Location of Saladin’s Citadel on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Saladin built the Citadel beneath the Muqattam Hills, and got his wish about making a place that was difficult to attack, although the wall was never built during his reign. Saladin rules Egypt from the Citadel, and from that time onwards till the 1860′s, the Citadel remained the seat of the Egyptian center of power. However, the importance of the Citadel as a place of power declined during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, since for them, Turkey was the center and Egypt was a province. Over a period of time, the structure that Saladin had built was expanded, with the rulers after him adding water well enhancements, mosques, other offices, and more buildings, including defense walls. Right now, the Citadel, contains 3 mosques, a Palace (Al-Gawhara Palace), and 2 museums (National Military Museum and the Police Museum).

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of the walls and the domes of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Closer view of the domes

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Landscaping done to get the name of Allah on the plant

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of defensive tower in the structure

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Grand arched Entrance to the Nasir mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Grand corridors, pillars, and lamps in the Nasir mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – enclosure with carvings in the Nasir mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Hypostyle corridor in the Nasir mosque with wonderful pillars

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Tourists in the passageway inside the complex with an incline

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – View from the outside of the Police Museum inside the complex

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – View of the narrow passageway, as seen from the height of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of the metal lattice of a window along with a lamp

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – Map of the inside of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the center point of the open courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – a corridor inside the courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the well inside the courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the wonderful view inside the Mohammed Ali Mosque with 365 lamps

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the 365 lamps hanging from the ceiling in the Mohammed Ali Mosque

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the altar inside the Mohammed Ali Mosque used for prayer

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – the open space behind the Mohammed Ali Mosque, also a mini shopping area

Saladin Citadel in Cairo – view of many parts of Cairo from the Mohammed Ali Mosque

When we reached the place, the vehicle stayed in the parking, and it is around a 15 minute walk from there to the top of the structure, where you can get a grand view of Cairo, after passing through a narrow passage (with the Wash Rooms being located in this passage – be prepared to shell out 1 Egyptian pound per tourist using the Wash Room to the attendant), and then you cross the mosques one by one, cross the museums (climbing a bit as you move), until you reach the Mohammed Ali Mosque and then the view.
You should allocate around 3-4 hours for this, admire the mosques (they are indeed beautiful), admire the view, and admire the overall structure (including a huge clock that was given as a gift by a European king, but which never worked); and then there is a well.
From here, we moved back to our vehicle, and then to the Khan el Khalili in the middle of town. The market is located in the middle of the city, and is located next to the Al Azhar University (the most famous place of Islamic learning in Egypt and in the Arab world). The market dates back to the 14th century, and has seen a huge part of the history of Cairo. Twice in the recent past decade, there have been terrorist attacks that have killed tourists (one killed a total of 21 people, and the last one happened only last year), so there is a large police presence clearly. Further, vehicles are not allowed to be parked there, but pick and drop from just next to the market is allowed. In front of the market, there are many eating places. Inside the market, expect to do an incredible amount of bargaining (but quality can be a concern in many cases), and expect to find narrow alleyways. It seems a bit strange, but is supposed to be very safe for tourists now. We spent around 2-3 hours in the two parallel paths inside the market, and did a bit of spending.

Khan el Khalili market in cairo – View of the front part

Khan el Khalili market in Cairo – starting to move inside

Khan el Khalili market in Cairo – shopping stuff hanging from both sides

Coptic areas of Cairo – the signs on the wall announcing the various monuments inside the area

1) The Hanging Church: Located above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, probably the most famous church in Egypt. Built long long ago, rumored to be in the 7th century. The Church has a number of icons inside it.
2) Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga). This is a Church that is supposed to have been built over a site where the Holy Family stayed during their journey in Egypt, when they were fleeing persecution by the Romans. It is considered extremely holy, however, the exact spot where the stay is supposed to have happened (in a cave below the ground) is blocked by a metal gate, and only open on specific occasions. The church is named after 2 soldiers martyred in the 4th century in Syria.

