TRAVEL TALES

FONTAINHAS

DARK SKIES, BRIGHT HOUSES

By Aditi Malhotra Images by Armaan Malhotra

In Panjim

' s Altinho foothills, Fontainhas is an old Latin quarter. It is the only place in Goa with Portuguese as the primary language, a testament to the Portuguese influence in the state.

In 1770, a natural spring sprouted from the ground which is now known as Fountain of Phoenix, hence the name 'Fontainhas ' . Fontainhas was founded in the late 18th century by a wealthy Portuguese named Antonio Joao de Sequeira. He used this land for coconut plantations. As a result of the spread of epidemics in the Old Goa, the Portuguese government moved its headquarters to Panjim in the early 1800s. Therefore, this area became the residence of Portuguese administrative officers and rulers. The Fontainhas Heritage Zone was recognized by UNESCO in 1984. I still remember discovering Fontainhas on foot years ago, and I started from the Maruti Temple. Even now, I get as excited witnessing these colourful lanes as I did the first time. And in rains, Fontainhas hits differently. The imagery of watching a wet Fontainhas, skies covered in dark clouds and the bright colourful houses has a different impact on me, every single time. Coming back to my first point, the Maruti Temple. The temple ' s structure is brightly colored orange, representing the monkey god 'Hanuman ' , and combines modernity with ancient history. In the course of moving into the temple, I discovered that there are two idols of Hanuman, the larger being visible through a hole in the lower floor wall without climbing up the main temple. Well, I bowed down before both idols, the main idol, which is housed in a big hall, seems majestic. Huge chandeliers in the middle of the prayer hall make it look magnificent. The view from the top of the main temple is breathtakingly beautiful, as there is a lot of open space surrounding it. The whole Fontainhas area, and especially the spring, can be seen from there.

After climbing down the stairs, I reached the Fontainhas spring. According to legend, a tunnel led from the temple to that spring, which is now closed with a cross on the door. It turns out that the two structures that line the tunnel, used to provide light, are mosque-like structures, making this place a wonderful mixture of three religions. My next step was to walk through Fontainhas ' lanes, visiting a few art galleries where some of the best art was displayed. Some of the old houses use shells as windows instead of glasses because back then, glass was not available. It' s so interesting to see these old world charm buildings. In fact, they look so amazing that I would want sea shell windows if I had the choice. I also visited the oldest bakery in town, Confeitaria 31 De Janeiro, and was blown away by how amazing their baked goods are. The bakery still uses the old stone clay oven, and they bake some amazing pastries and breads. I tried a french roll, and it reminded me of my childhood—before food companies started playing around with chemicals and additives. It was so fresh and delicious! The name 31 De Janeiro holds a significance in history: Rua 31 de Janeira (31st January Road) is named after the day when Portugal got independence from Spain on January 31, 1640 The monsoons have always been a part of my life, they are an integral part of the island life. From a light drizzle to thunder shower, monsoons made the walk even more interesting and beautiful. I also learnt that the houses in Fontainhas still need to get painted after every monsoon, it was a rule laid out in the Portuguese time but is followed till date. This keeps the beauty and vibrancy of this place in tact year after year. One of the historic houses that I came across had big well in front of it, though the well is not in function

now, but the serenity and peace of the place is inexplainable. You can really spend some quiet time there breathing the natural and man made beauties together. The Portuguese time was very much about simplicity and sharing with nature. There were no cars or motorbikes at that time, people lived off their land and traveled by foot or by boat. This meant that there were plenty of places where one could be alone with nature or with friends for hours on end! If you ' re into art, then you ' ve heard of Azulejo. It' s a Portuguese name for these beautiful hand-painted ceramic tiles, and they originated in the 15th century. They were brought to India when the Portuguese settled in Goa. Though back then these Azulejos were imported from Portugal, and there were no Goan artists to do it, the art died out. It was brought back by a man named Orlando De Norohna, who had a 5-year degree in commercial art from Goa college of arts. He went to Lisbon to get himself skilled with guitar and came back with Azulejos. Since then, the art has been fully revived and many students took interest in learning the same. Today Goa is the only state in India where these tiles are made—and many tourists make an effort to see them for themselves once they arrive here! From name tiles to murals, each Azulejo tells a Goan story. If you want one for your home or office space… then Azulejos De Goa in Panjim is one of the best shops to hunt for these stunning handcrafted tiles! My heritage walk ended at the St. Sebastian Chapel, a popular tourist attraction in Goa built in 1818. The church is dedicated to St. Sebastian and was originally part of the Inquisition Palace, which was destroyed by the Portuguese during their occupation of Goa from 1510-1763. The chapel' s striking crucifix originally stood in the Palace of Inquisition in Old Goa. In earlier days, when people were troubled with the disease of pests and plagues, they turned for help to St Sebastian who treated them through his mediation and miraculous interventions. This whitewashed church has a striking crucifix which originally stood in the Palace of Inquisition in Old Goa. In the crucifix Christ’ s eyes are opened. It’ s a rather unusual sight to witness a crucifix with Christ’ s head up and eyes open, it’ s believed to be so in order to instil fear of god. The god is watching those who are troublemakers and they shall be punished for their sins. The Chapel also houses a statue of the Virgin Mary, two marquetry chests and three elaborately carved screens from a church in Diu, which once formed part of the colony of Goa. You may have lived in Goa for years and seen Fontainhas every now and then, but a visit in rains is just something you must experience.