We are all too familiar with the sun-and-sand allurements in the popular bits of Goa, its historic churches and festivals…But there’s a secret Goa that not many visitors or even the locals are aware of - and you will just love to encounter on your next visit, for sure.
Follow the art trail in Goa and make some really unique discoveries. Sequestered in Goa’s fabulous churches, its temples, monumental buildings, or art galleries is a wealth of art that serves as a window into Goa’s past and present. Look for the art of sgraffito in the churches of old Goa; this art form involves the application of red or black soil to a wall and the design being scratched out and filled in with white lime plaster. Fine examples of the work can be seen at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount and the Archiepiscopal Palace. The ancient art of kaavi, used on walls of temples and houses, involves using a paste of red soil and charcoal filled into an etched design. Cherish the legacy of these beautiful art forms that have barely survived to tell their tale today.
At the Santa Monica Monastery, you will discover that in the 17th century, the nuns, when they joined the convent, were cut off from the world by the strict disciplinary rules. So they channelised their energies into creating the stunning artworks you find here at the Weeping Cross Chapel. The Museum of Christian Art here is a treasure trove of rare manuscripts and 18th-century church clothing, the only ones in the world where ivory is used as part of the embroidery.
Chandor or Chandrapur, now a sleepy village 43km from Panaji, is the oldest known capital of Goa; it served as an old Hindu capital before the advent of the Portuguese. A flourishing trading hub in its heyday, it was the rule of the Bhojas, the Sialaras and the Kadambas. Tales are rife of pitched battles and marching troops with Muhammad Bin Tughluq and a queens curse that was brought upon the village as a result of the treachery of the warriors of the kingdom. The Menezes Braganza Pereira mansion here is the largest Portuguese mansion of its kind in Goa.
You will love the boat ride to Ilhas Dos Fidalgos ( The Island of the Noblemen ) and its vast mangroves. Along the way, the birdman of Chorao will point out the most prominent areas for migratory birds. You get a rare opportunity to explore the concepts of maanos (sluice gates) and bandhs (Bunds), amazing feats of engineering that are the lifelines of Goa. Discover the rare temple that’s dedicated to Krishna and his biological mother, Devaki.