Fort Tiracol, sometimes known as Terekhol Fort. Its located on the northern tip of Goa at Pernem just at the mouth of the Tiracol River, Fort Tiracol can be reached by a ferry from Querim, its the best option to get there early. Going from road may take a little more time, but travelling through ferry in goa is great fun. The fort was originally built by Maharaja Khem Sawant Bhonsle, the Raja of Sawantwadi, in the 17th century. The site chosen was a hillock on the Northern (right) bank of the river, which gave a commanding view of the Arabian sea. The Bhonsles of Sawantwadi kept a sizeable fleet of native vessels which sheltered in the Tiracol River. The fort initially consisted of 12 guns, a barrack and a chapel.
In 1746, the Portuguese under the 44th Viceroy of Goa, Pedro Miguel de Almeida Portugal e Vasconcelos, conde de Assumar, marquis de Alorna, waged war against the Raja of Sawantwadi. On 16 November 1746, de Almeida brought the Portuguese fleet up to the River Kaisuva, waged a fierce maritime engagement against the naval forces of the Raja of Sawantwadi in which the Portuguese defeated the Sawantwadi forces utterly. Several skirmishes on land followed and Fort Tiracol was finally surrendered on 23 November 1746 to the Portuguese.
Fort Tiracol was a symbolic location where freedom fighters from Goa demonstrated from time to time. On 15 August 1954, Satyagrahis protesting Portuguese rule entered Goa from three different directions – one of which was from the North to Fort Tiracol, which was occupied and flew the Indian flag for a day before they were captured and imprisoned.
A Church for the Holy Trinity was constructed in the fort courtyard by de Almeida after its capture. This later became the century old Church of St. Anthony. Now, in a state of ruins, Fort Tiracol has been converted into a hotel, the Fort Tiracol Heritage. The church is not open to the general public except on certain occasions, such as the annual feast that is usually held in May.
How to Reach: The best way to reach Tiracol Fort is that you can either hire yourself some transport or use the public transport, theres lots of choices available between taxis, motorbike pilots and autorickshaws. The nearest Train station is Thivim Railway station, although main train services stop at Margao station, only local trains sometime’s stop by Thivim station. So Margao Railway Station will be better. To reach Tiracol from Margao or Thivim, you can either take local bus or taxi.
Distance:
58.4 km from Panaji – 1hr 17mins
80.1 km from Dabolim Airport – 1hr 43mins
89.1 km from Margao Railway Station – 2hrs 1mins
40.6 km from Thivim Railway Station – 51mins