Fort Tiracol (Goa)

9th June 2015, Tuesday

Tiracol is the only part of Goa which lies on the side of Maharashtra separated by the River Tiracol. It is also locally called as Terekhol.

It is where the Fort Tiracol was originally built by the King of Sawantwadi in the 17th century being a strategic location at the mouth of River Tiracol. 

Later on, in the 18th century it was conquered by the Portuguese with whom it remained till it was annexed by India after the independence.

It has the St. Anthony's Church and the statue of St. Anthony facing it in the courtyard.

The fort currently has been converted into a heritage hotel.

Fort Tiracol, Tiracol, Goa

A view of the Arabian Sea on the way to Fort Tiracol.

River Tiracol meeting the Arabian Sea.
Querim Beach on the other bank of the river.

St. Anthony's Church at Fort Tiracol.

A statue of St. Anthony in the church courtyard.

A view of the Arabian Sea from Fort Tiracol.

The statue of St. Anthony in front of the church at Fort Tiracol.

A view of Querim Beach on the other bank of River Tiracol.

The statue of St. Anthony in front of the church at Fort Tiracol.

The statue of St. Anthony in front of the church at Fort Tiracol.

Tables laid out in Fort Tiracol for the guests.

The steep banks of River Tiracol. 
The river is also called as Terekhol which literally means steep banks of a river.

Journey by Konkan Kanya Express!

Looking out through the dirty train window :
The train passing over countless rivers, streams, bridges and through tunnels.

8th June 2015, Monday

The Konkan Kanya Express (Train No.10111) starts from CSTM, Mumbai and the final station is Madgaon, Goa. I caught the train at Dadar (11:20pm). It was expected to reach Sawantwadi at around 8:30am the next morning. But recently, the trains running on this route have been reaching the destination late.

But the journey is indeed beautiful. I woke up at 6:00am. The train had halted at Sangmeshwar Road. As it crossed the station, the sun rose, creating beautiful shades of pink and purple in the sky.

The train crosses through many long tunnels along the way. And obviously, the mobile connectivity is poor or non-existent.

I saw a train carrying tens of trucks, not brand new ones, which had the drivers in the cabins. I wonder where it was headed? New platforms are being constructed at the smaller railway stations along the way. Maybe that's the reason for the trains being late.

I finally reached Sawantwadi at 10:55am, almost two and half hours late. But the scenery that one gets to see is so fantastic that the journey never becomes boring!

Peace!