Coptic areas of Cairo – entry to the St. Sergius Church and the Holy Crypt in it

3) Coptic Museum. This was founded in 1910 to house many old Coptic objects, and now houses many important Coptic items.
4) Ben Ezra Synagogue (also known as the El-Geniza Synagogue). It is supposed to be located on the site where the Moses was found as a baby on the Nile, and adopted by the Pharaoh.
Entry to this area is through a gate, and you need to pass through a small covered corridor to reach the area, with the corridor having many books and paintings on both sides for tourists to purchase.

Coptic areas of Cairo – Security police at a barrier to ensure safety of tourists

Coptic areas of Cairo – a guest house to the back of the monuments

Coptic areas of Cairo – entering the complex through a staircase descending down

Coptic areas of Cairo – view of the entry to the complex

Coptic areas of Cairo – narrow corridor with old books and paintings on either side

Coptic area in Cairo – a security metal gate before entering a monument

Coptic area of Cairo – inside a Church

Coptic area of Cairo – the older sections of the Coptic part

Coptic area of Cairo – a beautiful painting in a wooden structure inside a Church

This post is turning out to be longer than I thought, so will carry on with more locations inside Cairo in the next post.

Crowded streets of cairo – traffic can take some time to clear

Check-in in the hotel was fine, and we had some comfortable rooms, not very large or anything, but comfortable. The hotel has a lot of greenery inside, and seems to spend a lot of time on maintenance of the landscaped gardens.

Oasis Hotel in Giza in Egypt – the security at the entrance to the hotel

Oasis Hotel in Giza – the rocks arranged in a pattern

Oasis Hotel in Giza – View outside some of the rooms

Oasis Hotel in Giza in Egypt – Garden inside the hotel grounds

Oasis Hotel in Giza in cairo – a corridor in front of the rooms

Oasis Hotel in Giza – the swimming pool, very inviting

And then we encountered the question of tips. This is one of the points that really bothered us. Right at the beginning, when we got our travel itinerary, it was mentioned there that the concept of tips is almost like a compulsion, with the tips providing a comfort to the people employed in the travel industry who otherwise get low salaries. The same was mentioned by our travel managed from Sakkara, and the rate of the tips was supposed to be $6 per person per day for the days when you are on land, and $8 (American dollars) for the days when you are on the Nile cruise (3 days). For a group of 8 of us, on a 9 day trip, the amount of tips that we paid was itself a fairly large amount.
The next day we would do some local travel inside the city of Cairo, see the various places to see such as the Citadel, the mosque within it, and the famous local market known as ‘Khan el Khalili’.

Location of Edfu temple

Edfu is located 60Km to the north of Aswan. The town of Edfu is located on the west back of the Nile River, some sixty miles south of Luxor, with Aswan further south. Edfu is located about halfway between Luxor (115km away) and Aswan (105km) and 65km north of Kom Ombo. It was the 2nd Nome of Upper Egypt and the centre of the cult of a triad of Gods, which consisted of Horus of Behdet, Hathor, and their son, Hor-Sama-Tawy.

How to get there

The temple is often included on Nile cruise itineraries but can also be reached from Aswan or Luxor, by train or road. The railway station is on the east bank and coaches often only stop on this side too. A taxi from Luxor takes around two hours and one and a half hours from Aswan. As of 2009 visitors no longer need to travel as part of the police convoy.

