Visiting Moti Daman Fort - brief history and overview

When visiting Daman, don't restrict your itinerary to visiting the beaches and just going around the outside of the Moti Daman Fort or entering and exiting through the gates. You must explore it properly inside as well. There is quite a lot that will interest you within that vast space, including charming churches, well-maintained gardens with truly magnificent flowering plants, monuments, and, generally, the remarkable layout of various administrative offices within. There’s a really charming and quaint blue-and-white lighthouse, too.

I spoke of exploring, and here’s a very useful tip – do take a guide or ask inside for directions to go up to that part of the fort where the blue-and-white lighthouse is located. I came to know from a relative's kid that they did visit the fort but never went inside the actual fort's main area and hence missed the lighthouse altogether because they were depending on Google maps for directions and ended up simply going in a circular motion, starting and ending at the same point!! They were unable to locate the road inside the complex which led to the fort steps that take you to the upper section where you can get a magnificent view of the Arabian Sea, and also look across to see the St. Jerome Fort of Nani Daman. So don't miss this on your visit to Moti Daman fort! If I recall correctly, our taxi driver-cum-efficient guide took us inside via the road next to the white-and-gold Liberation Memorial.

A brief history

Established in 1559, the Moti Daman Fort has a polygonal design with solid walls withstanding all-weather conditions through so many past centuries. The ramparts are really high, with ten angular bastions and beaded moulding above the cornice level. There is a moat that protected it against invaders, with a northern gate (known as the sea gate) and a southern gate (known as the land gate). 

You can get this and other details of the Fort on the Board displayed by the Daman Tourism Department outside the Fort’s northern gate.

The inscriptions

Look out for these inscriptions-

Martin Afonso name inscribed on the wall

The above one mentions the name of Martim Afonso de Sousa, Portuguese Admiral and explorer.

This one shown below states ‘By Order Region of 1797 it would be here build…’ (don't know what the rest of it is) –

Portuguese inscription

Look above the archway of the gate to see these Portuguese symbols-

Portugues symbols and text above the archway

The huge door of the fort, too, has an inscription that indicates it was built on 8th August-

Fort door

There is also an inscription on the monument to soldiers (image below) where the word ‘tumulus’ is mentioned. A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves.

Monument to soldiers

The little white house

Just inside the fort, adjacent to the gate is a small white house that was the home of the poet Manuel Maria Barbosa Du Bocage (his pen name was Elmani Sadino).

Bocage house

The lighthouse inside the Fort

Actually, there are two lighthouses, and not just one. There is the quiant blue-and-white one which will excite a lot of people who love selfies! 

Blue-and-white lighthouse

The little gate to it is open, so perhaps you can climb up, but looking at the steep spiraling staircase, I did not want to risk twisting my ankle, so take care and first ask if it is safe to go up. Have a look at the stairs-

Entrance and steps spiraling upward

The other lighthouse is on the other side (it was inadvertently caught in the above frame in the left corner!), but visitors are not allowed inside the premises where it is located, as indicated by the sign board near the gate there. 

White-and-grey lighthouse

However, there are plenty of points where you can capture them in a single frame. Here’s a short video clip-

Talking about capturing in frames, there is plenty for a photography enthusiast. Like this one through the grilled design above the entrance steps-

Standing at the correct spot, you can capture something like this, with two trees in the foreground of the two lighthouses-

A great photo-shot spot

The garden

There is also a very well-maintained garden near the steps of the fort where you can stroll around and get wowed by the blooms. 

The well-maintained, neat green landscape just near the steps of the Fort-

There are some lovely blooms in the garden's central space-

Don't miss the gently swaying shrubbery at the side of the pathway-

Details of other places inside the complex, including the Churches, monastery ruins, a children's park, administrative buildings, etc will be updated as well through separate posts.