A ‘must see’ place for those who want to go deep into Goa’s traditions, stories, culture, and history is ‘The Goa State Museum at Patto, Panaji’. It contains artifacts that are around six centuries old. The various sections give an insight into different parts of the Goan society.
The most noticeable artifact is a huge wooden chariot from 1800 AD. Thought-provoking galleries lend the museum its own charm, like The Christian art gallery containing various sculptures/ paintings of Christian characters; a Natural Heritage gallery where there are jungle backgrounds & sounds along with information and exhibits of animals and mangroves. The Geology gallery has huge dioramas of topics like ore mining and the map of Goa.
An entire level showcases on its walls old photographs of Goa such as traditional dresses of Goan women, Adau crop festival rituals, traditional dances, rituals for thieves, and Panjim’s look before 100 years. There’s also a 1947 dental chair and an old Portugal lottery machine which could hold around 50,000 balls with numbers from 00000 to 49999.
Goa’s Freedom Struggle gallery takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions with its iconic photos of Goan history like overjoyed Goans on liberation day, Goans welcoming the Indian army, the destruction caused by the Portuguese and martyrs who died for Goa. You can even view the surrender letter of Manuel Antonio Vassallo e Silva- the last governor of Portuguese India.
It’s an opportunity for coin lovers to see ancient coins of India and of other parts of the world. An additional treat is the Portuguese currency moulds. Other interesting galleries include photos of traditional saris from different parts of India, household items and a section for what people used for religious expressions like conches, chipli and a palanquin.
The museum officials say, “We have many activities for students like ‘Museum week’. We also have programmes like film shows, temporary exhibitions, and competitions.”
The information provided in the museum is descriptive and easy to understand. Its aim is to shed some light on the rich culture and history of Goa so that the public can understand this beautiful State better.
Pics Credit – Shivang Mishra I NT GOGOANOW.COM
