Fort Anjediva Fort Anjediva , built on the Anjadip Island , off the coast of the Indian state of Karnataka but under the administrative jurisdiction of the Indian state of Goa , was once under Portuguese rule . It has also in its vicinity an ancient church on the island called the Church of Our Lady of Springs built in 1505 . The Chapel of St Francis D ’ Assissi is also located here but it is in ruins . Though the fort has a rich history linked to Portuguese rule , it is also presently in ruins . Both the fort and the church are located in the island of Anjadip , which covers an area of . Anjediv — the name means " fifth island " — ( see image in infobox ) , is the largest of an archipelago of five islands ( known as the Panchdiva chain of five islands ) ; the other four islands are the Kurnagal , the Mudlingud , the Devgad and the Devragad . Because of its strategic importance in the seafaring route to India and also as a watering destination for ships , a fort was built on this island by the Portuguese to enhance their military presence and control of trade route . The fort island was also known as Agiadvipa ( clear butter ) , Angedvpa ( some isles ) , Agadvipa ( derivative from goddess Aja ) and Adiadvipa ( Ancient Island ) . It was called Aigidias by the Greek geographer Ptolomey . Etymology of Anjediv is also attributed to the name of the local Goddess " Ajadurga Devi " . History . In March 1505 , Dom Francisco de Almeida came to India as Portuguese monarch Emanuel ' s Viceroy and was the first permanent representative in the East . He had a “ Regimento ” or mandatory orders to establish four forts in India , which included the fort at Anjadip island , off the West Coast of India ( the other three forts were proposed at Cannanore , Cochin and Quilon ) where seafaring merchant vessels from Greece , Arabia , Egypt , and Portugal would stop for water on their way to and from the East carrying valuable goods , such as spices from India . The decision to build the fort was dictated by the fact that Vasco da Gama had stopped on this island in 1498 , on his return from Calicut to Portugal , ( after exploring the sea route to India ) not only to repair his ships but also to collect water from the springs on the island ( considered of good water quality ) . He had again stopped here in 1502 . It is stated that Vasco Da Gama had appreciated , from his earlier visits to this island , that Angediva would be a good place not only to collect fresh and safe water but would also be a perfect safe site for docking ships during the south west monsoon season in India . In fact , Vasco Da Gama and Gaspar da Gama ( a Jewish trader who was converted to Christianity in Cochin ) recommended to the King of Portugal to establish a naval fort at Angediva , which eventually could help Portuguese to get control of the neighbouring island of Goa . Almeida took up the task of building the fort so seriously that he even declined an invitation from King of Bisnaga ( Vijayanagara ) , a staunch ally of the Portuguese . As soon as he landed in Angedipa on 13 September 1505 , he started building the fort with enthusiasm . The Vijayanagara emperor or his local vassal , the chieftain of Gerosopa , did not object to the fort building activity . Construction materials such as timber , cane , palm leaves and lime were readily supplied by the local people . An ancient temple on the island is said to have been demolished to extract stones for use on the fort . Its completion time has been recorded variously ; as 21 days and also as three months . It was also claimed that during excavations of the foundations for the fort a stone bearing a Cross was found , which was interpreted to mean that the island was once a habitat of Christians . Further , the hydrographic conditions at the island location of about length , and from its shore to the Karwar head southwards , favoured building a safe fort as water depth of in the channel between the fort wall and the shore line was noted . At the outer sea side of the fort , the water depth was reported to be . A further away , the depth of water was reportedly . The fort wall was built on barren and rocky surface and fortified by towers . The fort was built at a huge cost , as it provided military defence fortifications to defend the Portuguese colonial interests in India . The fort walls were mostly built with clay and stone , since there was shortage of lime stone and other materials on the island . Still , the fort as built was considered a good base for the military exchanges with the enemy . The military operations launched from this location helped Almeida subdue initial enemies like Timoja ( a Hindu privateer who served the Vijayanagara Empire and later became of great help for the Portuguese ) . Subsequently , when Adil Shah of Bijapur attacked with a large force , there was intense bombardment and fierce strategic attacks in which the Viceroy ’ s son D . Lourenço also took part . After four days of intense fighting , Adil Shah of Bijapur retreated . But in the bargain , the Portuguese had suffered losses and even Almeida was injured . Subsequent to this victory , there was a rethink on the utility of the fort as a defence structure and was , therefore , abandoned . But a story that Almeida demolished the fort in 1506 , as it was built on 13 September , an inauspicious day , is not borne out by the fact that the fort was revived as a Portuguese defence establishment during Viceroy Albuquerque ’ s ( successor to Almeida ) time and the fort ruins are still seen in the island . The decision to abandon the fort in 1506 was because the garrisons were better placed at Cannnaore and Cochin forts , which could ensure adequate protection to the trade . Another factor considered in abandoning the fort was on account of maintenance problems ( operating from Cochin as the base ) , bad weather here and fear of enemy attack from Goa . After the fort was built , Portuguese used it mainly as a military establishment and as a regular watering stop for their ships . The fort was refurbished in 1682 by the Viceroy Count of Alvor . It was populated by about 600 people with facilities of a seminary , a Jesuit college and a Portuguese school . In 1768 , it was under the administrative control of a governor when 350 people lived here . In 1812 , the inhabitants counted 782 ( including convicts ) . But , when the fear from any kind of enemy threat receded , in 1843 the Portuguese abandoned the fort once again . Anjediva fort , when it was a Portuguese territory , was used by the Christians and Hindus of the mainland as a refuge during the invasion by the coastal kingdom of Bednore , and by Tipu Sultan . The island and the fort became a part of India on December 19 , 1961 , with the success of " Operation Vijay " , a military operation in which the Portuguese were evicted from their colony in Goa , as well as their other Indian colonies . Archaeological findings . Excavations carried out in the area by the Department of Archaeology and Museums ( Goa ) has revealed pillars , stones , pots of the 11th and 12th century with the artistic work of Kadambas and Chalukyas . From this , it has been inferred that the findings could be the remnants of the ruined temple of goddess Aryadurga Devi . Access . The Fort on the island is located south of Baticala , the ancient kingdom of Garsopa , the present day Karwar . Karwar is approached conveniently by road on the National Highway NH 17 . From Karwar , a causeway leads to the Officers ( Sea Bird ) gate and then to the historic fort . In the past , the approach involved a seaward journey of one hour by trawlers and then by a canoe to the island . It is also approachable by boat ride from the Binga beach .