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GoaCentral > Sightseeing > Monuments of Goa > Monuments of Old Goa
Old Goa is all monuments; some in pristine condition and some in ruins. In all they give us a glimpse of the era of "Golden Goa" when Old Goa was the capital and the "Lisbon of the East". Click on for more..... Back to Top
Ruins
of the Colegio de Populo
To
the south of the convent and church of St. Agustine was situated the Noviciate
of the Anustinians. Opposite to
this building, to the west, there was the grand college known as Colegio de
Populo. It was erected in 1600 by
the provincial, Fr. Pedro da Cruz, and was destined for the training of the
younger brethren of the same order. It
was connected with the Noviciate by an arch spanning a broad street called Rua
dos Judeus (street of the Jews). Soon after the closing of the religious orders, some charitable institutions of the Santa Casa de Misercordia were transferred to these buildings. But with their removal to another place, the building fell into neglect, and gradually became dilapidated, their ruin being precipitated by the fall of the sumptuous vault of the church, on the 8th September 1842, which buried under its debris the colossal image of St. Augustine, founder of the order, and that of Nossa Senhora de Graca, patroness of the church. Nothing
now remains of all these buildings but a heap of ruins, amidst which stand the
arch and the forty tower of the church of St. Augustine as a gloomy remembrance
of the glorious past. Back to Top
Viceroy's ArchThis was build by Viceroy Francisco da Gama, the grandson of Vasco da Gama in 1597. It carries the deer crest of his family. On top of the arch on the side facing the Mandovi river is a small statue of Vasco da Gama, fully attired in his royal uniform. The arch is built of laterite stone with the side facing the river constructed of green granite. The original arch collapsed in 1948 and it was restored in 1954. The restoration omitted the third tier that contained the statue of St Catherine made of bronze that is now in the courtyard of the museum. Inside the archway is an inscription to Vasco da Gama and also to King Dom Joao iv, the first Portuguese king after it was liberated from Spain in 1640.On the back of the archway is a statue of a crowned woman standing on a "native", symbolizing the "Christian victory over paganism". Tradition has it that on taking office, all viceroys made the procession under the arch where they would be given the ceremonial key to the city and Goa. The road under the arch known as the Rua Direita leads to the main square where most of the monuments exist today.
Back to TopRuins
of the
Arsenals
To the west of the Royal Hospital lay the Ribeiro Grands, which in the first days of the Portuguese conquest, was merely called Rineira, or Ribeiro das Naus or Ribeiro das Armadas and subsequently the Arsenals. It included, besides the docks, various important public establishments, such as the Mint, and the Gun-Foundry, where everything requisite of the army and the renowned and formidable navy were manufactured. The
origin of this vast arsenal which contained many establishments including a
chapel, can be traced to the times preceding the capture of Goa by Alfonso de
Albuquerque on St. Catherine's day, the day the Portuguese first entered the
city. Back to TopFort
Naroa
Situated
in the Island of Divar, which is opposite the old city of Goa, in the Ilhas, was
originally build by the Muslims. It
was abandoned in 1834 and is now in ruins.The island of Divar, the ancient Dipavati, is one league in length and a
quarter of a league in breadth. Celebrated in ancient tradition for its sanctity, it was the
site of a tirtha and of a Hindu temple, which existed up to the time of
Portuguese conquest. The Island
subsequently became home to the residence of many of the noble families of Goa.
Besides three parochial churches, it possesses a chapel containing two images of
Christ held in great veneration by the Catholics of the place.
The ruins of the fort are discernible on the northern part of the Island,
called Naroa. Opposite the fort ruins, on the bank of a tributary of the river
Mandovi, lies the modern "Tirtha" , which attracts thousands of
Hindu pilgrims annually who come here to bathe and worship. Back to TopSite
of The Temple of Saptakoteshwar
Ancient Goa rulers from the Hindu Kadamba dynasty worshipped an incarnation of God Shiva commonly known here as” Saptakoteshwar”. They styled themselves as “Saptakoteshwar Labdha Vara Prasad” (i.e. under the blessing of the Goa Saptakoteshwar). Originally, it appears that the Kadamba Kings of Goa built the temple at Diwadi, during the early part of the 12th century. It was then destroyed by the Sultans of the Deccan during the middle of the 14th century and was again rebuilt on the same site by Madhava Mantri, a minister of the Vijaynagar Empire by the end of the 14th century. Following the Portuguese conquest, the temple was again demolished in 1540 AD and a Chapel of Our Lady of Candelaria was erected on its site in 1563. shifted to Naroa in Bicholim by the local chieftain of Bicholim. Back to Top
Ruins
of the Temple of Brahmapur at Ela village, Old Goa.
This
reportedly was a colony of Brahmins that existed since ancient times. Tradition
has it that it was founded by Madhava Mantri, one of the celebrated ministers of
the Vijayanagar Empire. The temple of Lord Shiva under the name of Lord
Goveshwar was venerated here. The Portuguese destroyed this temple during the
early period of their conquest of Goa, along with thousands of other Hindu
temples. During the brief spell in which inquisition was suspended in 1775 the
worship of deity- Goveshwar was allowed to be renewed.
But soon after, the Viceroy, Dom Federico Guillermo de Souza, destroyed
the temple and the deity again on June 6, 1779 under orders from the Queen of
Portugal. Back to TopArchaeological museum and portrait galleryThis used to be a wing of the old Franciscan monastery and was converted to a museum in 1964. On exhibit are a selection of pre-colonial and post colonial artifacts. The main hall has at its entrance a huge statue of Alfonso de Albuquerque, that once stood in Old Goa and subsequently at the Azad Maidan in Panaji. It was removed after liberation to the museum. The other areas are the "Key Gallery", the " Portrait Gallery" and the "Sculpture Gallery".
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