Location of Edfu temple on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

History of Edfu temple

- Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god. It was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies.
- In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. After his death in 323, his successors ruled Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty.
- The Temple of Horus at Edfu was built during the Ptolemiac era on top of an earlier temple to Horus.
- This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak.
- The modern Arabic name of Edfu is derived from the ancient Egyptian name Djeba, or Etbo in Coptic. Djeba meant “Retribution Town”, since the enemies of the god were brought to justice therein.
- The Temple of Edfu is nearly intact and a very good example of an ancient Egyptian temple.
- The Temple of Edfu’s archaeological significance and high state of preservation has made it a center for tourism in Egypt.
- The falcon-headed Horus was originally the sky god, whose eyes were the sun and moon.
- He was later assimilated into the popular myth of Isis and Osiris as the divine couple’s child. Raised by Isis and Hathor after Osiris’ murder by his brother Seth, Horus avenged his father’s death in a great battle at Edfu. Seth was exiled and Horus took the throne, Osiris reigning through him from the underworld. Thus all pharoahs claimed to be the incarnation of Horus, the “living king.”
- The town of Edfu is today an important centre for sugar production and pottery-making.

Attractions at Edfu Temple

Pylon : The front shows illustrations of Horus and Hathor, and captives offered in sacrifice to the gods. The four niches held
flagstaffs when the temple was in use. This is the Great Pylon.

Edfu temple in Egypt – the first pylon along with tourists

The Temple of Edfu was actually not the first one here. It was built on top of a temple built for Thutmosis III by the famous architect Imhotep, who later was proclaimed a god himself because of his great works. You find him pictured in that role at the temple of Kom Ombo.
GOD Horus : Guarding the entrance of the temple are two statues of the god Horus. His importance was such that he was equalled with the king. The pharaoh was seen as a human manifestation of the god Horus.

Edfu Temple in Egypt – the statue of Horus

Birth House : The first structure we come to, at the south-west corner before the great temple pylon, is a rectangular colonnaded building peculiar to Graeco-Roman temples, known as a mammisi or birth-house, built to celebrate the divine birth of Horus. The Roman mammisi at Dendera was modelled on this structure.
Court of Offerings : Beyond the Pylon is the spacious Court of Offerings, where people could enter to make offerings to the image of Horus. The court is surrounded by columns on three sides and is decorated with festival reliefs. depict the Festival of the Beautiful Meeting, during which Hathor’s image sailed from Dendera to spend some intimate time with Horus in the sanctuary of the Temple of Edfu before sailing back.

Hypostyle Hall : The rectangular Hypostyle Hall was built under Ptolemy VII (145-116 BC) and has two rows of six pillars supporting an intact roof. The ceiling has astronomical paintings symbolizing the sky. This is the outer hypostyle hall or pronaos, with 18 tall carved columns to support a ceiling decorated with astronomical figures representing the sky. The usual offering scenes decorate the walls but there are also well-preserved reliefs from the temple foundation ceremony.

Edfu temple in Egypt – the grand Hypostyle Hall with astronomical paintings on the ceiling

Festival Hall : It marks the beginning of the oldest part of the temple, built 237-212 BC under Ptolemy III and IV. During festivals, this hall was decorated with faience, flowers and herbs and scented with incense and myrrh.

Hall of offerings : A small doorway, decorated with splendid reliefs of the sacred barques of Horus and Hathor, leads from the Festival Hall into the Hall of Offerings. During the New Year Festival, the image of Horus was carried up the ascending stairway on the left to be revitalized by the sun, then carried back down the descending stairway.

Sanctuary Of Horus : The Sanctuary of Horus, with ritual barque (barge) granite shrine in back is the holiest part of the temple. The sanctuary centers on a black-granite shrine that was dedicated by Nectanebo II, making it the oldest relic in the temple. This once contained the gilded wooden cult image of Horus. Next to the shrine is an offering table and the ceremonial barque (barge) on which Horus was carried during festivals.

Edfu temple in Egypt – Sanctuary Of Horus, the holiest part of the temple

Nilometer : One of the most remarkable elements of the Temple is the existence of a Nilometer, as well as a chapel, which was dedicated to the Goddess Nut.

