Rachol fort was built by Bahamani Sultanate during their zenith. It later passed on to their successors, the Bijapur sultanate. The Vijayanagar Empire conquered the Rachol fort from the Bijapur rulers and established their dominance in the Area.
Portuguese accession
Vijayanagar rulers ceded the fort to the Portuguese in order to get assistance from them against the Bijapur sultanate in 1520. Portuguese armed the Rachol fort to the teeth. It is said it housed up to 100 guns once.
The fort was attacked by the Bijapur Sutanate and the Maratha armies (Sambhaji laid siege to it in 1684). Portuguese managed to defend it from the attackers and it stayed with them till the end of their rule in Goa. Eventually the guns were transferred to the other territories of the Portuguese in Goa. The fort was later abandoned.
Today not much remains of the fort except an entrance or gate. Much of it was reclaimed by nature, however the gate and the dried up moat reminds the visitors of the once glorious military fort.
