Diu Fort

The Portuguese built the fort at Diu from 1535 after an agreement with the Sultan of Gujarat, and it held against a long siege in 1538 and another in 1546, which secured their control of the island until 1961. It stands on a promontory with the sea on three sides and a moat cut into rock on the fourth, with double walls, bastions, a lighthouse and a chapel inside, and rows of iron cannon still in place on the ramparts. Part of the interior was used as a jail into recent decades. Offshore, the small fortress of Panikotha stands on a rock in the channel, reached by boat.

The main sights

• The sea walls - ramparts with water on three sides and a rock-cut moat.
• The cannon - rows of iron guns left along the bastions.
• The lighthouse - the tower at the seaward point of the fort.
• Panikotha - the small island fortress offshore in the channel.

When to go

November to March for mild dry weather; Diu is hot and humid from April and wet in the monsoon. Late afternoon light on the walls is best. The fort is quiet on weekdays.

Good to know

Parts of the fort are unstable and fenced off, and the sea walls have eroded. There is little interpretation. Diu is a small territory with limited transport connections.

Nearby

Diu town lies west; Somnath is northwest on the mainland.