Upper Fort Aguada

Fort Aguada was built by the Portuguese in 1612 on a headland at Sinquerim, overlooking the confluence of the Mandovi River and the Arabian Sea near Candolim in North Goa. It was constructed to protect Portuguese Goa from Dutch and Maratha naval attacks and to serve as a freshwater replenishment point for passing ships, taking its name from the Portuguese word for water, "agua."

Built of laterite stone, the fort's bulwarks stand about 5 metres high and 1.3 metres thick, and it once housed an enormous cistern capable of storing over two million gallons of fresh water, along with emplacements for up to 200 cannons. The Upper Fort, on higher ground, includes a dry moat, bastions and the Aguada Lighthouse, built in 1864 and often cited as the oldest of its kind in Asia. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved Portuguese forts in India and is protected as a monument of national importance.