Kateel Durga Paramaheswari Temple

We dropped our cousin at the Mangalore Airport and were returning to Mulki vide Kateel route.  In between we got down and visited the famed Kateel temple.  Normally there is a huge rush in the temple but during the noon we found that the temple was empty virtually except a few priests and devotees liesurely praying and moving around.  This type of visit is really satisfying because one is not pushed away due to rush secondly one gets to see the diety in all its glory.  I somehow feel that this goddess helps one to ward off evil many a times.   We had to cancel ours too.

Location :  It is 29 kms from Mangalore on the Airport route proceeding towards Kinni Goli.  If one approaches this temple from Udupi one has to take a deviation from Mulki towards Kateel on the state highway proceeding towards Moodabidri.  It is roughly 18 kms from Mulki bus stand.  Another route is from Dharmastala via Moodabidri towards Airport.

 
The temple is supposed to be located in a small island in the midst of river Nandini, but the signs of isle maybe visible from the sky, but one does encounter a bridge with the river flowing in its majestic towards the aiport.  Now with the rapid urbanisation the traces of greenary is slowly vanishing roads are getting widened towards the airport. 

Legends :  Once there was a heavy drought, forcing the Brahmins to consume meat too in this region.  The Brahmins initially consumed fish that is how some of them remained fish brahmins even today, they were on the verge of giving up totally their principle, when the saint Jabali found out through his inner gyaan that a demon Arunasura was preventing people from performing yagna.  This caused the scanty rainfall in the region.

Jabali decided to perform Yagna to rid people of the sufferings.  He planned to take Kamadenu to perform the yagna, but the Lord requested him to take Nandini instead who was daughter of  Kamadenu who refused to accompany the saint.  He cursed her to take the form of a river Nandini on earth.  Nandini was grief stricken but sage Jabali said she would be freed with the help of the goddess Durga.  Later Durga goddess helped Nandini to take rebirth in midst of the river.  Thus Nandini was redeemed.

Arunasura fled elsewhere and acquired a boon that he will not be killed by any human being or animal.  He started harassing the people of the area once again.  This time around goddess Durga took the form of a beautiful lady to attract attention of Arunasura, than later transformed herself into bees, which stung him to death.  The wild bees to this date are not supposed to be disturbed, they can sting one very badly.  We had experienced this in Byalkuppa, the tibetian monastery.  Luckily we were spared but the watchmen and the buddhist monk were very badly chased and bitten.  I had applied mosquito lotion and was carrying zorrik anti rust spray. 

The power of the goddess Durga who eliminates evil doers is still very strong in this temple.  Some do pray here to get rid of their enemies.  The goddess does help in getting rid of black magic effects too.  I do believe in this fable sincerely.    Lord Durga do bless us and guard us.

Churches at Old goa

Prologue :   The idea of discovering Goa from various angles, each time one visits Goa is novel.  We deliberately avoided the beaches of Goa, regular haunts such Dona Paula, Dolphin watch bay, Science Museum, River cruise, etc and concentrated on Forts and Churches of Goa.  I have already penned travelogue on Bom Jesus Bascilica, Se Cathedral, Augustine Tower, St Francis of Assisi Church, but apart from these world heritage churches there are innumerable number of ancient churches wherein some are disbanded for masses while others are retained for their antiquity.  Let us now explore them from the angle of our visit, rest of them i will list out for my next outing in Goa. 

This is the first church one can witness as we enter Old Goa which is close the ferry wharf located nearby to cross the Mondovi river, unfortunately there is no mention of the church name nor any clue anywhere if somebody can identify the church it would serve the purpose.

St Peters Church Sao :  This church is located close to the river bed, it was constructed in 1543 at the expense of Public treasury.  It was one of the 8 old parish in Old Goa.  This church was declared a national monument in 1930.  It is more closer to Panjim and close to a river ferry point.  It caters to a small segment of Catholic family who were believers in St Peter ( prince of Apostles Sao Pedro ) who was one of Apostle’s of Lord Jesus.

There is a small symbol mentioning it is a old monument, whether it was a palace or a mosque is subject to speculation.  But this has been totally demolished and only the barracks remain in its place and its gateway.

There are some ships which are anchored on the banks of this premises which is now used to ferry sand and other commercial activities connected with fishing etc.

