 The fort at Cabo da Rama is the Portuguese of Cape of Rama. The place has got the name from the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Legend has it that Lord Rama was holed up along with his wife Sita in this place during his exile from his kingdom of Ayodhya. The place was turned into a fort much before the Portuguese appeared in India and managed to wrestle the fort from the hands of the local rulers.
After wrestling the fort, the Portuguese built their own citadel but it was destroyed soon after. What remains to be seen today is the crumbling turret and a few rusty old Portuguese cannons. Till the year 1955, the fort acted as a prison. Today, however, the fort is an observatory where scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography stay and work. If you move along the National Highway towards Karwar, you will find the beautiful place called Cabo de Rama.
During its history of hundreds of years, the fort was occupied by a number of rulers but this fort hardly saw any action. It was occupied by the British troops for some times. There is a church in the middle of the fort and the contrasting white of the church against the black stonewall of the fort make the church even more beautiful. The western part of the fort forms a cliff into the sea. This is no doubt a fantastic place to visit. |
