Fort Reis Magos, Goa

The Reis Magos Fort, also referred as the " Fortress of the Three Kings Goa " and " Fortress of Bardez ," is located on the right bank of the mouth of the Mandovi River, in the municipality of Bardez, North Goa district in the state of Goa on the west coast of India.

The current fortress dates back to a primitive fortification built in 1493 by Ismail Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. Few other scriptures point out that previous to that there used to be a Hindu temple that was devastated by the Muslim invaders.

Bardez was conquered by Portuguese forces in 1541, the primitive fortification to be rebuilt and expanded a decade later by missionaries of the Order of the Friars Minor, with financial resources assigned to them for this purpose by administration of the Viceroy D. Afonso de Noronha (1551-1554).

Deteriorated by time and elements, it was entirely rebuilt after 1703, successfully resisting the attack of the forces of the Maratha Empire in 1739. In their defense the Franciscans actively participated, and several of them perished in combat. Between 1798 and 1813 it was occupied by British troops.

It was used as a prison from the dawn of the twentieth century until 1993 when it was abandoned, at the mercy of the Indian government and gradually began to collapse.

In 2008 began conservation and restoration process, with funds from the state government of Goa, the British foundation Helen Hamlyn Trust and the non-governmental organization Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). It is classified as Monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Reis Magos Fort is an excellent example of military bastion architecture. The fortress is adjacent to the College of the Magi, founded in 1555 by the Franciscans, who from there campaigned for their missionary work in the province of Bardez. It has a steep staircase, walled on both sides, that connects with the quay. It has a drinking water fountain within walking distance, to the east.