Edfu temple in Egypt – Nilometer, for measuring the height of the Nile

Edfu temple in Egypt – taking a horse carriage from the cruise to the temple

Edfu temple in Egypt – view of the temple from a distance

Edfu temple in Egypt – tourist taking a photo of some of the pillars

Edfu temple in Egypt – the huge carving in the first pylon

Edfu temple in Egypt – the large carving in the first pylon

Location of Anantnag (Martand Sun Temple located close by) on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Mattan is derived from the name Macch(Fish)-Bhawan. This place is also called Martand, because an antient Temple named Martand is situated just 2 Kms from it. In Mattan there is a famous temple of Sun God, which is worshipped as of Konark. There are two springs named Vimal & Kamal Kunds.
Martand Temple is located at about 5 miles from the town of Anantnag, Anantnag District. By road, Martand Temple can be approached easily from Anantnag, Mattan and Achabal. The nearest airport is at Srinagar. Anantnag is situated at 33.44 latitude and 75.12 longitude, at an elevation of 5400 feet above sea level, at a distance of 33 miles from the main state-headquarters Srinagar.

A good description of Martand midway through the page on this link.
Some photos of Martand (link)
Many many photos of Martand from the Indira Gandhi National Center of Arts (link)
Older photograph of the ruins of the Surya Temple in Martand (link)
More photos of the ruins of the Sun Temple at Martand (link)

Description:
Stonehenge is a site about which there is still some lack of clarity as to the actual purposes, but there is talk of association with druids, as well as a relation with the worship of older deities; and there were alternative reasons as well, such as it being an astronomical observatory. Given the supposed existence of burial sites in the area, there is the concept that maybe Stonehenge was actually a burial site for people from the higher strata in society of that time.

Construction:
Stonehenge shows the large stones still placed, but there has been damage in the past. Some of the stones in the past were used for other construction such as for roads or for homes (and even from visitor contact in the present, as a result of which visitors were prohibited from contact with the stones in 1978). When the structure was built, it would have been a massive engineering effort, with a huge amount of manual labor having been needed to make it happen. It was constructed in 3 phases, with the first phase (approx 5000 years ago) being a bank and ditch arrangement (called as a henge) (and digging of the ditch would not have been an easy task, using wood and animal antlers). Even removal of the dirt taken out during digging would not have been an easy task.
The second phase (around 4000 years back) was the construction of the first stone circle (which can now be seen as the inner circle) ; these stones where the bluestones were carted in from the mountains 240 miles away (with no clear answer as to how these 4 ton stones were dragged from the mountains to the site through land and over water).
The third and final phase (as visible now) was the construction of the outer ring, using the much larger sarsen stones (weighing 50 tons each). These stones were got from a place that was only 20 miles away, but would have still required a huge amount of effort to get them from the mountains, since there was a high obstacle at one part of the journey. There was a hole made in the ground, the stone was slowly leveraged over the hole and then lowered over the hole with stones filling the bottom of the hole.
‘The Heel Stone’ this special stone lies just outside the main entrance. It is a rough stone, and is also known as “Friar’s heal” or “Sun stone”. When one stands within the Stonehenge, facing north east through the entrance towards the heel stone, one sees the sunrise above the stone at summer solstice. A simple explanation for the name HEEL might be that stone heels or, leans.

Myths:
Since there is no clarity as to the actual purpose of the stones, there are many stories dealing with the construction. What could be some of the reasons for the stones ?
First, there was the concept that the stones were constructed as part of some prayers for the Druids (but there are doubts regarding the timelines). Next, you bring in King Arthur, where, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the rocks of Stonehenge were healing rocks, called the ‘Giant’s dance”, brought from Africa to Ireland for their healing properties, wishing to erect a memorial to the around 3000 nobles, who died in battle with the Saxons & were buried at Salisbury. The stones of giant’s ring were originally brought from Africa to Ireland by giants.

