Churches in Goa

A visit to old Goa is never complete without seeing its beautiful churches and chapels.
We spent a little less than one full day in exploring the churches -a full second half of a saturday and first half of the next sunday.
  
  The churches are mostly built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The churches are mostly built of laterite stone, however basalt was used for pilasters and columns for decorative purposes.

  On Saturday we visted Se Cathedral, Basilica of Bom Jesus, Chapel of St Catherine and Church and convent of St Francis of Assisi. All these churches and chapels are just close to one another and can be covered on foot. There is also a museum adjacent to the Church and convent of St Francis of Assisi and the entry fee is Rs 10 per person. Photography is not allowed inside the museum.

  As you enter this compound you will be approached by local hawkers selling garland and candles though they are not very persuasive.

Map you can use to navigate the churches in old Goa

  Since we stayed at Panaji, near the Goa Secretariat, it took us 20 minutes to reach there by driving.The churches are kept open for public on all days from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Entry is free except for the museums and art gallery. Photography is also allowed inside the churches provided you don't disturb the peace inside the church and also don't take photos of people.

  Se Cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are situated on either side of the main road and both are declared as world heritage site by UNESCO. The Basilica of Bom Jesus is the most famous of all the church  in Old Goa. It contains the relics of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa. It was the first church in India to be elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1946. There is also an art gallery towards the exit of the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

Basillica of Bom Jesus

Main alter inside Bom Jesus Basillica

  After seeing Basilica of Bom Jesus we went to Se Cathedral. It is one of the most beautiful church ever seen by us. We were also very lucky to see a couple in their wedding finery who had come to the church with their family and friends to solemnise their marriage.
 

Jesus,SE Cathedral

SE Cathedral

Inside SE Cathedral

  Then we went to the church of St Francis of Assisi.This church is much much less crowded compared to the other two. The church has beautiful large wood panels of oil paintings, depicting the life of St Francis of Assisi, placed on the walls on either side of the main altar. The convent is housing the Archaeological museum and entry charge is Rs 10 per person.

Church of St. Francis Assisi

Inside the church of St. Francis of Assisi

Pictures on the wall inside the church of St. Francis of Assisi

Pictures on the wall inside the church of St. Francis of Assisi

   West to St Francis of Assisi is the Chapel of St Catherine. It is a magnificently built church dedicated to St Catherine and mostly made of laterite. The chapel has a small garden in front of it.

Chapel of St. Catherine

  It took us almost four hours to see these churches and chapels on Saturday. We were terribly hungry when we reached our hotel and so we decided to go to the restaurant first that was on the first floor of our hotel. It was an open air restaurant and we enjoyed our 
high snack while seeing the sunset and the cruise boats on the river Mondovi.

  We decided to see the remaining churches on the next day. Our to-see list included St. Augustine Church, Church and Convent of Santa Monica, Church of our Lady of Rosary, Church of St. Cajetan, Arch of Viceroy and Panaji Church.

  We drove straight towards St. Augustine Church which is very close to Basilica of Bom Jesus. The church is basically in ruins and has practically turned into an excavation site for the Archaeological Survey of India.There are placards in the courtyard of the church that elaborate about the history and the reasons for its destruction. The Church, when intact, was perhaps the biggest in Goa and that can still be understood from its vastness. There are still a few tiles left on the interior walls of the church.

St. Augustine Church

  We saw Church and Convent of Santa Monica from outside. Next to Santa Monica is the Museum of Christian Arts but unfortunately it was closed on Sunday. A few meters from there is the Church of our Lady of Rosary. This is the oldest surviving church in Goa.

Church and Convent of Santa Monica

Mother Mary in front of Santa Monica. You can also spot St. Augustine Church in the back.

Church of Our Lady of Rosary

  We then headed towards Church of St. Cajetan. It is a beautiful church built along the lines of the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome. Although the church is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence, it has been name after St. Cajetan, the founder of the Order of Theatines. The Church of St. Cajetan is the only surviving domed church in Goa.

Church of St. Cajetan

Inside the church of St. Cajetan

  From Church of St. Cajetan the Arch of Viceroy is hardly one hundred meters.
It was built by Francisco da Gama, the great grand son of Vasco da Gama, who was the governor of Goa from 1597 to 1600. It was built as a memorial to the achievements of Vasco da Gama, the famous explorer. 

Arch of Viceroy

  The last church left for us to see was Panaji Church. The original name for the church is Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Locals call it by the name Panaji Church. We drove back to Panaji but we  could only see the church from outside.

Panaji Church

  It was time to head for Colva, our next stop in South Goa.

Karwar, a beach city on the Arabian shores

After driving through the mersmerising western ghats we reached the small quiet beach city of Karwar. We took NH4 from Bangalore to Hubli and then from there took a left to get on Karwar road which is on NH17.

  By the time we reached there it was almost late afternoon and some more minutes to go before the sun sets on the Arabian sea. So we decided to catch the sunset first before checking in to any hotel......and what a great decision that was!!

The sea at Karwar, at late afternoon.

  We stood there watching the sun getting down and the colour of the sea and sky changing every second. The sea water and the foam that was bluish white changed into hues of orange and red.

Sunset at Karwar beach

Yet another sunset shot at Karwar beach.

Tourist crowd in Karwar is pretty less and so one can have more of the sea. We clicked as many photos as we could to freeze what we saw.

We checked in at Hotel Premier in Karwar. The hotel is very near to the beach and has a nice restaurant with it. The room rates were also pretty less. Non AC rooms costs Rs.500 plus taxes while AC rooms comes for Rs.850 plus taxes, although the rates are for the off season.

The next day morning we again set off for the beach. The sea was calm in the morning and we could spot a few islands on the sea. One of the islands even had a light house. Local fishermen were getting into the sea for their day's catch. Karwar is rich in flora and fauna. We also spotted some colourful birds as we were heading back to our hotel for breakfast.

Bee eater. We found it on the beach.

A pair of eagles at their nest near the beach

A butterfly on the bushes by the beach

We ordered for upama and tea in the restaurant of Hotel Premier. They made the upama so good that we asked for one extra pack that we would eat on our way to Goa that very day. If you go to Karwar, do taste the upama there.

The city of Karwar mostly has government buildings and offices. Unlike other Indian cities,  Karwar has very less people and the roads are mostly empty. The pace of life also seems slow and worth savouring.

There is a naval base in Karwar. There is also a warship museum and an aquarium in Karwar though we did not see any of those. Rabindranath Tagore beach is just adjacent to Karwar beach and has a small park with it.

Entrance to the Ravindranath Tagore Beach

Warship museum at Karwar

The river Kali flows through Karwar and the Kali river bridge is simply awesome. A few miles afer crossing the Kali river bridge you actually enter Goa.

We bid adieu to beautiful Karwar as we approached the police checkpost after crossing the bridge, though in our mind we pledged to come back again.