To piece together a slice of history, a visit to the various museums scattered across the State will offer a birds-eye-view into what Goa was. In Old Goa, the recently refurbished Museum of Christian Art holds an impressive collection of Indo-Portuguese Christian art. Rare sculptures, paintings, ivory, furniture pieces, and textiles are part of the displays. In the vicinity, in the precincts of the Convent and Church of St Francis of Assisi, the ASI museum exhibits a formidable set of the portraits of the former Portuguese Viceroys and former Governors of Goa. The museum also contains a phenomenal collection of stamps, religious artifacts, and other treasures.
To understand the various influences that merged to create Goa’s iconic domestic heritage homes, the Houses of Goa museum in Salvador do Mundo presents every aspect from architecture, building materials, interiors, etc. Its unique architecture in the form a ship stands tall amidst the contemporary architecture in the State.
Art lovers can soak in a few hours of color and inspiration at the Museum of Goa by the renowned Subodh Kerkar in Pilerne. Contemporary art takes prominence on the displays, along with historical sculptures, paintings, photography, and installations fused with Portuguese lifestyle and Goan culture.
As you move to the slow-paced South, Benaulim village is home to museum man Victor Hugo Gomes and his massive lifelong journey with Goa Chitra. The premises hold three mini museums, each taking you on a journey through long forgotten memories of Goa. In Goa Chitra, one traces Goa’s agrarian roots through each painstaking detail and object on display. Goa Chakra pays tribute to India’s story of the wheel through the collection of carts from across India. The third mini museum, Goa Cruti offers a peak into the household objects existing in the Portuguese era.
For us at Planet-Goa, our team is driven by that feeling of exhilaration that one gets when discovering that something ‘unique’ and ‘new’ about Goa for our ever-so-discerning readers.
