Architecture, Art & Beyond

There are coastlines with miles of beaches, there are beaches with hills and rivers rolling into the seas and there are exotic hotels with private beaches and public spaces with raves and pubs. Goa has it all and a bit more. My first trip to Goa (North Goa to be precise), at the south western coast of India, along the Arabian sea was validation of most of what I had already heard about Goa, but witnessing it in person was remarkable. At 30 deg C in the middle of the winter season, Goa has abundant sun and can be hot to walk around. We did receive some cloudy days with comforting sea breeze but looking around, hardly found anyone complaining about the heat. As the year 2021 began, it seemed, people had just had enough and Goa was overflowing with tourists. Main arterial roads were full of traffic and throngs of two wheelers drove to and fro without a break. As a tourist, this isn’t what I like to see, so we ventured away from tourist places and tried to see up close the history and architecture of the place. Following section share some of the photographs we took of the attractions of Goa, architecture of Goa, restoration of history of Goa, city for the residents and some observations.

Attractions of Goa:

Beaches, unending stretch of beaches, fun activities, water sports, drinks, sea food and freedom. That’s where it begins and there are monuments, forts, rivers, hills and luxurious hotels and fine dining.

Nature:

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Then there are breath-taking views of the sea from top of hills and forts.

Food:

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Night Life:

Goa boasts of great night life, but in these special times we stayed out of most crowded places and night clubs/ pubs were places to avoid. Something for next time.

History:

There is plenty to see in terms of history of Goa from the Adil Shahi’s to Portuguese to independent union territory of Goa.

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There is a good amount of information stacked within the Archaeological
Museum of Goa, renovated and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI), but for the lack of proper curation, it is a bit tedious. ASI has done
some very good work to repair and preserve the buildings. However, its practise
of painting walls with lime plaster, painting over wall murals and drawings is
disappointing. Refer the bottom right image of the walls with artwork, that
will inevitable be white washed with no trace of any artwork left in due
course. I wonder if it is the lack of funds, will or expertise that there is no
preservation of such artwork.

Another marked change that was observed was the discipline code of maintain
dress code in the Bom Jesus Church, that was not prevalent before. The
incessant yelling by the ASI security personnel was rather annoying and there
was no peace at the house of God.

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The Forts of Goa are a must visit. If not for the for architecture (since they were merely used for military purpose, lacking the scale and grandeur of forts of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Agra or Mysore) they must be seen for the views they present from the top. And the extra effort it takes to climb to the top.

Fort Aguada (Top 3 images) with the lighthouse is well maintained along with the Reis Magos Fort (bottom left). While the Chapora Fort (bottom right) has the best views.

Restoration:

In continuation with the Forts and restoration, the work done at the Reis Magos Fort deserves a special mention.

Restored under the watchful eye of architect Gerard da Cunha the fort also houses a museum that is very well curated, describing the history and freedom struggle of Goa. Other sections of the museum also house some artwork (copies) of famous cartoonist Mario Miranda and about the Goan architecture and process of restoration of the fort.

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Architecture:

We reached out to Soul Travels, Goa for a heritage walk of the UNESCO heritage site of Fontainhas, Goa. In the two hours walk through the narrow lanes and colourful houses we were walked through the history, architecture, lifestyle, food habits, fables and anecdotes about the place. Use of bright colour for houses is a recurring theme that is seen throughout Goa and it is a charm in itself.

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Another place that has many stories to tell is the Houses of Goa museum. Set aside from the din of the city, in the hills this unique building by architect Gerard da Cunha is worth a visit.

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And there are some very interesting buildings that surround the museum, including the museum of Mario Miranda.

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Rest of Goa:

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Rest of Goa, that a tourist usually drives through is as interesting as the main attractions. Greenery, hills, rivers, farms, and sea are in every frame. But like any other modern city, Goa is also evolving with construction of wide roads, flyovers, apartments and housing complexes in addition to luxury villas. While they are being built away from the tourist attractions, one wonders, eventually they will collide at some point.

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Another experience to share is that N95 masks are not best companion for trips like this, however are essential and protective in times like this. As a result there were a number of things that we couldn’t do this time so another trip beckons. Hoping for better times without masks.