Goa, India
By: Sharmila Kamat
From: Panaji, Goa, OO
By: Sharmila Kamat
From: Panaji, Goa, OO
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Seasons in the Sun Goa, India BY Sharmila Kamat
Think of Goa and the following images spring to the mind - miles upon miles of sun-kissed beaches. Palm trees swaying gently in the mid-morning breeze. Narrow country lanes weaving their way through vast stretches of lush, green paddy fields. The sun, the sand and the surf. However, there is more to this land on the Western coast of India than a well-thumbed set of picture postcards offering tantalizing glimpses of 'An Untouched Corner of Paradise'. Goa circa 2010 has more to offer the modern-day visitor. From whitewashed chapels to quaint temples, stately old homes to concrete monstrosities, river cruises to motorcycle taxis, here is a whistle-stop tour of the corner of India that speaks with a Portuguese accent.
With a 105 kilometers coastline, Goa has 40-odd beaches whose names trip as lightly over the tongue as the waves do on their shores. There is Harmal in the North, once a bastion of flower power and even today a favorite with backpackers. Around 20 miles from this is Anjuna whose USP once was its weekly flea market. South of the capital, Panaji, are Bogmalo, Colva and Agonda, known as well for their shimmering sands as for not-so-sparkling activities that often smirch its shores. 451 years under the Portuguese saw Goa turn into a land dotted with imposing cathedrals, whitewashed chapels and wayside crosses. Easily the most awe-inspiring are the World Heritage Monuments in the ancient capital of Old Goa. Known as the Rome of the East, the complex’s showpiece is the Basilica of Bom Jesus with its richly gilded main altar and silver casket holding the remains of St. Francis Xavier. Across the road stands the Se Cathedral with its mix of Tuscan and Corinthian architecture. Dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, the Cathedral is the largest in Asia and predates the Taj Mahal by a hundred years.
The temples of Goa incorporate elements of Muslim and Christian architecture in their design. Tucked away in secluded valleys in the south of Goa (a consequence of the proselytizing zeal of the Portuguese colonizers), they house lamp towers, music galleries and water tanks. A must-see place of worship is the Shantadurga Temple in South Goa, where Goddess Durga, the epitome of celestial rage, gets the prefix Shanta, signifying peace, to her name. Proof positive of the soothing effect of the Goan ambience. A different architectural style is evident in the 12th century temple of Mahadeva at Tambdi Surla located in the hinterlands. A pillion ride through the countryside on one of Goa’s unique motorcycle taxis can take you past cashew plantations and paddy fields to the stately old mansions that stand as testimony to a still-remembered past. With their long hallways, chandelier-decked ballrooms and intricately carved wooden furniture, the manors hark back to an era when life was lived as it should be - graciously!
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