Goa Tourist Guide

Goa Tourist Attractions 

Goa is the perfect place where you will find a blend of traditional and modern aspects of life. On one hand you have plush beaches and on the other hand you have the most natural landscapes that make you wonder if time ever touched this place. Goa is the perfect place to go on a sightseeing tour. These tours will truly show you an entirely new side of Goa that is sure to take you by surprise. The waterfalls, the forests, the spice farms, all are unique in their own way and are a must visit on your tour to Goa in India. Check our related sections for further information. 

Goa Beaches

The ideal combination of sun, sand, sea and surf is enough to send a person packing his bags and go on a short holiday. It becomes even better when that holiday is in one of the popular Goan beaches. Goa has a long coastline that makes it the ideal state to have beaches. The beaches of Goa are the perfect destination for a relaxing vacation and holiday in India.

Goa Churches

Goa is literally synonymous with churches. They are living testimonies of the rich historical past of Goa. During the early days of the Portuguese rule in India, church building was the primary concern and occupation in Goa. This was because of their zeal to spread Christianity and convert as many people as they can. 


Goa Carnival

One of the most colorful and popular festival of Goa is the Goa Carnival. This three day extravaganza, of fun, frolic, amusement and merry-making, takes place in the month of February. The Goa Carnival festival is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. Though essentially a Christian festival, all people of Goa, irrespective of their faith and religion take part in this festival.

Dudhsagar Waterfalls

The Dudhsagar waterfalls are located in the Sanguem district of Goa near the Goa-Karnataka border. It is located at a distance of around 60 kilometers from Margao and can be reached easily by hiring a taxi or taking a bus from either Margao or Panaji.

Goa Spice Plantations

Goa is synonymous to its exotic beaches and pulsating nightlife. Tourists come here to enjoy the relaxed pace of life and rediscover themselves in peaceful and serene surroundings. But there is more to Goa than just beaches, churches, nightlife and casinos. A major attraction in the rural side is the spice plantation of Goa.

Goa - Mahalaxmi Temple, Panaji

One of the capital city's most discerning asset is the Mahalaxmi Temple. Located on the Dada Vaidya road (Rua de Saudade during the Portuguese times), the Mahalaxmi deity is the chief object of veneration for all Panjimites, irrespective of caste, class, sex or creed.

The city, blessed by three historic ecclesiastical monuments - the Jamma Masjid, the Church of Immaculate Conception and the Mahalaxmi temple - surprisingly standing on the same road pose a perfect symmetry of communal harmony and camaraderie.

This 182 year old temple has a fascinating history. In the 16th century the Havig Brahmins from Karwar-Kumtha areas who lived on alms and charity of others worshipped the Mahalaxmi deity and wherever they went in search of alms they carried this deity along. In the 16th century, they moved to Goa along with this diety and reached Taleigo village of which Panjim was then a mere ward, along the river Gomati (Mandovi).

The Havig Brahmins whose whole day was spent begging for alms had sought shelter in the precincts of the Vetal temple of Taleigao. But when they learnt of the conversion policy of the Portuguese, fearing desecration of their revered Mahalaxmi idol made of marble, they moved away from Taleigao and as they were moving on they found a horse stable which actually belonged to the Portuguese government.

A gentleman called Raghavendra Kamat Mhamai who worked for the Portuguese military found that this place selected by the Havig Brahmins to hide their deity was unsafe and hence moved it to his palatial house opposite the Adilshahi palace (Secretariat) in the heart of Panjim city. Still fearing for the safety and security of the deity, he moved it to Mayem village of the Bicholim Taluka where it remained till 1817.

Sometime later in 1817, Narayan Kamat Mhamai of Panaji dreamt of the deity and the next day itself he along with others went to Mayem and brought the diety to Panjim and hid it at a place where stands the People's High School today. That corner at the People's High School is still venerated where the deity was kept hidden.

He later moved it to his house and started worshipping it there. He expressed his desire to a friend Mr. Sinari of building a temple to consecrate this diety. They seeked the permission of the liberal Portuguese governor Conde De Rio Pardo, which was granted to them on 2nd July 1818.

On 10 July 1818, the deity was consecrated there and the foundation stone of the Mahalaxmi temple was laid. Refusing to be cowed down by the heavy monsoon downpours of Goa, the pious devotees led by the late Shri Narayan Kumar Mhamai, Mr. Sinari and others consecrated the Mahalaxmi deity in the backyard of Panjim city on 10 July 1818.

By 1819, the temple was completed. The original deity today lies in a small box in the rear wall of the temple which faces the present day main idol of Goddess Mahalaxmi. The magnificent subhamandap of the temple has been added later and today the recently completed new building of the temple stands proudly as a superb addition to the landmarks of Panjim city.

 

Goa Cities

By Indian standards, Goa is a very small state with only two districts -North and South Goa. These districts are together further divided into 11 talukas. These divisions, however, don't make much sense for a traveller. North and South Goa are similar, and each has its own "coastal" and "interior" areas. The major division in Goa is actually between the central coastal areas where the beaches are located and the hinterland. The coastal areas were under colonial rule for longer, reflecting more of Portugal's influence, including having a relatively larger Christian population. The interior is more Hindu, and has more protected forest areas, mining zones and villages. 