Location of Jaipur City Palace on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

The City Palace complex covers a huge area, with gardens, buildings and structures, and courtyards. There are various buildings in the complex such as the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani’s Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. The Mubarak Mahal is a museum visible as one enters the complex, with the museum being a costume museum, displaying the attires worn by the kings (including one huge dress worn by a very heavily endowed king).
Once you cross the cloth museum, you come across an open hall called the Diwan-I-Khas, which was a hall meant for the king for the private audience (as opposed to the public visiting hall). In this open hall, there are 2 huge silver vessels on display. They were made for a special purpose, to carry enough water of the Holy Ganga (Ganges) for the then Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II when he wanted to visit England. You can also see the Diwan-i-Aam, meant for the public audience by the Maharajah.

Tourists passing through a gate allowing movement between different sections of the Jaipur City Palace

The Ganga Jali meant for carrying holy water to purify the ruler Sawai Madho Singh on his trips

Row of canons parked outside the Jaipur City Palace

Rifles arranged around a central shield just next to the silver urns in Jaipur City Palace

Another museum in the complex is inside the Mahrani’s Mahal (Palace of the Queen, meant for the queens) showcasing a number of weapons starting from the 15th century. You get to see swords, guns, rifles, shields, daggers, and many other weapons. The museum could look much better, since when we went, it seemed much more dusty than normal.

Light and shade in the hall containing the silver urns in the Jaipur City Palace

Guards at the entrance to the cafe of the Jaipur City Palace

Entering the Jaipur City Palace through its main gate

Dolls of different shapes and colors inside the Jaipur City Palace

A beautiful long corridor inside the Jaipur City Palace

A closer view of weapons mounted on a wall in the Jaipur City Palace

Angular view of the beautiful central part of the City Palace in Jaipur

Beautiful buildings and gate inside the City Palace in Jaipur

A view of the cloth museum and beautiful colors of the sky in the Jaipur City Palace

A very well maintained inner section of the Jaipur City Palace

A pigeon walking on the floor of the Diwan-i-Khas (also known as the Sarbato Bhadra)

A music performance and dolls exhibited inside the City Palace in Jaipur

A more detailed look at the private residential part of the Jaipur City Palace

A detailed view of the clock-tower in the Jaipur City Palace

An ornate gate leading to the residential portion of the Jaipur City Place

Canons at the entrance to the private residence of the Jaipur City Palace

A view of the outside gate (form the inside) in the Jaipur City Palace

Location of Fatehpur Sikri on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Fatehpur Sikri was Akbar’s act of faith, and also his folly, since it showed that even an emperor could not use all his might to fight against nature. Fatehpur Sikri was a city build by Akbar as his royal city, in homage to the saint Salim Chishti who lived in Sikri, and who ordained that a son would be born to Akbar (after Akbar had lost his earlier children). Duly after this, Salim (later to be known as Jehangir) was born to Akbar and Jodha Bai in 1569. In 1570, Akbar decided to start building his city, and this was born the complex of Fatehpur Sikri. However, water is essential to sustain any population, especially for a royal city.

The vast center courtyard of the Fatehpur Sikri compound

The architecture of the city was incredible, since there was a confluence of different building influences including Islamic, Hindu, and Jain building concepts. It was supposedly in this city that Akbar started evolving the concept of a religion that encompasses beliefs from different religions – this was known as Din-i-Ilahi (but which died out after the reign of Akbar).
Fatehpur Sikri is very impressive, including the Buland Darwaza, one of the largest gateways in the world, and which leads to a steep flight of steps on one side. There is the grand Jama Masjid to one side of the white tomb, there is the Panchratna Mahal, and there is the grand and yet simple tomb of Salim Chisti, to which religious pilgrims from multiple religions still come to seek favors and tie knots on the wall.

The marble tomb of the saint Salim Chisti at Fatehpur Sikri

Close up of the wooden gate of Fatehpur Sikri

Beehives on the huge arch of Buland Darwaza at the main entrance to Fatehpur Sikri

Parts of the building get illuminated by light bursting through windows in Fatehpur Sikri

The structure is built of red sandstone, with even the tomb being built of the same material, it was later that it was converted to being white marble. It is supposed that the saint helps childless couples, and hence families without children pay a visit to the shrine and pray their for their wish for a child to be granted.

