Name and Location

Light House Aguada, also known as the "Aguada Lighthouse", is a decommissioned mid-19th-century Portuguese colonial tower located within the ramparts of Fort Aguada in North Goa, India. The exact address is 27, Aguada–Siolim Road, Aguada Fort Area, Candolim, North Goa, Goa 403515, India. The coordinates are Latitude 15.491986° N and Longitude 73.772557° E.

Construction and History

The Light House Aguada was constructed around 1864 during the Portuguese colonial period. It served as a navigational aid for ships along the Mandovi estuary and Arabian Sea coast until its decommissioning in 1976, when a new motor-driven light tower nearby took over its duties. The lighthouse has been designated as a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) responsible for its maintenance.

Architecture and Materials

The Light House Aguada is an octagonal-plan tower adjoining a small single-story keeper's house, built using local laterite stone and brick rendered with lime plaster. The exterior is whitewashed. The tower stands approximately 7 meters tall from ground to lantern gallery level.

Light and Navigation

Originally, the lighthouse had a focal height of around 12 meters above mean sea level, powered by an oil wick lamp. Later, it was replaced by acetylene gas before its decommissioning. The estimated range was 10-12 nautical miles, with a light characteristic possibly being Iso W or Fl W every 15 seconds.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse serves as a museum and viewing platform, open daily from 10:00 to 17:30. Visitors can access the site by car/taxi via Aguada��Siolim Road (MDR 10) or on foot via a short climb from the fort courtyard along paved ramparts. However, please note that there is no elevator, and access is via steep stone steps.

Notable Views and Landscape

From the lantern gallery platform, visitors can enjoy panoramic sea views to the westward of sweeping sands of Sinquerim and Candolim beaches. Northward, they can see the Mandovi estuary and passing fishing boats. Sunset vistas offer spectacular gold-and-crimson horizons over the Arabian Sea.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore speaks of sentries spotting pirate dhows off Sinquerim under cover of night, alerted by the lighthouse's beam. The former keepers' quarters recall the solitary life of Portuguese lamp-tenders who once tended the light by oil lamp and later by acetylene.

Technical and Operational Details

There are no additional technical or operational details available for this lighthouse.

Further Information

For further reading, please refer to the Archaeological Survey of India (Goa Circle) official site, "Portuguese Forts of Goa" by Valmiki Faleiro, Goa University Press, 2015, and the Goa Tourism Department: Fort Aguada brochure (online PDF).