 Ferry sets sail to the isle nearby.  It is a lovely area situated in Tiswadi enroute to Old Goa

Gateway of the College of St Paul :  Situated the South OF St Cajetan’s Church on the main road leading to Ponda, is the gateway which formed the enterance to the College of St Paul’s Which was St Francis Xaviers.  The college was completed in 1542 and collegiate Church was consecrated in 1543.  What now remains of the facade in the shape of an arch is the gate.

On either side of the arch is a column of the Corinthian order on a raised plinth.  The structure is built of leterite stones and lime plastered. 

The  college was said to have built on the ruins of a mosque of which nothing remains today.  It was established to impart knowledge of seminary to converts of all religions and nationality.  For some time St Francis Xavier stayed in the college premises.  The outbreak of the an epidemic in 1570            forced the inmates to vacate the premises, leading to abandonment.  However it continued to be principal institution of Jesuits in India.  The govt of Portugal ordered the demolition of ruined building in 1832 and transported tthe materials for construction to Panjim.  The existing ruins of the gateway was constructed in 1542. 

St Paul’s college site is a centrally protected monument situated to the west of St Paul’s Gate in Old Goa.  It was proposed to carry out a small trial of excavation to expose the buried structure to throw light on the layout.  There is plenty of coconut trees grown in the site. 

Chapel of our Lady of the mount Mary :

One has to proceed towards the mount off Se Cathedral up the hill for 2 kms, towards the north of Cross.  The road leading to the hillock on which a commanding panaromic picture is present is the situated the our lady of Mount Mary.  A series of steps leads to the chapel which is built of laterite stones and plastered with lime mortar.  It has three main altars dedicated respectively to our Lady of the Mount, St Anthony and St Andrew.  The Chapel was built under the orders of Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510.  It was re constructed twice and reinforced.  The church is in disuse and no prayers are conducted here.

The view point gives us the exact location of the Augustine tower that is how we landed at the right place.  The entire area with the river the river flowing and coconut gardens gives us a lovely and soothing view.  Though the landscape maybe a little hazy due to humidity it is still a soothing scenario to enjoy.

There are number of other Churches, Convent and Seminaries located in Old Goa, which we just whizzed past maybe liesurely we might be able to cover in our next visit.

a)  Church and Convent of St Monica : 

b)  Church of the Carmelities

c)  Convent and the Church of St John

d)  Royal Chapel of St Anthony

e)  Convent and Church of the Cross of Miracles

f )  The Pillory

g)  Church of St Cajetan

Church of St Francis of Assisi Old Goa.

Prologue :  This church should not be confused with St Francis Xavier’s Church nor his body is housed in this complex.  This Church is located next to the convent, which is now converted into a world class ASI Museum.  If one intends to visit this Church one should remember portrait of individuals with Alter background should not be shot with a camera.  One would be penalised for violating the sanctity of the church.  I just witnessed and a couple getting into trouble because of the violation of the rules.  The body of St Francis Xaviers is located in the opp Church is known as Bom Jesus Bascilica. 

The origin of this church can be traced to arrival of Franciscan friars in 1517, secured the rights over few houses from the Governor which belonged to the deceased Thanedar.  They constructed a small Chapel in the premises.  This Church was dedicated to the Holy Ghost and consecrated in 1521.  The present church was built on the same spot after pulling down the old Chapel in 1661 retaining the old entrance of the earlier Church. 

Once again ASI had to get into the act of resurrection of this Church with extensive repairs and salvaging carried out.  There is sign board which mentions that ASI has been on the job from past 150 years outside the Augustine Church complex.  The exterior walls were repainted with waterproof cement.  The damaged panel paintings were dismantled and reinforced with marine plywood and the walls were replastered with a combination mortar.  The panel paintings were than refixed on the the wall.  The cracks on the ceiling were grouted by epoxy resin after inserting copper dowels and finally replastered.  The gutters and drainages to channelize the rainwater was replaced. 

The cellar and arched openings below the museum was replastered.  The entire cellar was opened to ensure free circulation of air and allow ventilation to reduce humidity levels inorder to preserve the paintings.  Aluminium sliding shutters were incorporated to protect the structure and paintings from heavy showers and downpours. 

