“I think I’ll go check out the Corjuem Fort this Sunday” said I. And they all laughed! “What’s there in that place? A pile of ruins!”
Left with no other option (and hardpressed for time), I guess this was the best alternative for a rainy, sunday morning!
The Cable-stayed bridge, Aldona
After a brief search on wikimapia for road directions, all I could gather was that once you crossed this bridge (at Aldona) the fort was a 5 minute drive.
The Corjuem Fort facade
The view on the outside was indeed impressive and there itself I knew this was going to be an adventure.
Welcome
Portuguese insignia
The entrance gate had a carved insignia which I tried to decipher later at home… and still have not succeeded
The Chapel within the fort wall
It’s interesting how amidst the ruins of the fort, this chapel still stands, bright and hopeful
The fort within
The ramp
The fort is a square structure with ramps at the four corners.
Arches & Ramps
I was informed by an archaelogist, that the binding material for these stones and arches is merely mud… and it still stands!
The Sentinel Post
Two sentinel posts survive the test of time. This is one of them
The shaft of light in the post
Enter into the tiny enclosure and be on guard…
Looking back from the post
… or just look back at the fort and see things differently!
The Well
The well in the centre is unfortunately serving as a garbage dump for insensitive, beer drinking, plastic generating visitors.
Modern Inscriptions
the stones are also witness to random acts of vandalism
Floral Flooring
The entire fort has this unique pattern of vegetation all along the stone floor
The Inhabitants long gone
I have tried to resist adding pictures of all the wildlife in the fort this time… but this one was just irrestible… it’s just a shell left behind… just like the fort
Primitive settlers
Moss… the first conquerors of the earth!
A drop of the past
… and it’s time to turn back. After a light shower, the trees around glistened with drops of rain… I’ve tried capturing the fort too in the distance
The Story:
The Fortress
The Corjuem fort was constructed in the year 1551. It was more like a solitary outpost. One of the defenders of the fort is said to have been Ursula e Lancastre, a Portuguese waif. Determined to succeed in a man’s world she disguised herself as a man and travelled the world, eventually serving as a soldier. It was not until she was captured and stripped that her secret was discovered. This did not put an end to her military career, she married the captain of the guard.
Satellite picture of the Corjuem Fort
Here is an aerial view of the fort that I decided to add as an afterthought (Courtesy: www.wikimapia.org)
Giovanni... on record 
that’s one small looking fort. that cable-stayed bridge looks like a smaller version of the sea-link 🙂 the fact that the fort is still standing even tho it is held together by mud but our latest constructions are collapsing all over the place (delhi) makes you wonder.
good pans, as usual 🙂 perhaps you should run the portuguese thru babel fish or google translations :-p
place looks spookily deserted… thumbs up for the walk through, thumbs down for the tourists !
i love the captions as much as i like the pictures!!!
Beautifully captured shots!! My fav pic is the empty shell one… 🙂
Hey Giovi,
I think u jus made dis blog thingie so dat ppl cud gv u nice comments huh!!!! :))) jus kiddin!!!
Super cool picz yaaa!!!! Favz were ‘lookin bk fm da post'(love da way it is shot!!!! seemz like itz a pic on those scrolly type sheetz!!! sorry 4 my crappy descriptionz!!!) n ‘da inhabitantz long gone’ (jus da right amt of light i guess!!!) :)))
N another cool thing abt ur picz is dat itz mkz one feel like they’ve actually visited the place becoz of ur really well written linez n stuff!!! (ya ya u can pay me later 4 dis!!!) 😀
So do u plan these tripz 4 ur blog or do ur tripz end up in ur blog????? sorry i think my dissertation is drivin me crazyyy!!!! :)))
N u shud hv strted dis photography thingie ven v were in coll yaa.. then v cud hv had sm super cool picz too!!! 😀
well darl… honestly.. i dont know which comes first… the trip or the blog… at least for this trip I thought of the blog first and then made plans accordingly… but I guess it kills the fun… so next time… fun first, blog later!!! 😉
Thank God, you did not listen to the people who laughed and went ahead with your plans. Its a superb piece…..wish we had more people interested in our rich history. Hopefully, after reading your blog more people will visit the fort.
Thanks Meena… I hope more people visit the fort too… because there is a lot of encroaching happening out there… especially by the mining sector. I strongly believe we need to preserve these vestiges of our past
Thanks for your photos of Corjuem fort, from July 14 2009. Portuguese insignia says:
ESTA ILHA SE ANEIXOU= This island was annexed
AO ESTADO SENDO VISEREI DELE =to the State being his vice-rei
O EXmo SENHOR CAETANO DE MELO = his Excelence ….
DE CASTRO E NO MESMO TEMPO =… and in the same time
DE SEU GOVERNO SE FES ESTA FO = of his government was made this
RTALEZA NO ANO DE 1706= fortress in the year 1706
Thanks! You have just solved this cryptic message that baffled me for 2 years