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Diu Fort

Diu Fort

heritage site · Daman & Diu

Diu Fort's stone ramparts run along the island's edge, its bastions — St.

State
Daman & Diu
Type
Heritage Site

Diu Fort's stone ramparts run along the island's edge, its bastions — St. George, St. Domingos, St. Philip — still carrying cannon and iron shot from a Portuguese garrison that held this coast for over four centuries. A working lighthouse rises from within the walls, and the old church and chapel inside stand roofless, the fort's one visibly unrestored corner.

Diu Fort is known for

St. George bastion, the oldestWorking lighthouse within the wallsPortuguese cannon and ramparts

A short history

Built from 1535, with major reconstruction in 1546, under Portuguese governors D. Nuno da Cunha and D. Joao de Castro, following a strategic alliance between Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat, and the Portuguese against the Mughals. Portugal held Diu until 1961, when it was annexed into India along with Goa and Daman. [Source: Diu district administration, official government site]

Why Diu Fort matters

A rare fully intact Portuguese coastal fortress on Indian soil, held by Portugal for over four centuries — far longer than British rule over most of the subcontinent.

When to go

October to March

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