The entire church is built with Laterite blocks and generally lime plastered.  The church is west facing, and consists of 3 chapels on either side.  A choir and two alters and the main alter adds to the sanctity of the church.   The exterior of the church is built on Tuscan order and Manuline style.  The main alter is Baroque with Corinthian feature.  The main alter contains frescoes showing intricate floral designs.  The statue of St. Michael stands out as niche in the alter.  The statue of Lady of Miracles is bought from Jaffna peninsula in Sri Lanka.  The wooden statue of St Francis of Assisi adorns the pedestal bearing emblem of Franciscans. 

Above the main alter is the statue of St Francis of Asissi and equally a large statue of Jesus on the cross.  Beneath the two figures are inscribed three vows of the saint namely Poverty, Humility and Obedience.  The a wooden ribbed alter on the side walls of the Church  The alter is richly carved with four evangelists. 

Chapora Fort

After visiting Aguada Fort, one tends to be slightly disappointed by the vast expanse of literally nothing inside the fortress.  The crumbling boundary walls of the fortress serves as a great panaromic view point for photography particularly of the vagator beach front.  This can be visited for those who admire sunset scenary.  The fort became famous after the Amir Khan film Dil Chahta hai was shot on this locale in 2001 directed by Farhan Akthar after extensive research and his diary jottings of the life style prevailing at that time in Goa.

Location :  Chapora Fort is situated on the coastal route towards Vagator beach from Calangute.  It is approximately 25 kms away from Panjim.   One can approach it from Mapusa too, it is just 12 kms from the main market.  One needs to trek a small hillock which is steep and filled with slippery pebbles of laterite stones.  Even though it is not dangerous one can have a nasty fall if one has a tendency to loose balance.  One needs to park their vehicle in the basement of the fortress and begin the ascent.

The original fortress belonged to the Maharaja of Sawantwadi who was a feudatory of the Vijaynagar empire till 1565.  The Moghul prince Akbar ( Aurangazeb’s son ) seems to have taken shelter in this fortress with the help of Marathas ( Sambaji ) in 1683.  From here he fled to Persia never to return.

In 1717, Chapora fortress was rebuilt in keeping with their architecture.  The fortress contained a Chapel dedicated to St Anthony which has collapsed due to extreme humidity and windy conditions prevailing on the hillock.  The fortress again fell into the hands of Marathas in 1739, for two years once again Portuguese regained it after defeating the them.  Currently only the enterance and side boundary walls remain in shape and few barracks are remnants of once magnificent fortress.  There is a graveyard located by the side of the fortress, which has served as burial ground for soldiers who lost their lives in the battle.  The fort seems to have lost importance, primarily due to lack of water source unlike fort Aguada and Reis Magos.

The fort is ideally suited for married couples to spend a few private moments and youngsters and college students who are interested in trekking and group photography.  If one has visited Goa multiple times, this is one destination one can explore leisurely otherwise it can be ticked off the itinerary.

Se Cathedral Old Goa

Prologue :After Augustine Tower ( church complex ) Se Cathedral happens to virtually the largest church in Goa, and probably in Asia too during ancient times.  This place being so close to Adil Shah’s palace we can assume that a mosque or mausoleum existed in this place, which was razed to ground.  In its place St Paul Church, St Francis Assisi Church and Se Cathedral was built.

Among the group of churches Se Cathedral is the largest existing churches in Old Goa.  It was commissioned according to the inscriptions in Latin in 1562.  The Cathedral construction was ordered by King Dom Sebastiao ( 1557 – 1578 ).  The construction was sponsored by the Royal treasury, with generation of revenue from the sale proceeds of vast stretches of property and treasures salavaged. 

The Church measured 115 feet high 250 feet in length x 180 feet in width at the time of construction.  It was built on raised plinth with laterite stones.  It was plastered with limestone and painted white signifying purity.  There were 8 chapels besides the main alter.  Additional prayer slots were created for the saints.  The bell tower is located on the southern tower.  The bell transfixed on the tower was referred to as the Golden Bell on account of its resounding tone, which are immortalised in poems and carols. 

The vault and the choir were supported by massive pillars.  The building is oblong, and has cruciform interior.  It can be termed as a mixture of Portuguese & Gothic style on the exterior facade.  There is a tinge of Tuscan and Corinthian inside.  The northern tower collapsed in 1776 and it was not rebuilt.

