Architecture of Goa

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The most striking example of this period and the most famous, ancient extant temple in Goa is the Mahadev temple built of basalt at Tambdi Surla, a thinly populated village at the Goa-Karnataka border, some 65 kilometres east of the capital Panaji. Situated on the bank of a rivulet, this is the only existing black green-tinged basalt stone tradition of Goa, resembling Hoysala and Yadava architecture in the monolith pillars. Shivaratri is the main festival and it is declared a national monument.

A typical Goan temple would consist of a tall, octagonal, pagoda-like deepmal or deepstambha (lamp tower) before the entrance of the main temple in the main courtyard, small subsidiary shrines and a Tulsi Vrindavan (basil enclosure) on the left side of the main temple, a naubatkhana or drum tower for temple musicians to sit above the main entrance and perform, a large temple tank behind the naubatkhana, rath (temple car) shelter on the left, an agrashala (pilgrim rest room and administrative offices surrounding the shrine on both the sides and the back, a porch, sabhamandap (main hall), and ardhamandapa (middle hall) and the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) housing the deity. After the darshan (seeing) of the deity, it is customary to make a pradakshina or parikrama or clockwise walk around the shrine.

Jesuit Architecture in Goa

We name a few Jesuit footprints in the sands of time - traces indicating how in their time Jesuits loved and served in all things. We review the places in Goa where Jesuits mainly laboured before their expulsion by Pombal in 1760.College of St. Paul, Old Goa On the road from Old Goa to Ponda after a brief run from the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, there rises on the left side among a cluster of trees what has the appearance of a massive arch in stone. This is all that remains of the large complex of buildings that was the Old College of St. Paul's, the first house of the Jesuits in Goa. What started as the seminary of the Holy Faith for the formation of young lads from India, Africa and the east so that they could later carry to their own respective people, was entrusted in 1543 for direction to St. Francis Xavier and to the Society. What we see now is the facade of the Church of the college; In its time it was considered the largest in India. Beside elementary instruction, higher education in Music, Latin, Arts and sciences was also imparted, capped with lectures in Philosophy and theology. Even the degree of Master of Arts and the Doctorate were conferred, so that some do not hesitate to call it "Universidade de Goa", and the "Sorbonne of the East". It could compare with the colleges of Europe.
The Jesuits had to be quite shrewd in their efforts to implement this new project for the Senate, the Santa Cassa da Misericordiaa and the Franciscans strongly opposed that they should build on what was then a spacious square called Terreiro dos Gallos. However on the night preceding the day on which they were to be legally restrained from building the site, two fathers and one brother converted a small house into a temporary church and on its door inscribed the word 'JESUS'. Early next morning the door was thrown open and a bell rang. The neighbors were surprised to see a priest ready to celebrate mass. The opponents were never able to dislodge the occupants.

The entire building was completed in 1589 under the able supervision of Br. Domingos Fernandes. Some of its lengthy corridors and spacious apartments were destroyed by the ravages of time and by the raging flames of great fires in 1663 and again in 1783. One more storey on the top was demolished between 1886 and 1887.