Viking World Cruise 2017-2018: April 6, 2018 Goa, India

The state of Goa was the cultural center of Portuguese India for 450 years, and is also the smallest one. This was the first region in India colonized by Europe (1510), and the last to get its freedom (1961). Nowhere in India is the colonial influence so prominent. In fact, if you were born before 1961, you can have dual citizenship with Portugal. This allows them to work in Europe, and many of them are emigrating to Britain.

About a third of Goans are Catholic and the colonial styles of the Old Town have earned it a place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among its magnificent cathedrals and monasteries, the Sé Cathedral is one of the largest churches in Asia. The Basilica of Bom Jesus, one of India’s finest examples of baroque architecture, holds the remains of St. Francis Xavier, the city’s patron saint. Hindu mosques and temples are also ubiquitous here.

We took a tour of Old and New Goa today. It appears that Goa is not quite as dirty as some of the other ports that we have visited in India. The industries here are mining (iron ore), tourism, fishing and cashews.

As we left the port we drove through the countryside and small towns for about an hour, to reach Old Goa. This was the capital of Goa until 1843.

They also grow rice here, and have two crops a year, the same as Kerala.

We also noticed this red stone stacked on the side of the road. Our guide said that this is the stone that they use to build houses. They buy it by the brick and each year the price goes up. So, when they have some money, they will buy the brick for the day they can build a house. When they buy it, it is soft, so as it sits out it gets harder.

Also, they have a lot of water buffalo here that they use to help in the rice fields. We had to share the road with them.

The first stop was at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The Jesuit church is India’s first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India. Construction work on the church began in 1594. The church was consecrated in May 1605 by the archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier, who died on Sancian Island while en route to continental China on December 13, 1552.

The body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Portuguese 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 tourists (Christian and non-Christian alike) from all over the world, especially during the public viewing of his body every ten years (last held in 2014). The saint is said to have miraculous powers of healing.

This is the silver casket where the body is on view.

And this is the stand that they use when they open the casket every ten years for public viewing.

Our next stop was to St. Catherine’s Cathedral. This structure was completed in 1652 ad us the largest Cathedral in Asia. It is famous for its Golden Bell. It is located in the left bell tower; however, it is not gold. They say the music that comes from the bell sounds like gold. We have no pictures of the inside as we were not dressed appropriately, meaning our shoulders and knees were not covered. That is different than the catholic churches I have been to.

We then went back to the bus and were off to the current capital of Panaji. Our stop here was to visit the Largo de Igreja, or Church Square, where the baroque Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception once welcomed Portuguese sailors after their long voyage from Lisbon. This one was not open, but we probably could not have gone in.