Restoration of Sanquelim Fort nears completion

Panaji: The long-awaited restoration of the historic Sanquelim Fort is expected to be completed by March 2026, officials said. Restoration work is currently under way on multiple fronts, including the fort’s bastions, boundary walls and its main hall.

According to archives director Nilesh Fal Dessai, substantial progress was made on strengthening and repairing the fort’s defensive structures, while renovation of the main hall is ongoing. Plans are also in place to install information panels across the site to provide visitors with historical context and details about the fort’s strategic and commercial significance in earlier centuries.


The project includes the development of rooms earmarked for senior citizens, which are intended to function as community spaces such as reading areas. “However, these rooms are yet to be refurbished and will be taken up in the remaining phase of the restoration,” he said.

The Sanquelim Fort restoration faced repeated delays over the past decade, largely due to administrative and logistical hurdles.

One of the major challenges was the presence of two PWD offices operating from within the fort premises. These offices were recently shifted, clearing the way for uninterrupted conservation work.

Encroachments around the fort were also addressed. Most of the kiosks that once operated outside the fort walls were relocated. “Only two vendors remain, and the local municipality is currently handling their rehabilitation,” he said.

During the restoration, the department discovered the original laterite-paved flooring of the fort buried beneath approximately 1.5m of construction debris, thus delaying the works. The fort floor covers an area of approximately 200sqm.

Situated overlooking the left bank of the River Valvonti, the Sanquelim Fort once functioned as a strategic defence outpost and also served as a port facilitating trade during the bygone era.

The total cost of the restoration project is estimated at around Rs 3.8 crore.