INTRODUCTION:

Goa attracts so many tourists with its rich and beautiful natural surroundings. The beaches in Goa offer fascinating experiences to the tourists. Goa is known internationally as a popular tourist destination due to its sparkling waters and white sandy beaches. Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture. It also has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hotspot.

Geographical condition:

Goa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Area of goa is 3702 sq km. Located in West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. Panaji is the state's capital, while Vasco da Gama is the largest city. Goa is devided into two districts.that is north goa and south goa.

CLIMATE:The climatic condition in Goa is always moderate.

Goa, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, has a hot and humid climate for most of the year. The month of May is the hottest, seeing day temperatures of over 35 °C (95 °F) coupled with high humidity.

The monsoon rains arrive by early June and provide a much needed respite from the heat. Most of Goa's annual rainfall is received through the monsoons which last till late September.

Goa has a short winter season between mid-December and February. These months are marked by nights of around 21 °C (70 °F) and days of around 28 °C (82 °F) with moderate amounts of humidity. Further inland, due to altitudinal gradation, the nights are a few degrees cooler.

CULTURE:

Language:

The official language is Konkani. Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987 makes Konkani in the Devanagari script the sole official language of Goa, but provides that Marathi may also be used "for all or any of the official purposes". Portuguese was the sole official language during Portuguese colonial rule.

Population:

The population of goa is 1,169,793. The highest literacy rate of goa is 87% and the highest sex ratio is 960 females to 1000 males.

Occupation:

The traditional occupation is fishing. But now a days many people also contribute in tourism.

Wedding:

Goan Catholics have retained many Indian customs and traditions.Ros (anointing) ceremony, and conducted one or two days before a wedding, involves the parents, relatives, and friends blessing the bride and groom, who are anointed with ros, a mixture of coconut juice and coconut oil . Later, it is followed by the Reaper (Nuptial Blessing in Church) and finally the Kazar (wedding) and Vor (wedding party).

Ballroom dancing and live western-style band music are an integral part of a Goan Catholic wedding reception. Other traditions include Soirik (betrothal), Amontron (wedding invitation), and Mudi (engagement) ceremony. Indian traditions include adorning the bride with the Saddo (red dress or sari), which is to be worn on the first day after the marriage. It is also the name of the ceremony of cutting and sewing the dress. The Chuddo (a ceremony during which bangles are worn by the bride), Bhuim jevonn (a ritual meal in honour of the ancestors) or Bikariam jevonn (a meal for the poor or beggars), the Opsun divnchem (giving away the bride formally by the father or the guardian of the bride), the Appoune or Porthopon' (invitation to the bride's house), and Konsachem fest (harvest festival) that involves blessing of new harvests are other Goan Catholic celebrations.

COSTUMES FOR WEDDING:

The women at a Goan Catholic wedding generally wear gowns or dresses while the men (including the bridegroom) are attired in western-style suits. Contemporary Goan Catholics typically have a White wedding, with the bride wearing a western-style virgin-white wedding gown. The bridal entourage usually consists of the maid of honour, bridesmaids, best man, groomsmen, ringbearer boys, and flower girls.

Christening: There are basically three sorts of Christening:

1. Blessing - based on what Jesus did when children were brought to him: "he took the children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them" These are about receiving God's unconditional love.

1. Baptism - the ceremony of admitting a person into Christianity. 

2. Christening - the ceremony of baptizing and giving a name to an infant.

CITIES:

Goa has five major cities.

They are

1. Vasco d agama: Vasco da Gama , often shortened to Vasco, is a city in the state of Goa on the west coast of India. It is named after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.

2. Margao: all the administrative headquarters of the south goa district lie in margao.3. Panaji: it iis the capital of goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Panaji is Goa's

largest city.4. Mapusa: the name mapusa derived from the Konkani term map, which means measure

and sa which means fill up. It is the 3rd largest city in goa.5. Ponda: majority of hindu’s are setteled in ponda, during the Portuguese inquests. Ponda

can also be called as temple town of goa, since it has number of hindu temples rebuilt on the original structures that were ruined by the Portuguese during their invasion.

Places to visit:

Basilica of bom jesus: The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule.

1. Se cathedral: Located in Old Goa, India, the largest church in India is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. It is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia.

2. Panaji church: The Panjim Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is placed on the hillside and just high above the Idalco Palace built by Adil Shah. Standing on the gallery of the church, you can see the entire view of the lovely Panjim city. It is one of Panjim’s best attractions located in the heart of Panjim city and is the first church of Goa, built in 1541.

3. Aguada beach: Goa Aguada beach is made special by the Fort Aguada. The Fort Aguada was built by the Portuguese to control the entry of the enemy into River Mandovi and to protect Goa from attacks.

4. Wax museum: This one of its kind museum showcases life size look-alike wax statues of well known Indian personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Sharada Devi and Swami Vivekananda.