A shaft of light through a window in a dome in Fatehpur Sikri

A long beautiful corridor inside Fatehpur Sikri

People walking in the corridor around the central tomb in Fatepur Sikri

Devouts laying a sheet on top of the shrine in Fatehpur Sikri

After we spent some time admiring the place, paying our respects at the tomb, we set off back to Delhi (there is a side road that connects back to the main Delhi-Agra highway) and reached there around dark, well satisfied that we had a good trip and enjoyed 3 UNESCO World Heritage monuments.

Many more photos of the Agra trip at this location.

Location of the Taj Mahal on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

And so we entered the complex. In the beginning of the complex, you cannot see the white structured tomb, you are in a small lane with some trees and smaller structures on both sides that seem to be used as offices by the Archaeological Survey of India. You can see a Gateway, a tall structure through which you pass. As you move towards the Gateway, you can see the white marble construction of the tomb through the Gateway and finally start to get a glimpse of the structure that draws a huge number of crowds every year.

A zoomed image of the Taj Mahal as visible from the Agra Fort

A glimpse of the Taj Mahal through the small outer gate

A diffused view of the outer gate of the Taj Mahal compound and a water fountain

As you are crossing the Gateway, there is a huge rush to get a photo where people can pose with the Taj in the background; given the queue for this act, we decide to move on and not spend the 10 – 15 minutes needed to negotiate this queue as well. As soon as you cross the Gateway, you see a beautiful site, with water pools and fountains leading towards the structure of the Taj Mahal, and green lawns on either side. The whole appearance, seen in numerous photos, looks incredibly beautiful (the photographer in me was hoping for a chance to get a shot when there would not be a tourist visible, but no chance. The only way would have been to come at a time when tourists were not allowed (not possible), or to take numerous shots from the same location so that I could paint out each tourist one by one inside Photoshop Elements – I did not think that this worth the effort).

A view of the area in front of the Taj Mahal – greenery, fountains

A large number of tourists in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra

Another view of the Taj Mahal in Agra with a glimpse of buildings to either side

As you reach the complex of the wonderful white structure, you cannot help but admire the magnificence of such a construction, and the amount of love that would have been in the eyes of an emperor to construct such a monument in the memory of his dead wife (who died when bearing their 14th child). The Taj Mahal (description on Wikipedia) was constructed over a 22 year period by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his dead wife Mumtaz Mahal, and is known the world over. The structure was started in 1632 and completed in 1653, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage monument (although it is under threat of damage from pollution). Shah Jahan was also famous for some of his other buildings such as the Red Fort in Delhi, and the extensions done to the Agra Fort, but construction of the Taj Mahal in white marble was a remarkable new effort at that point of time.
The main white structure of the Taj Mahal is built on a raised platform, and the actual tomb of the empress is in a lower section of the structure (now closed off to the public, with a fake tomb at the ground level); the body of the emperor is buried right next to the empress, and destroys the symmetry of the whole structure. There are 4 minarets surrounding the central dome, inclined slightly outward so that in the event of an earthquake, the minarets will fall away from the dome. Since the raised structure is actually a tomb where prayers are also held, it is forbidden to wear shoes. The complex is open from 9 AM – 7 PM, except on Friday when it is only open for 2 hours in the afternoon for Islamic prayers. During tourist seasons, there can be long queues to get inside the tomb so be prepared to wait, or go there early.

A beautiful angular view of the marble structure of the Taj Mahal

A side view of the Taj Mahal along with the raised platform on which it is built

View of the side of the Taj Mahal along with the minaret to the side

A minaret of the Taj Mahal, half in shade and half in light

Next to the tomb, there are other structures, and the Yamuna is visible from the backside of the monument; however, consider the magnificence of the monument, most people will ignore the other structures and concentrate on the main monument. Next part of this series will contain the trip to Fatehpur Sikri.