On the left hand side of the Cathedral there are four chapels which are dedicated to our Lady of Virtues, Saint Sebastian, The blessed Sacrament and our Lady of Life.  On to the right hand side again four chapels exists which are dedicated to Saint Bernard,Saint Anthony, The Holy Ghost and Cross of Miracles.  There are three alters on each side of the main alter.  The alter is decorated with paintings from the lives of the saints.

The main alter is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, which is richly gilded in panel form, depicting martyrdom of the saints.  There are statues of St Peter and Paul.  There are seats of throne for the Archbishop.  There are paintings of St Catherine in various ceremonial robes depicting her lifestyle in general. 

The church was under construction for nearly  90 years beginning from 1562.  The main church complex was completed in 1619.  The alters were completed in 1652.  The Portuguese govt sponsored the construction for the Dominicans. 

Conservation :  Massive conservation efforts were undertaken by ASI to ensure that the complex did not collapse like the Augustine Church.  The basic fault in the design of the structure was rectified which may be owing to the southern tower collapsing and upsetting the balance of the structure.  Fresh laterite stones were used in rebuilding the weak portions of the structure, using replastered lime mortar mixed with acrylic resin ( nafafil ) The windows were replaced due to prolonged exposure to rain and humidity.  The decayed wooden beams, rafters and ceiling planks were replaced.  The plastered and reinforced walls were white washed as per the original standards.  Teak wood door and windows were re moulded in the residential complex of the church. 

The exposed iron rods were given protective paint coating to prevent rusting.  Further the wooden ceiling on northern and southern aisles were replaced.  The plaster on the wall were re applied.  The exterior walls were painted with waterproof cement paint.  The retaining wall was rebuilt which had decomposed due to vegetation over growth. 

World Heritage :

The work of ASI is ongoing to maintain the complex.  Thanks to their timely attention many a disasters and short circuits have been averted.  In order to maintain the world heritage status it is essential keep the entire complex clean and updated from the rigours of heavy monsoon.  In 1986 the churches of Old Goa have been accorded the world heritage status, which has helped in funding the cost involved to maintain the heritage structures.

Ack :  Outlook Traveller guide, World Heritage Series publication by ASI.

World Class ASI Museum at Old Goa

Prologue : We were hunting for the Goa state Museum, we were mislead to Science Museum situated besides Miramar beach, than we were directed towards Pattao, ultimately we gave up and proceeded to discover the ASI museum at Old Goa.  Vehicle can be parked just by the side road and one can enter the complex of Churches starting with ASI museum.

An Archaeological Museum was established in 1964, which was later re-organised in 1981-82.  This was undertaken for the CHOGM Retreat in Goa in 1982.  Currently it is renovated into a world class museum with air conditioned inside, and pleasing lighting effects.  A slew of surveillance cameras are fitted so that no damage is caused by vandalism covering all angles of the museum.

The highlight of this museum is the huge life size portraits of the governors and viceroys during the reign of Portuguese in a huge hall situated on the first floor.  The widened staircase was newly laid for visitors to avoid a melee. 

A new annexe building was constructed to provide additional space to house all the artefacts and collections.  The flooring was relaid with teakwood to match with the original building and bring in uniformity.  ASI has done tremendous amount of work, which is on going to maintain all the monuments in Old Goa. 

Afonso de Albuquerque’s 3.6 meter bronze statue greets the visitors at the museum entrance, unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the museum.  The entrance fee for Indian visitors is Rs 10/ per head and foreigners is $ 5.  The Museum is open on all days except Friday it is closed and timings are 10 am to 5 pm.  It takes at least 2 hours to properly have a look at various exhibits in an AC environs.  The attendant told us to keep in mind 4.30, 5.00, 5.30 & 6.00 pm in mind in order of closure of monuments for visitors. 

There maps of sea routes used by Portuguese merchants, St Xaviers travel path and drawings of Old Goa in 1509.  Another statue of Afonso De Albuquerque adorns the museum.  The plan of the museum is also displayed.

The first gallery consists of Palaeolithic stones tools and Neolithic celts and short history on pre historic sites are displayed in the map of goa.  The second showcase contains artefacts from Chandor with copper nails, rings etc from 3 BC onwards.  The Hindu sculptures were collected from surroundings of Old Goa Church area which suggests the presence of temples prior to Portuguese occupation, whether they were razed to ground by Adil Shah dynasty or Portuguese is a matter of conjecture.

