Dona Paula, Panjim, Goa

Dona Paula is a tourist destination, in the suburbs of Panaji, Goa, India. Named after Dona Paula de Menezes, the daughter of a viceroy (in Portuguese India), who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias.

 Dona Paula Beach is informally also referred to as Lovers Paradise.

The Dona Paula Beach is also a major tourist attraction due to a myth attached to the place. According to this, Dona Paula is entombed in the Cabo Chapel, the residence of the Governor of Goa and is supposed to be seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace. Several tourists as well as locals guided by this myth visit the beach for a glimpse of Dona Paula.

Goa Carnival 2010

The Goa (which was a Portuguese colony) Carnival festival is held every year in the month of February and lasts for three days. It is one of the eagerly awaited events of the year. Goa’s famous carnival processions and float parades are symbolic of its Portuguese legacy. The carnival is held annually just before Lent, which is a 40-day fasting period preceding Easter. Goa Carnival was introduced by Portuguese, who ruled over the state for more than 500 years.
Before the Goa carnival 2010 started
Every year carnnival starts by 4PM, we reached by 3.30PM and was looking for a nice spot to have a better view and to take some pictures.

People waiting for the carnival to start

Empty streets, sales is yet to kick up for the day. They all come from Mumbai to sell there face masks and toys. They plan to produce these face masks - 3 months in advance.(I did ask with them!)

A loner waiting for the floats to start

 Slowly the crowds pull in,....

King Momo of Goa leads Goa Carnival 2010
The festival is led by King Momo, a locally chosen dignitary who is given a key to the city. This time round Mark Dias, a bartender by profession, was been chosen to do the honours as King Momo.

The Goan fishermen had a float and they performed a traditional dance, 'Kalyan sangali,...sonachi,... song was very nice

Smart kids had a ball on the road and great dancers and all enjoyed it,...

The guy had a tough time walking with the coustume,.....

By the time the floats was nearing its end,... the dancers had to slow down. But still they did a good job entertaining

One hell of a king kong,..... this was one of the nice floats we saw,... and tough one to made

The pirates had a lot of actions and they did pose for pictures and this guy had a laugh for me,....

Party Time @ Goa Carnival
The Carnival of Goa is the time to indulge in feasting, drinking and merry making.

The carnival is also getting the Goa festive mood to higher limits. The media says and other sources say, Goa is not just an epicentre, where drugs are sold at rave and trance parties. In recent years, it has become a transit point for drugs shipped out to various European countries and a production centre for synthetic party drugs.

My opinion : The govt can do more to stop drinking on the streets during carnival, in a way the forgein tourists are making themselves prone to danger - which can be avoided

Again, the Govt is not going to do anything great as they recieve around 2 million tourist annually and that genarates revenue to the state,....

Basilica of Bom Jesus

The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Basilica of Good Jesus (Portuguese: Basílica do Bom Jesus) is located in Goa, India is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule, about 10 km from the new city of Panjim.

Construction work on the church began in 1594 and was consecrated in May of 1605 by Archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier; a very close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Francis Xavier died on the Sancian island while enroute to Continental China (December 2, 1552).

                                                    

The body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Malacca and two years later shipped back to Goa. It is said that the saint's body was as fresh as the day it was buried. The remains of the saint still attract a huge number of devotees (Christian and non-Christian alike) from all over the world, especially during the public viewing of his body every ten years (last held in 2004). The saint is said to have miraculous powers of healing, and pilgrims come from all over the country.

Some shorts inside the church