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Even before
the arrival of the Portuguese, Old Goa was a thriving and prosperous
city, and the second capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty Bijapur. At the
time, it was a fortress surrounded by wall, tower and moat, and
contained temples, mosques and the large palace Adil Shah. Today, none
of these structures remain expect for a fragment of the gate way
to the place. Under the Portuguese, the city grew rapidly in size and splendor,
despite an epidemic in 1543 which wiped out a large percentage of the
the population. Many huge Churches Monasteries and convent were
erected by the various religion orders which came to Goa under royal
mandates. The Franciscans were the first to arrive.
The city Muddled
on into the early 19th century as the administrative capital of
Portugal's eastern empire. In 1843, the capital was shifted to Panaji
.It is also called Velha Goa. |
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Old
Goa, nine km west of Panaji, half dozen imposing churches and cathedrals
(among the largest in Asia) are all that remain of that remain of the
Portuguese capital that was once said to rival Lisbon in magnificent.
Some of the old buildings have become museums and maintained by
Archaeological Survey of India -- a maintenance is very necessary
because if the lime plaster which protect the laterite structures is not
renewed frequently, the monsoons will reduce the buildings to ruin.