Goa - Viceroy Arch in Old Goa

Monday, March 30, 2015

This is all that stands today, called the Viceroy Arch. This was the restored in 1954. 

This Arch was built somewhere between 1597 to 1600 by Viceroy Francisco da Gama (Governor of Goa). He is the Grandson of Vasco da Gama, the famous explorer to land on Goan shores. 

The Arch was built as a memorial for the achievements done by Vasco da Gama.  The Arch I believe was built then as it looks authentic but the walls were restored later. Bricks (chire)  was used in its restoration on the wall around the Arch. 

If you check the Arch closely  it has the statue of Vasco da Gama on the River side (Mandovi River) and that of the Argonaut on the side of St. Cajetan Church. As per the inscription next to the Arch.

Goa - Chapel of St. Catherine in Old Goa

Thursday, March 26, 2015

St Catherine Chapel is located very close to Church of St Francis of Assisi.

Entrance to St Catherine Chapel

Chapel built of Chire. Stone used in the construction of houses across Goa. The Front of the church is painted white in portions, rest is chire so it has the color of stone, Red. 

No services are held here. 

The Chapel is dimly light on the inside, hence the photos are dark.

Interiors made of Chire, the place where once stood the Altar

This Chapel was built in 1510 by Afonso de Albuquerque the then Portuguese Governor. The day he conquered this part of Goa from Adil Shah of Bijapur, it was the feast of St Catherine, so the Chapel was built to commemorate the same. 25th November 1510 is the feast of St. Catherine. 

Another entrance to the Chapel

On the opposite side of the road, I saw a small portion of the wall. Not sure what it was though we landed to explore it. But history states that it was the fort wall.  Afonso de Albuquerque entered the fort via this wall, after conquering this fort from Adil Shah he demolished the mosque and built the Chapel in its place. 

Goa - Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Old Goa

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi  was built by the Portuguese in 1661. Not sure about the history of it. 

Info on St Francis of Assisi 

This church is no longer in service due to the restoration work going on in its premises. 

Church premises

The church though small in comparison to the others it has beautifully carved pillars, the Altar and the Pulpit is also beautiful. 

View of the Church from Main Entrance

Stone vessel for Holy Water

This church has got beautiful painting and also this stone structure for holy water.

Painting

Cross in the church premises

Goa - Se Cathedral in Old Goa

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

After visiting Basilica of Bom Jesus we headed over to the other side of the road to see Se Cathedral. 

Se Cathedral also known as Se Catedral de Santa Catarina is one of the oldest religious structure in Goa and one of the largest churches in Asia. 

Se Cathedral 

Cathedral Interiors

Main Altar

Altar

Se Cathedral was built by the Portuguese to commemorate their victory over Adil Shah under the governance of Afonso de Albuquerque in the 15th century. The day the Portuguese were declared victors, it was the feast of St. Catherine. That is how the Cathedral got its name, Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina.

Altar

Altar

Altar

The construction of the Cathedral started in 1562, was completed in 1619 and was consecrated in 1640. 

Altar

Altar

Altar

The Cathedral is constructed in the shape of a Cross. It is colored white both on the inside and the outside. It has beautifully carved pillars in its premises. The ceiling is more than four storey tall. 

Altar

Altar

Altar

The Main Altar is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, apart from that there are many other altars in its premises. This is the first one I have come across with some many altar's. 

St. Peter

Altar

Altar

The Cathedral also houses many old paintings, but as the premises is not well lit up the photos are not crisp and clear.

Altar

Altar

Altar

A little sound and it echo's in its premises. I can imagine, that when the Hymns are sung, the sound will travel the length and breadth of the church. The sound of the hymns will be soothing to the ears.

Altar

Church Interiors

Statue of  Jesus

After taking photos, which are unclear due to lack of lighting, we moved on to see Church of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Se  Cathedral

Dhom Dam in Dhom village near Wai

Monday, March 23, 2015

Dhom Dam is built on the River Krishna.  it is located in Dhom village,  which is around 10 KM from Wai.  Dhom village is located in Wai taluka in Satara district,  Maharashtra state. 

Dhom Dam

After visiting Goshala we decided to visit Dhom Dam. Again don't rely on GPS and Google Maps for directions.  We asked a couple of locals and they guided us to take the correct road to Dhom Dam. 

The road to Dhom Dam is deserted,  there are no signboards on the road,  so you have to ask the locals if you are on the right road. Finally we reached the entrance of Dhom Dam. 

Banks of Krishna River

Entry is not allowed in the Dhom Dam premises.  Not that today is a off day.  But locals and tourists are not allowed here.  As it is a Govt. of Maharashtra undertaking.  So you can't get a very close look of it. 

The guard at the entrance instructed to drive a little bit further to get a better view of the Dam,  we took his advise seriously and drove along.  In a matter of minutes we were able to see Dhom Dam in a distance and the River Krishna flowing. 

Krishna River

Manohar stopped the car,  all of us hoped out of the car to get a better view of the Dam.  We took our selfie stick along to take some great selfies too. 

The skies were gloomy so we were sure that it would rain,  not sure when. 

