The village of Rachol lies in the Salcete taluka. The Rachol Fort was built by the Bahamani Sultanate and fell into the hands of the Vijayanagar kings after a prolonged battle. When the Portuguese gained control over Goa in 1510, the witty Krishnaraya set up good relations with the Portuguese, even going so far as to use their expertise to facilitate a better water supply to his kingdom. When the Portuguese helped him to overcome the Sultanate of Bijapur, he gave them the Rachol fort as a gesture of gratitude and friendship. The Portuguese took command of the fort in 1520 and set it up with 100 cannons and many other refurbishments to make it a fierce defensive position. It’s location on the banks of the Zuari river made it fort of great strategic importance in defending the newly formed Portuguese colony from both internal and external threats.
In 1684, the Rachol fort held the armies of the Maratha ruler Sambhaji at bay for months. Even though the Marathas had gained control of the Chapora fort and some Northern territories, the Rachol fort fiercely defended the southern part of the Portuguese empire in India. To commemorate this, there was a plaque sent from Portugal reading “Sendo o conde de Alvor vice-rei da India mandou reformar esta fortaleza depois de se defender do cerco de Sambagy, em 22 de abril de 1684” which means “Sent from the Count of Alvor, Viceroy of India after reform of this fortress on defending the siege of Sambhaji, on 22 April 1684”.
Nothing much remains to be seen of the original fort, except the archway spanning the road which leads to the Rachol seminary and the village of Raitura.