5. Mangeshi temple: Shri Mangeshi temple is located in Ponda taluka, Goa.This temple is one of the largest and most frequently visited temples in Goa. The temple has recently banned entry to foreign nationals citing objectionable dressing.The temple is dedicated to Bhagavan Manguesh, an incarnation of Shiva. He is also referred to as Saib by Hindus. Bhagavan Mangesh is worshipped here as Shiva linga. According to the legends Lord Shiva had manifested in to a tiger to scare Parvati. Paravati who was paranoid at the sight of the tiger went in search of Lord Shiva. Parvati was supposed to say "Trahi maam Gireesh" but instead out of nervousness she said: "Trahimangeesh".He is the kuldevta of many Hindus in Goa.

History: Vasco da gama is the founder of state goa. Goa was not ruled as a singular kingdom.parts of this territory were ruled by several different kingdoms like-

Indo-parthians- 2nd to 4th century

Abhiras, Batapuras, Bhojus- 4th to 6th century

Kadambas- 1006 to 1356

Yadavas of devagiri- 12th and 13th century

Vijayanagar empire- 14th and 15th century

Bahmani sultanate- 15th century

Mario de Miranda :

Mario de Miranda, was an Indian cartoonist and painter based in the Indian state of Goa. Miranda had been a regular with The Times of India and other newspapers in Mumbai, including The Economic Times, though he got his popularity with his works published in The Illustrated Weekly of India. He was awarded the Padma Shree in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and All India Cartoonists's Association, Bangalore, honoured him with a lifetime achievement award. At an early age when his mother saw him drawing his home walls, she brought him a blank book, which he calls his "Diary". He even started getting into trouble at school, for sketching Catholic priests. Mario Miranda's early cartoons presented vignettes of Goan village life, a theme he is best known for even today. His talent was noticed and his friends encouraged him to make postcards and draw for them, which earned him extra pocket money. Miranda's cartoons were featured in the Lilliput, Mad (once), and Punch (twice) magazines. This supplemented his finances, and enabled him to travel around Europe, interacting with other cartoonists, gaining considerable knowledge and exposure. This led to his meeting of Sir Ronald Searle, whom Miranda considered his mentor. 'Cafe Mondegar' interiors, on Colaba Causeway, painted by Mario Miranda.

He has held solo exhibitions in over 22 countries, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, France, Yugoslavia, and Portugal. Miranda also featured in the "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" video, which included a host of India's most notable personalities in arts, films, literature, music and sports.

Beyond cartooning: Besides cartooning, Miranda's murals are present on various buildings in Goa and other parts of India. Late in life he took to paintings which receive wide response.

Over the years, he published several books, including Laugh it Off, Goa with Love, and Germany in Wintertime. He loved travel and listening to music and it was his ambition to experiment further with water colours and to write memories of his early years in Goa. Even after he retired, Miranda's work was seen regularly in Mumbai publications.

Cuisine:

Staple food of goa is fish curry and rice. Coconut & coconut oil are widely used in goa. They Cook food along with chilli papers, spices and vinegar.

Idli, amboli are variants of dosa, are native to goa.

An exotic Goan vegetable stew, known as khatkhate, is very popular during the celebrations.

Beverage: the most popular alcoholic beverage in goa is feni.there are two types of feni: 1- cashew feni and 2- coconut feni. Feni is classified as country liquor and is therefore not allowed to be sold outside of the state goa.

Sweet: a rich egg-based multi-layered sweet dish known as bebinca is a favourite at Christmas.

Fairs & festivals: 1. Shigmo: In recent years the state government has supported public Shigmo

parades consisting of traditional folk and street dancers and elaborately built floats depicting scenes from regional mythology and religious scenes. Meanwhile, Shigmo festivals also continue in various rural parts of Goa, spanning over a fortnight, with different days earmarked for celebrations in different areas. This festival is celebrated around March each year. Indian festival holi is part of it.

2. Chavoth: chavoth is a Konkani word for ganesh chaturthi.3. Samvatsar padvo: it is also called as gudipadava.4. Easter: is good Friday5. Diwali6. Dasara

7. Christmas: it is the main time when foreign tourists land in goa for fun and celebrations. Almost all places in goa have parties where they eat, drink, dance and party.

8. Carnival: in the carnival locals wearing bizarre face masks and street performers attract lots of attention. Carnival is the latin word which means to take away meat, that is the reason catholics in goa don’t eat meat from that time. It is a 3 days festival of fun. Streets of panaji come alive with dance, music and color during carnival.

Arts and craft: 1. Dance:

Dekhani dance: it is a semi classical goan dance form. It is a song cum dance popular in goa. The wrd ‘dekhani’ means bewitching beauty in Konkani language. It is performed by women to the beat of the ghumat, a folk drum.

2. Fugadi:3. Corridinho:4. The corridinho is a form of Portuguese dance. It is danced with the pairs always

embraced, forming a circle, girls inside and the boys outside the circle. By rotating the circle the pairs evolve side by side.