The dam and its surroundings are indeed beautiful.  The hills in a distance was wonderful to see.  Not a soul of the banks of the river.  Though in a distance we saw a couple of women filling water.  Maybe water is a issue in these villages.  I felt sorry for them,  as they have to travel wrong distances to fetch water. 

Road to Dhom Dam

Seeing us a couple of men too walked to the banks of the river.  

This place is great for camping purposes.  Maybe we should comeback to camp here in the furture. 

Now it had started drizzling,  the drizzle turned to heavy rains.  we were all soaked up,  but that didn't dampen our spirits we enjoyed the rains in the Winters.  In a matter of minutes,  it grew cold.  

The time was already 1:30 PM on my watch,  we decided to headover to Wai to have our lunch and thereafter depart to Mumbai. 

Rainy Day

We had lunch at Bandhu Gore,  a family serving home cooked lunch at a cost of Rs. 120 per meal. This eating place is located very close to Dholya Ganpati Mandir and to Hotel Ganesha,  where we stayed for the night.  Unlimited servings,  the cost of the sweet dish is extra.   

Lunch at Bandhu Gore

We then headed off to the Mapro farm to buy squashes and chocolates and then to Mumbai. 

Overall this journey was fun,  had the rains not played up, we would have extended our stay by a day and would have been able to see more places around.  But we will be back to cover all that we couldn't in this trip.  So stay glued to more on Wai on my blog.  

Goshala near Wai

Thursday, March 19, 2015

After visiting Krishna Ghat,  Dholya Ganpati Mandir and Kashi Visheshwar Mandir we headed off to see the Goshala on the outskirts of Wai. 

GPS and google maps are misguiding hence we referred to locals for directions and traveled by the Wai-Panchgani-Mahableshwar Road.  The goshala is located around 700m away and can be reached in 7 minutes time. 

Govardhan Sanstha (Goshala) is a stable which is around 110 years old,  It is a shelter for cows.  That's all. 

We then headed off to see Dhom Dham. 

Dholya Ganpati Mandir in Wai

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

It was still pouring like it did yesterday,  when we had reached Wai. 

Dholya Ganpati Temple

We were finally up at 8 AM after having a good sleep as we were tired and stressed the night before. Felt nice and relaxed, only thing missing was some tea. 

I looked out the window and noticed that it is still raining outside.  I checked the weather update on my phone.  It will be a rainy day and the temperature was around 14 degrees.  That is cold,  compared to Mumbai standards as we are not used to so much cold. As we were in the closed room we were not feeling the chill.  I then opened the door to breathe fresh air and felt the chill in my spine. 

Temple at the banks of Krishna Ghat

With the electricity playing up due to the rains,  we had to decide if we wanted to stay for the night or head back to Mumbai. Even if we decided to stay we would be packed in the room, as we were not equipped with rain gear. We waited another hour to decide if we should stay or leave. 

Krishna Ghat

The rains was toggling between drizzle,  light showers and heavy showers. 

We had breakfast in the form of Misal Pav and Vada Sambhar at the restaurant outside the Dholya Ganpati Mandir.  This is the most famous temple in Wai and has got huge nos. of devotees visiting it. 

Dholya Ganpati

Drizzle and Gloomy weather,  made me wonder if I could get some good pics today,  like I did yesterday at Mahableshwar and Panchgani. We still took our chances and decided to visit the Dholya Ganpati Mandir. 

Dholya Ganpati Mandir aka Maha Ganpati Mandir.  Not quite sure as to what is the history of this temple. It was built by Raste family in the 18th century. 

Diya Stand

There are plenty of shops outside selling offerings to be offered to Ganpati.  

The temple is based on the banks of the Krishna Ghat and has devotees from all over Maharashtra.

Kashi Visheshwar Temple

The temple is made of stone and has a huge statue of Ganpati in it.  Photography of the Ganpati statue is not allowed from within the temple premises. The top or kalash is redone and repainted.  Looks a bit odd in comparison to the stone temple.  I think,  they should have kept it the way it was. More natural and historic. 

   

In the same premises is located the Kashi Visheshwar Mandir. There are no renovations made to this mandir.  I like that.  This is a old temple of Lord Shiva it also has a beautifully carved statue of Nandi. People flock to take photos wit Nandi here. Apart from that there are two diya stands made of stone which are beautiful. Saw similar stands at Rameshwar Temple at Achara. I guess during festivities these are lit with diya's and they would look wonderful. Had seen similar one when I went to Malvan at the Achara temple there.  Apart from that it also has a gaimukh from which water flows out.  It also has a statue or should I say bust of a man painted orange.  

gaimukh

We then visited the Krishna Ghat,  there are a couple of small temples located near it.  Not sure as to the names of it. The water in it was dirty,  found a couple of women washing clothes in it apart from children playing in it. 

Statue of Nandi

There was a hill range in a distance,  the peak of it was in the clouds.  How we wished we would be up there walking in the clouds.  I had walked in the clouds a decade ago when I went to Mahuli. This was then, when I was not into blogging. 

Krishna Ghat

It has just started to drizzle,  and we were done with three spots so far on our Wai itinerary.

Krishna Ghat

Please do not refer to GPS and Google maps here as it is misleading.  We then asked a couple of locals and headed off to see the Gaoshala.