States > Daman And Diu

Diu Fort

The Diu Fort, is located on the west coast of India in Diu, a Union Territory, administered by the Government of India. The fort was built by the Portuguese during their colonial rule of the Diu island.
The fort was built in 1535 subsequent to a defense alliance forged by Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat and the Portuguese when Humayun, the Mughal Emperor waged war to annex this territory.

Portuguese ruled over this territory from 1537 (from the year they took control of the fort and also the Diu town fully) till 1961 (for 424 years, the longest period by any colonial rule in the world).

They were forced to quit only in December 1961 even though India became an independent country in 1947 during a military action called the "Operation Vijay" launched by the Government of India.

The importance of the Diu Fort was highlighted by an opinion poll conducted by the Portuguese to list out the New Seven Wonders of Portugal built during their colonial rule.
The Diu fort and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa were chosen as the two wonders from India, among the seven from across the world, out of a list of 27 monuments built in 16 countries during the Portuguese rule.

The fort cum castle, known in Portuguese as'Praca de Diu', is set within the Diu island.Two bridges provide the connecting links to the town and fort. The secured fort provided sea access for trade and traffic with Cambay, Broach (now known as Bharuch) and Surat in Gujarat.

There are other two monuments -