An angular view of the Palace next to the Taj Mahal

The once majestic Yamuna river next to the Taj Mahal

Many more photos of the Agra trip at this location.

The still remaining tall structure of the St. Augustine Church in Goa, now in ruins

Base platform of the ruins of St. Augustine Church in Goa

Next up, we visited the 2 side-by-side churches called the Dom Basilica Church, and the Se Cathedral. Both of them look real difficult. To reach there, the parking is located on the road next to the Dom Basilica Church and there is a short walk through a path lined with trees on both sides.

People braving the rain to go the Dom Basilica

Downpour outside as visible from the Dom Basilica in Goa

The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Basilica of Good Jesus (Portuguese: Basílica do Bom Jesus) is a World Heritage site located in Goa, and also holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, with the church name referring to the infant Jesus. The church construction was started in 1594 and completed in 1605 when it was consecrated by Archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. The church is also famous since it holds the remains of the Saint Francis Xavier, who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) along with St. Ignatius Loyola. The remains of the Saint attract a huge number of visitors, especially once every 10 years when the body is made available for public viewing (last done in 2004). The inside of the Church was very beautiful and solemn, although sections of the Church seemed like a Spanish villa with an inner courtyard having a garden.

The body of St. Francis Xavier in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa

View of inner greenery of the courtyard inside the Dom Basilica in Goa

Statue of saint inside the Dom Basilica in Goa

Next to the Dom Basilica (across the road) is the Se Cathedral, also known as the Sé Cathedral of Santa Catarina, is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, and is a huge and beautiful building, with some excellent indoor structure and very beautiful outdoors. The Cathedral was built starting in 1562, completed in 1619, and consecrated in 1640, and was built to celebrate the victory of Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army in 1510 (which led to the conquest of Goa), and was named after Saint Catherine since the day when victory happened was on the day of the feast of Saint Catherine.

Beautiful view of the Se Cathedral from outside with greenery

Inside the Se Cathedral in Goa

Chandelier hanging from the roof of the Se Cathedral in Goa

Sculpture of Jesus Christ on a cross inside the Se Cathedral in Goa

After spending a couple of hours at these 2 beautiful churches, we moved on, visiting a Hindu temple, the famous Shri Mangueshi Temple, Goa. It was drizzling slightly, so there was some amount of mud and ditches, but the inner compound of the temple was relatively much cleaner. We went inside the temple, said our prayers, visited the tower, and then moved on. By this time, we were ready for lunch, and we were also enticed by the prospect of visiting a local spice plantation. These are large tracts of land on which spices are grown organically, and they also give you an organic lunch and a trip around the plantation where you can see their growing habits and learn about which spices grow on which plants along with seasons. It was pretty exciting to go there. The trip to a spice plantation can however cost you around Rs. 400 per head to go inside and do the trip.

Exterior architecture of the Mangueshi Temple in Goa

After the spice plantation, it was back to the water. We were not interested in visiting the Miramar beach since we were running short of time and light in the sky, and so we headed to a different type of beach, called Dona Paula. The place is a expensive and luxurious place to live, and is named after the daughter of a Portuguese viceroy who threw herself off the cliff when she was refused permission to marry a local fisherman. However, this is not a typical beach, more of a beachfront and where there is an observation tower located at a height from where you get a good view. You typically do not work along sand with water next to you.

After all this, we were attracted by the notion of a 1 hour cruise on the River Mandovi. There are these numerous water cruisers (not very attractive) which carry you aboard and for a one hour cruise for Rs. 150. You sit on plastic seats, with a local band providing the music or can go to the open upper deck (but since it is night, you do not see anything much). Having done this cruise, I can say that you will not miss much if you do not do this cruise.

On board entertainment on river cruise in Goa – boring

Many photos of Goa at this location.