THE ALTINHO WALK
This short walk is valuable for its scenic views
and also to get a feel of the historic importance
of Panaji as an entry point for traders and travelers
and students embarking on professional careers.
You could start this walk at the office of the
Commissioner, Customs. This indigo building received
its first cosmetic face-lift in over a hundred
years in 1999. Known as the Alfendega or Custom
House, this was one of the most important commercial
buildings during Portuguese rule in Goa. Walk
around the rear of the building and then cross
the street towards what is popularly called the
Panaji Municipal Garden. It is one of Panaji’s
many civic open spaces and perhaps its largest
and best maintained. The stone pillar was brought
here from Velha Goa when the city fell.
Catch up with some local gossip at the Clube
Vasco de Gama, now housed on the first floor of
Souza Towers, an incongruous high rise that replaced
a charming single storied clubhouse. Walk straight
up, past the Children’s Park to your right.
This Park is curiously named Comercio Parque especially
going by the fact that this area was once a coconut
grove! The Government of India Tourist Office
now stands right in front of you. Admire its indigenous
facade, bottle balustrades, balconies on corbels,
beautifully crafted cast iron railings and segmented
column.
The Administration of Comunidades (Central Zone)
office and a few good shops occupy this building.
Motorcycle taxi drivers will invariably call out
to you from their spot under the rain tree by
the Park. These taxi drivers, rivaled only by
their counterparts in Bangkok, are locally called
pilots. Now turn around and face the grandest
of all Panaji’s edifices, the church of
Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. The hill behind
the Church was where beacons were once lit to
guide pilots at sea. The hill was named the Hill
of Pilots and the Panaji motorcycle taxi drivers
take their nickname from their spot facing the
hill, Benches facing the Church give you a fine
view of the Panaji Church but with traffic whizzing
past you on both sides, it is rather difficult
to appreciate this piece of street furniture and
the Church itself.
The street that veers to the right from here
was once Goa’s Gujarati Quarter. Block printed
textiles from this little pocket were exported
to Portuguese Africa at one point of time. Goa’s
Gujarati population now lies scattered all over
the State but today Gujarati appears to be the
language most heard on the streets when hordes
of Indian tourists invade this holiday destination
in the summer.
If this is going to be your day for walking around
Panaji, rake a right up the steps to the High
Court building (The High Court of Bombay at Goa),
Formerly Goa’s most prestigious high school
or Lyceum. Instruction was once imparted in the
Portuguese language here and its high teaching
standards could compare with today’s university
education. Go up to the East Gate of the High
Court. You will see a spectacular view of the
roofscapes of Portais and Fontainhas. Admire the
expanse of t Mandovi River, the scale of the bridge
at Patto and the two new bridges that span the
river. Ferries transported you across the river
(cars, buses et al) before the bridges were built.
In case you are wondering why there are two bridges
spanning the river at almost exactly the same
spot leading to the same destination, here’s
the story. The first bridge collapsed soon after
it was ‘inaugurated’ on account of
spurious building materials used for its construction.
Emergency aid from the Government at the Centre
helped build a second bridge while the first one
was being restored. The result is that now the
strip of the National Highway No.17 linking Panaji
to Porvorim has two impressive bridges across
it. Look beyond the two bridges in the distance
towards the East. On a clear day you can also
see the hills of diver in the distance, the mangroves
at the Salim All Bird Sanctuary, the Ribander
jetty and the Goan fishing nets. From the North-Fast
Gate of the High Court you get a fabulous view
of the gables of the church of Our Lady of Immaculate
Conception. Take the steps down from the High
Court just as hundreds of students must have done
before the Lyceum became the High Court.
You can now either go straight down into the
heart of the city and enjoy a sumptuous Gujarati
meal at Rasoyo, a South Kanara thali in air-conditioned
comfort at Kamat’s or do some utility shopping
on 1 8th June Road. You can also step into the
Fontainhas heritage district via the steps from
the East Gate of the High Court.
This circular route offers you panoramic views
of the city of Panaji, the villages and mangroves
below as well as views of the Panaji Church and
the new Legislative Assembly.
If you would rather carry on with the Altinho
Walk, however, come down the steps (still referred
to as “the Lyceum steps”) and turn
to your left and on to Pe. Agnelo Road. This is
Panaji’s most visible heritage site and
the hotbed of a recent controversy. Marked for
conversation in Panaji I997 Plan, the heritage
pocket was “redesignated” in the year
2000 as a commercial precinct, allowing a developer
to demolish the five villas and replacing these
with yet another high rise.
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