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THE OLD GOA WALK
Goa historian Prajal Sakherdande believes that
it is the entrance of a temple of the Kadamba
period in Goa that has been translocation from
its original site to this one. Ketak also subscribes
to this view and adds that it was perhaps brought
here and rerected in the 1950s by the Archaeology
Commission in an attempt to restore Goa’s
pre-Portuguese past to its rightful place in history.
The church, the Institute and the gate are all
located on what was once known as the Celebration
Square.
Take a left turn as you leave the square and
enjoy the site of the oldest municipality in Asia,
then called the senate. The site of the Senate
is close to the Cathedral on its North east This
is close to where the Papal Bulls issued by the
Vatican were read out and thus this house was
referred to as the House of the Bulls. It is one
of the oldest administrative civil buildings in
the country and now houses the Handmaids of Christ
Convent. Across the street stands the imposing
facade of the Se Cathedral with its single tower.
The story of the single tower is interesting.
There were two towers originally and Ketak believe
that it was after one of the two towers of the
Cathedral was struck by lightening that it became
a fashion among Goan church builders to incorporate
this as a design feature. You will notice that
the single tower is often a feature that most
Goan churches flaunt.
Walk towards the roundabout now dominated by
a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, once the site of the
Old Pillory, the Statue of Camoes having once
been located in the roundabout in the garden.
During the heyday of this Portuguese capital all
the market lanes radiated from this spot. Rua
Diereta, Old Goa’s main Street that has
been described in every historical account of
the period was located here. The walls of the
old city ended here and contrary to what one might
believe, most of the famed market lanes of the
city lay outside these walls. As if to provide
a historic link, today this roundabout plays host
to a number of Fruit stalls. Pick up fresh garden
produce that arrives here from the orchards .of
nearby Ponda.
You are standing with your back to site of the
notorious Palace of the Inquisition (at the site
where the ASI guest house stands at present) and
what was once a three-storied palace of the Shah.
It was the tallest building in the area and it
is possible to understand how it struck terror
in the hearts of thousands when it was used as
the Palace of the Inquisition. You have just passed
a curiously named open-air restaurant and wedding
venue named Casa Ella Pilorinba located right
across the street from this site. The pillory
that the restaurant takes its name from is located
at the other end of the street, South of the Gandhi
statue but the owners must be congratulated for
showing some sensitivity to the historicity of
their surroundings and retaining some of its character.
A moat ran along the road that runs East-West
of the Gandhi statue as per Ketak’s studies
and the roundabout was also the site of the church
of Nossa Senhora de Sara, one of the wealthiest
churches in 16th century Old Goa. This was built
to fulfill the vow of the captain of the ship
at the time of the conquest of the city and was
the spot where the captain of the Ports worshipped.
It is here that Afonso de Albuquerque’s
body was buried before it was taken to Portugal.
Ketak thinks that us location which is in close
proximity to the walls of the city allowed it
to function as a fortress in many ways.
The city gates and the road that bears North
East was from where Adil Shah’s men made
good their escape when the Portuguese marched
into the city. The hills of Ponda provided both
a physical and political safe haven to the Muslims
who sought refuge in its forested areas.
The main road that takes heavy traffic into Ponda
today was once the street where goldsmiths plied
their trade; the street to it left was for the
butchers; the hatters were to the right and the
colourful Rua de Panos or street where they sold
fabric, sail cloth and valuable Indian textiles
lies straight ahead. Cross this busy roundabout
and walk on the old Rua de Panos. Amuse yourself
with the sign saying BOMBY HERE CUTING SELOON,
a riddle in phonetics.
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