If North Goa is the neon-soaked, high-energy older sibling who never sleeps, South Goa is the cousin who spent the morning meditating and is now reading a book under a palm tree.
We swapped our usual vacation spots of Baga and Calangute with the Southern coast home to Goa’s fisherman’s paradise, Colva. With the new Courtyard by Marriott Goa Colva serving as the perfect base for our sojourn, this was a serene destination offering dolphin-watching spots and in close proximity to nearby picturesque towns such as Margao. Having had our fill of white sand beaches and calm sounds of the ocean, we decided to indulge in a bit of local culture and history and 20 minutes later we found ourselves before the 450-year-old Holy Spirit Church in Margao.
Earlier that day we had signed up for The Margao Heritage Walk, one of Soul Travelling’s most underrated gems. While Panjim is flashy and colorful, Margao is the soul of South Goa — it’s grittier, deeply historical and feels much more lived-in. The walk commenced with our guide Pankaj Kamble familiarising us to this sacred shrine and its unique astronomical phenomenon which takes place during the equinox where the setting sun aligns perfectly to light up the three altars inside. He adds to it the story and significance of the Indian Almond Tree planted in the premises and how the area gets very damp during the monsoons as many believe there is a buried step well tank beneath the ground.
Walking across the road we make our way to a private mansion (Alvares House) that has preserved bullet holes in the walls from a dark day in 1890 when Portuguese forces fired on a crowd protesting for voting rights. The firing was believed to be opened from the church grounds earning its name as The Margao Massacre Site. The very street known as Abade Faria — also called the Billionaire’s Row of old Margao — is lined with massive, sprawling Indo-Portuguese mansions that make the houses in Fontainhas look like tiny cottages.
The colony not only is home to some of the richest families in town but also houses community buildings like the Communidade which is occupied with shops even today, ruins of an old Portuguese tiles shop where one can still spot traditional and ancient designs. Among these buildings is The Miraculous Chapel of Margao where it is believed that when one loses something they pray before the deity here and miraculously the lost item finds its way back to the owner. In return the devotees hang a flower garland at the door as a sign of thank you.
Right opposite the chapel is a lane of centuries-old bakeries and two-storied houses where once people lived and conducted their businesses down stairs for convenience. Here you may find the freshest poi breads and the softest paos. The lanes are dotted with traditional in-home bakeries, cashew nut trees and homes boasting gossip seats, oystershell windows and wooden engraving motifs narrating several stories.
Today, the town only has ten temples and many survived the invasive rulers thanks to a simple idea which made temples a part of people’s homes instead of standalone shrines. One such name is Damodar Sal, a private house that holds a temple dedicated to Lord Damodar. It’s also where Swami Vivekananda stayed during his visit to Goa in 1892. Entering the Comba Quarter, the walk takes us through the older Hindu quarter of the city, which has a completely different architectural vibe than the Catholic squares — narrower lanes and placed lower to the ground unlike their neighbouring homes featuring staircases.
The walk ends with a visit to The Goan Kitchen serving the authentic taste of Goan Catholic heritage in Margao. Waiting for the snacks (Bolinhas and Pinagre) and Cha to arrive, the cafe’s book shelf enriches our knowledge further on the unseen side of Goa by taking us through their tribes, Konkani culture and more. `799 onwards. Book online.