5. Mando: it is a musical form evolved during 19th &20th century among goan catholics. It represents the meeting point of Indian and western musical traditions. The musics has elements of both Indian & western culture. Costumes for mando:

Male: males wear formal coats, showing Portuguese influence. Female: females wear unique Indian costume(bazu torop or pano baju). The

ceremonial torhop naz worn during the mando dance was of velvet or silk, red, blue, or green in color, embroidered with gold threads. A white or blue shawl was worn. The socks has to be white and slippers ornamented.

6. Dulpod: it is a goan dance form with quick rhythm and theams from everyday goan life. The dulpod is usually sung in sequence with a mando.

7. Fado: it is a form of music characterised by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor and infused with the characteristic sentiment of resignation & fatefulness.

8. Goan hindu’s are very fond of titar, bhajan, and kirtan.

Titar: Tiatr is an interesting traditional Goan performance in Goa that ivolves 6 or 7 acts called Podd'dde, which are of short duration of around 15 minutes. Hindus have a drama form known as "Konkani Natak" that is more in line with Marathi theatre because Konkani tiatr is usually associated with Christians of Goa.

Pottery: It includes flower garden pots, bowls with floral design, figures of gods and animals etc.

Shellwok:

Brass work: While utensils of utility are made of sheet metal (copper), brass metal coasting is a craft passed from one generation to another practised with heriditory basis.the items produced are oil lamps, candle stands, church bells etc.

Bamboo work: being one of the ,ajor crafts industry of goa the list of popular bamboo products include flower baskets, mats and letter-holders, pen stands, fans, and other decorative items.

ARCHITECTURE:

Goa has two World Heritage Sites: the Bom Jesus Basilica and a few designated convents. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, regarded by many Catholics as the patron saint of Goa (the patron of the Archdiocese of Goa is actually the Blessed Joseph Vaz). Once every ten years, the body is taken down for veneration and for public viewing. The last such event was conducted in 2004. The Velhas Conquistas regions are also known for its Goa-Portuguese style architecture.In many parts of Goa, mansions constructed in the Indo-Portuguese style architecture still stand, though in some villages, most of them are in a dilapidated condition. Fontainhas in Panaji has been declared a cultural quarter, showcasing the life, architecture and culture of Goa. Some influences from the Portuguese era are visible in some of Goa's temples, notably the Mangueshi Temple, although after 1961, many of these were demolished and reconstructed in the indigenous Indian style.

'Bom Jesus' (literally, 'Good (or Holy) Jesus') is the name used for the infant Jesus. The Jesuit church is India’s first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.

Basilica of BOM JESUS: This is one of the oldest churches in Goa, as well as in India. The floor is of marble inlaid with precious stones. Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the interior of the church is simple. The church also holds paintings of scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier. The mausoleum, on the top of which is placed the silver casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier (1696), was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The mausoleum was designed by the 17th-century Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini. It took ten years to complete. The casket containing his body is made of silver. The holy relics of the saint are displayed every ten years during the anniversary of the saint's death. His liturgical feast is the third of December.

On the upper level, overlooking the tomb, is the Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery, containing the works of the Goan surrealist painter, Dom Martin.

Author and fellow Jesuit Anthony De Mello was also from Goa and does mention the basilica in his writings.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is more than 408 years old and is open to the public everyday. The body of St. Francis Xavier is kept in a well-decorated casket, which can be seen in the photographs below. Solemn exhibitions of the 'body' are held every ten years. Some photos taken inside the church are attached for better understanding of the art work of that time. These art works are called "murals".

Se cathedral : The architecture style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is 250 feet (76 m) in length and 181 feet (55 m) in breadth. The frontispiece stands 115 feet (35 m) high. It originally had two towers, but one collapsed in 1776 and was never rebuilt. . It is one of the largest churches in Asia.

Jewellery:

Jewellery made from shells are famous. Terracotta jewelleries are also available.

Weaving: Kunbi saree:

When one speaks about textiles and handicrafts from Goa, the first thing which comes to ones mind is the GODHADI making skill and the KUNBI SAREE. The Kunbi dance is a famous dance with the Kunbi women dancers dancing to the beats wearing brightly colored Kunbi saris. This saree was originally worn by Kunbi and Gawda tribe women who were basically paddy field workers. This community is basically closer to nature. This is the main reason the drape of this saree is simple, the length is just below the knee and gives freedom to the Kunbi workers to carry on with their daily chores and hard field works. Though the saree is not easily available in the market nowadays, these tribal women still adore this drape of saree and prefer wearing it the same way, but using other cotton sarees or even synthetic sarees. Originally the Kunbi saree was dyed in red and black and woven in small and large checks. The dye was obtained from recipe of iron ore, rice kanji (starch) and vinegar. All this abundantly found in Goa. This saree was originally worn without the choli; however it was worn with a simple blouse having puffed sleeves. The traditional Kunbi women used to adorn herself with simple glass red and green bangles and with strands of black beads necklace.

Costumes: Women wear kashti with blanket on the shoulders.

Traditional costume is 9-yard saree known as nav-vari saree.