Ponda – The Land Of Temples

We wondered whether Goa is a land of Churches. Only churches showing existence of Christianity is seen everywhere. We thought of clearing the doubt with our receptionist who took our attention to make a visit to Ponda. He was pretty sure that we will change our opinion when we are back after a day trip to Ponda. From our hotel in Panjim, we took a bus to reach Ponda. 

The first thing that will come to the notice of anyone who makes a visit to Ponda is the Hindu population unseen anywhere else in Goa in such domination. We visited the entire nearby temples Sri Devaki Krishna temple, Kamakshi temple, Manquesh temple, Shanthadurga temple and many others. It was then we were directed to the only Muslim monument left in Goa, the Safa Shahouri Masjid. This stood as a ruin which points out the past glory. It took around half the day. 

What I noticed about Ponda that I have never seen anywhere else in Goa is that Ponda have a rich blend of religion and culture. When the rest of Goa is dominated by the symbols of Christianity, Ponda have the remains of Hindu and Muslim existence. To my surprise, when I explained by great discovery to my driver, he wanted to show something special that will add to it. We drove around 5 KM north east of Ponda and reached the famous Rivona caves. Yes, he was correct. This is yet another symbol of religious blend in Ponda and this is the proof of the Buddhist community that existed there. This is the only proof for the existence of a community of Buddhists anywhere in Goa. When he asked him for a detailed description, he actually knew nothing more about it. 

We made a visit to the Bondla wildlife sanctuary, the smallest wildlife sanctuary in Goa. The sanctuary was full of natural beauty with deer safari park, zoo and gardens.

Old Goa – The Classic Beauty

On our plan to visit Goa, one of the small states in India, many asked us, what made us to take this as our vacation destination. We have already made up our mind to explore the beauty of this small, but glorious state. Of the days spend in Goa; I can never forget the timeless charm of Old Goa.
 
We have already made our accommodation ready in Panjim and so arranged our schedule to make a one day visit to Old Goa. The travel experience to Old Goa was extremely distinct and different from my previous travel experiences. Beauty of Old Goa lies in the wonderful architecture which is the result of Portuguese colonization in the area.
 
Soon when I made my first foot step in Old Goa, I realized why this place got the post of World Heritage centre by UNESCO. What I noticed of Old Goa is the way the Government and archeological department have tried their best to preserve each building of historical importance. Some of the churches have been converted into museum and most of them were undergoing restoration work.
 
Even before we set out on the journey to Goa, we had heard it several times that there is nothing more to see other than churches. We realized that travelers claim this declaration from their experience from Old Goa. I have to make a comment on this statement that, though the land has a dozen of churches, everything about Old Goa is unique and special, especially the Se Cathedral. The appearance was more or less like that of an archaeological museum.
 
Slowly we moved our way to Basilica of Bom Jesus. It is here where the Body of St.Francis is buried. Renovations are being carried out in an attempt to preserve this church of high historical relevance. 
No wonder, why this traditional city lies in our memories with the charm of the white churches. The classical buildings can never fade away from our hearts.

Mapusa - Friday Market

Soon after we landed in Goa, we were busy in arranging our schedule. The guy in the restaurant have already mentioned the name Mapusa and that, we should plan a travel there on the weekend. Now, it is Friday and we woke up early to make our visit to the city.

Travel was never a problem to Mapusa, because options were many - autos, motorcycles or taxis. We preferred taxi. It was suddenly that something caught my attention. Most of the roads and lanes there have no names. And to my wonder, most of the localities also don’t know any name for such places. Almost all the places are recognized by virtue of the nearby land marks - sounds strange? So were we. In our conversation with our taxi driver, we understood that we should make our first move to the Friday market. 

As we entered to the market, we wondered whether, the whole of India enjoy their weekend here. In other words, India’s weekends lie in Mapusa market. Preparations for a weekend are colorful and full of feel in this market. Here and there we could see Goan women trying to sell their handicraft goods and spices. The sweet smell of tamarind which fills the air is that which we find in most of the Goan kitchens- we realized during our later days in Goa. You will get everything special about Goa in this market. 

What we enjoyed most of the visit to this traditional market is the way we bargained for goods there. This was nothing new to the Goans as they have become used to sell their good at bargained rates. Even then, millions of rupees are flowing through the Friday market.

On our return, we made a visit to the Bodhgeshwar temple, another popular destination in Mapusa. We have noticed that reaching Mapusa from other spots of Goa is easy and planned to make yet another visit to the Friday market before we leave the place.

Bicholim – The Serene Beauty

Goa is a popular travel destination ideal for shopping. When we were so confused about what to shop for, we realized that Goa has some unique handicraft works and when learned more about this, we made an attempt to visit Bicholim, the centre where most of these goods are produced.

When we made a plan to visit Bicholim, we knew little about the place. As we approached the place, we were quite surprised at the idyllic landscape of Bicholim. Though we could not find many beaches there which are the main factor for which Goa is famous, the way nature has blessed Bicholim with serene lakes and rolling hills is enough to gather tourist attraction. We could find a few wonderful waterfalls also there. 

Natural beauty is the main wonder of Bicholim and so we spend a few hours enjoying the peaceful countryside. Later we moved to the Arvalem caves that stood as a pride of Bicholim since the 5th century. This was yet another surprise in the series presented by Bicholim. They were cut out of ancient rocks and are also known as the Pandavas Caves, for the historical story connected to it. If I were an archaeologist, there would have been more chances of study, I realized. Nearby the caves are the Arvalem waterfalls - as I said before, instead of beaches, Bicholim is blessed with quite a large number of waterfalls. 

We didn’t forget to make the true aim of this trip to Bicholim - to visit the handicraft attraction of the place. You could see a good number of local artisans working there with their high skill to produce beautiful handicrafts that are special attractions of Goan tourist shops. In the evening, we moved to the Mayem lake beach. We could find a good number of tourists enjoying the day end in the serene beauty of the lake.

Panjim Or Panaji – Capital Of Goa

A few palaces wouldn’t be out of place, grand doorways and arches, a fort cum jail come tourist destination, a few major beaches, wildlife sanctuaries , all of this around one sleepy town looking over the confluence of two rivers and a the Arabian sea. Then add it up all, and the answer has to be Panaji or Panjim in the western state of Goa in India.

It also doubles up as the capitol of Goa and the starting point for the city states major attractions. Once a Portuguese stronghold, Panjim mean the land that never floods, Panjim is situated on the southern banks of the mighty Mondovi River, the river bridge forming the grand doorway to Panjim.

The European touch has withstood the passage of time and Panjim is the epitome of what could be a mini Europe in India. Atypical to any goan town, Panjim was built around a church, facing a huge square. The baroque styled buildings, the old villas, the whitewashed houses dotting the river side; Panjim is in a class of its own.

A structure which houses the passport office began its life as the palce to the Adil Shahs of the Bijapur dynasty, taken over by the Portuguese and converted into a the residence of the Viceroy, only to be transformed into a secretariat and finally in the present times home to visitors instead of rulers. 

Panjim for centuries was nothing much but swampland and marshes, protected by a hilltop fort. It was Old Goa which was well of then, but falling a major plague attention moved to Panjim. The years of cultural exchanges and people have made what Panjim is today , the capital of Goa and the host to a number of events and cultural activities, not only for the people of Goa but for the whole of the world.