Contrary to popular perception, Goa is not an island, though parts of what was considered "Goa" in the past were cut-off from the mainland by the many rivers this region is known for. 

Regions

North Goa (Bardez, Bicholim, Pernem, Ponda, Sattari, Tiswadi)
South Goa (Canacona, Mormugao, Quepem, Salcette, Sanguem)

Cities

• Panaji (Panjim, also referred to a Ponn'je in Konkani, and earlier called Pangim and Nova Goa during Portuguese rule) – the state capital

• Margao

• Vasco Da Gama

• Old Goa, home of famed sixteenth century churches, convents and monuments

• Mapusa

Goa also has a number of other smaller, charming and sometimes crowded towns such as those along the beach belt (Calangute, Candolim), and in the interior (Chaudi in Canacona, Sanvordem-Quepem, Bicholim, Pernem town, etc). Some of these are gateways to the nearby touristic areas. In addition, Goa has some nearly 350 villages, often scenic and each having a character of its own.

History of Goa

Year	Place	Significant Event in Goa	Related World Events
-300	Goa	Goa under Mauryan rule of Ashok the Great
400	Goa	Kadambas conquer Goa. Chandor capital of Bhoja King, Devaraja
600	Goa	Chalukyas conquer Tiswadi
1327	Goa	Kadambas surrender to Mohammed Bin Tughlak
1460	Portugal		Prince Henry the Navigator dies
1469	Goa	Bahamani King, Mohammed Shah, conquers Goa
1498	Portugal		Vasco da Gama reaches India
1502	Portugal		Vasco da Gama's second voyage to India
1506	Spain		Birth of St. Francis Xavier
1510	Goa	Afonso de Albuquerque overpowers forces of Yusuf Adil Shah
1514	Goa	Portuguese ward off attack by Ismail Adil Shah
1524	Portugal		Vasco da Gama dies
1534	Goa	Diu conquered by Portuguese
1536	Portugal		Inquisition setup in Portugal
1539	Goa	Bishopric of Goa Created
1540	Rome		Society of Jesus formed
1540	Goa	Persecution of Hindus and mass destruction of Hindu temples by Portuguese
1542	Goa	St. Francis Xavier arrives in India
1542	Goa	Jesuits arrive in India
1552	China		St. Francis Xavier dies in China
1556	Goa	"Conclusionnes Philosophicas" first book published in Goa.
1557	China		Portugal take control of Macau
1560	Goa	Inquisition established in Goa
1561	Goa	Occupation of Daman by Portuguese
1567	Goa	All non-Christian priests, teachers, and holy men ordered out of Goa by Ecclesiastical Council
1570	Goa	Goa under siege by Ismail Adil Shah's forces
1580	Portugal		Portugal united with Spain
1603	Goa	Goa blockaded by Dutch
1622	Rome	Pope Gregory XV canonizes St. Francis Xavier
1651	Goa	Birth of Father Joseph Vaz
1653	Goa	Mutiny led by Fr. Mateus de Castro to overthrow Portuguese rule
1661	Bombay		Bombay given to British as part of dowry of Catherine of Braganza to Charles II of England
1683	Goa	Attack on Goa by Marathas under Sambhaji
1711	Ceylon		Father Joseph Vaz dies
1722	Goa	Portuguese Treaty with the Maratha King Shahu
1737	Goa	Start of war with Marathas and Portuguese for Bassein
1739	Goa	Marathas attack Goa
1741	Goa	Marathas and Bhonsles defeated by Portuguese forces
1759	Old Goa	Viceroy takes up residence in Panaji
1759	Goa	Peace concluded with Marathas
1763	Goa	Ponda, Sanguem and Quepem added to Goa
1764	Goa	Canacona added to Goa
1787	Goa	Pinto families in Bardez conspire to overthrow Portuguese
1797	Goa	British blockade Goa
1812	Goa	Pernem added to Goa
1812	Goa	End of the Inquisition
1813	Goa	Representative sent to House of Representatives in Lisbon
1813	Goa	End of British blockade
1843	Goa	Panaji declared capital of Goa
1852	Goa	Uprising headed by Dipaji Rauji Sardesai
1885	India		Indian National Congress established
1895	Goa	Uprising headed by Dadaji Rauji Rane Sardesai, who was deported to Timor
1900	Goa	Start of O Heraldo, Goa's first daily paper
1906	Timor		Dadaji Rauji Rane Sardesai dies in Timor
1910	Portugal		Proclamation of Portuguese Republic
1920	India		Mahatma Gandhi starts first civil disobedience campaign against the British.
1926	Portugal		Start of Salazar's rule
1946	Goa	Satyagraha by Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia
1947	India		Union of India created
1954	Goa	Liberation of Dadra
1954	Goa	Liberation of Nagar Haveli
1961	Goa	Liberation of Goa, and integration with India accomplished
1963	Goa	First election to House of Assembly
1975	India		Sahitya Akademi recognizes Konkani as a modern Indian language
1987	Goa	Goa attains Statehood