This post has been long due – an account of my two sight-seeing trips in Goa. None of that beaches ’n booze stuff though… Goa was a cultural melting pot, the first colony per se in India, and there was so much to be seen and heard about its rich history! So here goes the first of the 2 posts…
Date 25th Dec 2008
Went on a 3 church-4 temple-1 museum-1 cultural centre trip spanning Old Goa, North Goa – all this in 8 hours. With me, myself and Beena 🙂 It’s always a pleasure to travel alone when visiting places like these. Can squint at an inscription, admire the contours of a sculpture for as much time as one chooses – no person goading you to move on, no one to keep track of!
Started off with St. Francis Xavier’s church, followed by an old church in the museum and then the Se’s Cathedral. The one word to describe these churches would be, “Majestic” – in expression, color and silence. One feels the towering presence of God – what with the tall ceiling, the gilded chapel showering bright light, figurines of Saints raising their heads and hands heaven-wards in devotion. Felt extra special as it was Christmas 🙂
Although I’ve to St-Xavier’s twice before, the mystic associated with St. Francis’s mortal remains never fails to evoke wonderment every time. Stared and stared at the paintings, zoomed-clicked away to my heart’s content.
Next stop, the Archeology Centre and Museum. Besides coins, broken idols, inscriptions and the like, the first floor housed full-size portraits of the Portuguese governor-generals and viceroys who ruled Goa. It was fun to see the change in beard, hair styling and dress over the centuries!! From the grave rounded long beards in the 1600s; the powdered wigs and clean shaven look in the 1700s- a decided French influence; the smart uniformed military look of the late 1800s which continued till the end of colonization.
The Se’s Cathedral, in the same compound, impressed me with the number of altars and chapels within – 6 altars, 8 chapels totally ! In front of the St. Anthony’s altar, an erstwhile “secret” passage-way sealed off by a glass slab glowed in an eerie orange light. At another alter, the Chapel of the Cross of Miracles, The Lord was said to have been sighted in 1919.
Our Lady of Dolores
Loved the “Our Lady of Dolores” (Dolores meaning Sorrow, hence Mary of Sorrow) altar – Mary’s agony was captured so well, as she looked up at her crucified Son. Remembered a poignant scene from the “Passion of Christ” ;one in which she rushes to hold her falling child – the scene flashing between His childhood incident, when he slipped and fell, and the present, when the sheer weight of the cross overwhelms him… unforgettable in its tenderness, helplessness…
Supposedly, one of these churches houses a Shiv Mandir hidden behind ceiled walls – the tale of its existence, a mere whisper amongst the local populace- “Not many people know about it madam! Take note of the church roof, it is similar to that of the temples you would be visiting today” said my driver. A well in the church premises is, reportedly, one end of an underground passage to Pandarpur; there were many secret underground passages in Goa, many of them still undiscovered and unexplored. These enabled clandestine, passport-less movement between Portuguese Goa and the rest of India. Few people have lost their lives trying to explore these “mole-roads”- suffocation, or falling into a deeper cavity. Ma-an! If anything sounded cool and creepy at the same time :O
Then off on a temple marathon – Mangeshi (Lord Shiva), Mahalsa (Mohini-Parvati), Mahalakshmi and Shantadurga – all just a few kilometers from each other. The 1600’s saw the colonizing Portuguese desecrate many such haloed Hindu sites. The Gaud Saraswat Brahmin community, enjoined to protect the legacy of their ancestral deities, escaped with a few of the idols to the interior regions. From that time on till date, the temples and its patrons have flourished- very evident from their rich interiors.
Deepasthamba
The temples are similar in structure. A tall Deepa-sthamba (Pillar of lamps) is at the entrance of the temple door. Western influence is seen in the interiors; lit up by chandeliers, bell-shaped lamps and stained ceramic tiles decorate the arches. The flooring was marble or granite, so also the seats along the inner periphery of the temple. The main temple structure consists of 3 parts. When you just enter, we have a hall, which could seat a large number of people. The second chamber usually has the ceremonial palanquins placed in them – the deity is usually taken on a procession on these during the temple festivals. At the 3rd and the last chamber, the Garba Griha, is where the deity’s ensconced. Garba Griha literally means the “Womb” – radiating with hope 🙂
Mahalsa Temple
An interesting story’s associated with the Mahalsa temple, famous for its huge brass bell. The bell‘s ringer was attached only when somebody wanted to testify. It was believed that the goddess will punish the person who lied while ringing the bell. The belief was so strong, that even during the Portuguese rule, the testimony in the temple was considered acceptable in the court of law!
The “Ancestral Goa Centre”/ Big Foot, Luotolim, showcases the Goan way of life through models of a rustic-Portuguese Goa. The models of the Taverna (the bar), the house of a Portuguese Lady “Dona Marina”, the Bhattini or the Feni manufacturing adda are the most notable, as the others like a shoe-maker/vegetable vendor would not hold the interest of an Indian – one gets to see such scenes every day anyways!; primarily been built to give the firangs a glimpse of the life of an average Indian. The activities depicted in each of structures, were being described by a few guides appointed for the purpose within the centre. There is a Handicraft section selling crockery, shell jewellery, jing-bangs, bags printed with the famous Mario Miranda cartoon pieces etc.
Sant Mirabai - Ancestral Goa
This place also has the world’s largest laterite stone sculpture, of the singing saint Meerabai. She is depicted wearing fullam, a traditional golden-flower head ornament, worn by Goan Hindu women. This creation was conceptualized and sculpted by the founder and manager of the cultural centre, Maendra Alavres. The whole piece ends with the explanation for the name “Big Foot” – a legend of a benevolent person of these parts. With a restaurant, the set-up is pretty much complete 🙂
Ended the day by polishing off a scrumptious Gujarati Thaali meal at Bhojan, one of the many restaurants at Panjim’s Hotel Fidalgo. Had purposely eaten lightly during the day so that could gorge the unlimited vegetarian delicacies doled out at regular intervals by the ever-attendant waiters 😀 Started off with chaas (buttermilk), lemon juice; dhoklas and potato bondas with green chutney and chillies followed; dals and vegetable curries along-with a variety of bread (bakri, roti, parata), rice and pickles; hot gulab jamuns for dessert… yum yummy yum!!!
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