which belonged to affluent colonial Portuguese and Indian merchants are seen in the Makata bylanes, near the Zapata gate of the fort.
There is also a Shiva temple, called Gangeshwar Mahadev, near the cliffs, which is much venerated. This temple is said to have been constructed by the 5 Pandava brothers and hence the 5 shivlings that are of different sizes.
Source: Extracts from artcile in Wikipedia with my inputs in October 2009.
Narasipur Char
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