This visit to the Archaeological
Museum of Goa, Old Goa,
was a part of the Goa Heritage walk to the temples and Heritage sites, organised
by Aatrupadai, from 5th December 2025 to 7th
December 2025. Thanks to திருச்சி பார்த்தி for organising the Heritage walk.
The
Archaeological Museum of Goa was established in 1964 by the Archaeological
Survey of India. Located in a convent that was formerly attached to the Church
of St. Francis of Assisi, a heritage structure, the museum is situated in Old
Goa or Velha Goa and is surrounded by several other monuments and ancient
churches.
The entrance of
the Museum is facilitated by a 3.10m high bronze statue of Afonso de
Albuquerque, the Governor General and Captain of the Seas of India, who played
a key role in conquering Old Goa in 1510 CE. He is an important figure in
Portuguese colonial history as he consolidated Portuguese control over Goa by
destroying the Arab monopoly over maritime trade.
Afonso de Albuquerque, the Governor General and Captain of the Seas of India.
The first amongst
the Museum’s eight galleries introduces visitors to pre-colonial Goa through a
conjectural blueprint of the ancient city of Chandor (the capital of Goa during
early historical times), a 13th-century Vishnu statue, along with hero-stones
carved with scenes of naval battles and heroic victories and sati stones
representing the Hindu practice of widow immolation.
A chief
attraction of this gallery is a 3.6 m high bronze statue of Luis Vaz de Camoes
(1524-1580 CE), the national poet of Portugal.
Luis Vaz de Camoes
Gallery 1, The first gallery
is the Key Gallery which shows a timeline of the history of Goa through the
artefacts on display, starting with middle and upper Palaeolithic stone tools,
Microliths and a few Neolithic Celts Visitors will also find the excavated
materials from Chandor, one of the ancient capital cities of Goa The ground
plan of an ancient Brahmanical temple and early historical antiquities, cast
copper coins of 3rd century BC, copper nails, rings, etc. are also on display
Gallery 2 has ruins of the
ancient Saptakoteshwar Temple on the nearby Divar Island and a life-size image
of St. Catherine, the patroness of Goa.
Gallery 3 displays
sculptures of Hindu deities and three images of Vetala, the god of a unique
cult called ‘Bhoot Aaradhna’ that worships demi-gods from the underworld and is
popular in the western region of India.
Images of Vetala, the god of a unique cult called ‘Bhoot Aaradhna.
Shiva
Gallery 4 showcases hero stones and sati stones (discussed in a separate post) from the medieval period, as well as a diorama featuring the original bone relic of Queen Ketevan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Georgia, located on the southern
border of Russia.
The remaining
galleries contain Arabic and Persian inscriptions, portraits of Portuguese
Governors and Viceroys of Goa and a model of a 16th-century Portuguese ship.
Portuguese ship
The Museum also
records Goa’s historical role as an important maritime trade point through
medieval hero-stones, which represent naval battles in the Kadamba period.
The navigation
gallery also displays the model of a 16th-century Portuguese ship along with
stone and iron anchors. Moreover, the visitors can witness the Old Portuguese
currency (Escudo) as well as the vintage indigenous currencies Pardav, Tanga,
Xerafins and Rupia in the Museum.
Ref:
Thanks to
LOCATION OF THE
MUSEUM: CLICK HERE
--- OM SHIVAYA
NAMA---
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