 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(August 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Fortaleza de São Tiago de Banastarim | |
|---|---|
Portuguese:Fortaleza de São Tiago | |
| Part ofPortuguese Goa | |
| Velha Goa,Goa,India | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Code | IN-GA |
| Owner |  Government of India |
| Controlled by |  Portugal(1512-1961)Bijapur Sultanate (1512-1513) India(1961-) |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Location | |
  Fortaleza de São Tiago de Banastarim Banastarim India | |
| Coordinates | 15°29′28″N73°57′24″E / 15.4912217°N 73.9565688°E /15.4912217; 73.9565688 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1635-1681 |
| Built by | Portuguese India |
| Materials | Brick and Stone fort |
| Demolished | Abandoned |
TheFort of São Tiago of Banastarim in India, also known as Fort St. James Banastarim or Benastari Castle, is located at15°29′28″N73°57′24″E / 15.4912217°N 73.9565688°E /15.4912217; 73.9565688 on the right bank ofCumbarjua Canal, on the eastern tip ofOld Goa,North Goa district in the state ofGoa on the west coast of India.
Erected by the local rulers, this fort wasconquered by theViceroy of Portuguese IndiaAfonso de Albuquerque on 2 April 1512. Occupied by thePortuguese forces, it was named as Fortaleza de São Tiago (the Fortress ofSt James).
In 1512, knowing that de Albuquerque was not in Goa, the minister of the youngSultan of Bijapur sent an army against Goa, under the command ofFulad Khan whom the Portuguese called Pulatecao. This general invaded the island of Goa, and established himself in the fortress of Benastarim. The fort was later recaptured by a force led by Albuquerque on his return to Goa fromCochin.[1]
In the eighteenth century, under the instructions ofJose I of Portugal, to the Governor and Captain-General of the State of India (Estado da India) in 1774, theMarquis of Pombal said: "There are in the fortress of S. Thiago sixteen [cannon] pieces, and one of them is a cannon of an unusual dimension." Also with regards to this piece of artillery, the Secretary-General of the State of India (Estado da India), Cláudio Lagrange Monteiro de Barbuda, in the nineteenth century, said:
Albuquerque considered the Benasterim (Banastarim) Pass, where the predecessors to the Portuguese had built a fort, to be "the key to Goa".[2]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)