The most important statue discovered is the statue of Vishnu, with an arched hallow containing 10 avataars of Vishnu.  He is accompanied by consorts in the form Garuda and Lakshmi.  Other objects on display are the Hero stones, Sati stones and a slab containing inscriptions of Devaraya’s grant to Jain Basadis.  Arabic and Portuguese Inscriptions  too are displayed.  The tombstone of Diogo De Noronha who was captain of Daman is displayed.  The hero stone exhibits reveals a Kadamba king seated on his throne surrounded by queen and attendants.  The bottom panel displays his skills on naval battle with ships.

Themain attraction is the basement hall is the towering statue Luiz De Camoes ( 1524-1580) who was the national poet of Portugal.  He is shown majestically holding scrolls of his poem.  The one eyed poet is literally dressed in battle armour minus the sword.  This statue was originally installed in the centre of garden in 1960, which was vandalised in 1980 or during emergency times i presume looking for hidden gems and jewellery.  In 1982 it was re located into the museum premises, now it is the star attraction.  

In the third gallery Mahishasuramardini of the seventh century AD dating back to Chalukyan reign.  There are other statues of seated Ganesha, Uma Maheswari, Vetala images, Kala Bhairava, Torso of a warrior and Shiv Lingas.  The show case also displays head of Bramha, Nandi and Kula Devata.

A Model of 16^th century Portuguese Ship and Iron anchors are on display in the adjoining room.  In 4^th Gallery mideval hero stones and sati stones are displayed.  The 5^th gallery traces inscriptions of Adil Shah, Marathas and records of grants to Hindu temples.  A masjid was probably located next to the Adil Shah Palace.   

A life sized statue of St Catherina is displayed under a goan pillared shed.  The courtyard has been landscaped with lawns and pathways with grills. 

 

Once we reach the first floor the portraits of most governors and viceroys of Goa are on display.  A comprehensive list is displayed on a board on hung on the western hall.  1505 TO 1961.  We find familiar names such as Menzes, Naronha, De Silva, Almieda, etc which are currently adopted as family surnames by Goans.  Viceroy Dom Joao De Castro ( 1545 – 1548 ) initiated the legacy of painting his own portrait along with twelve of his predecessors.  This practise became a precedent for all others to follow till liberation of Goa in 1961.  These paintings were originally decorating the walls of mansions in which viceroys resided, which were later shifted to Secretariat in Panjim and ultimately in 1962 it was thrown open for public viewing.  These portraits reveal the evolution of style, costumes, hairstyle prevailing in Europe. 

One can find display of Postal stamps, Court fee stamps, Maps of Goa, along with imported tiles used to decorate the facade of churches and floors of the alter.  There is one showcase displaying various currencies coins in silver, copper, lead and brass.  Afonso Albuquerque ordered the minting of coins in 1510.  The major denominations were Portuguese Manoel, Leal and Pardav, Tanga, Xerafins and lastly Rupia.  Most of the coins contained cross and figure of queen and year of minting on the reverse.   The currencies valued at 10, 20, 30, 50, 60, 100, 300, 500, 600 & 1000 in Escudos and Rupias are displayed.  There is a portrait of Dr Salazar, PM of Portugal during liberation of Goa on 19^th Dec 1961, are also on display.  A model of fort Diu with six cannons are displayed outside the museum. 

The museum has a stall selling publications by ASI which are reasonably priced and sold on discounts too for want of takers.  A video show is also organised on world heritage sites and some space is provided for children to play around.  Overall the visit to this museum one discovers the rich collection of artefacts, statues, paintings and inscriptions taking us down the memory lane of Goan Heritage.

Mangueshi temple dedicated to Lord Shiva

Prologue :  My wife was apprehensive of visiting the Mangueshi temple in Ponda which was just a small detour from the highway to Ponda because of stereotype image of the community.  Luckily the power of Lord Shiva drew me to take a deviation by convincing her that it was enroute to Ponda towards Safa Masjid.  Being born on a Shivaratri day naturally i was attracted towards the destination.  Surprisingly i found foreigners too visiting the temple whereas Wikipedia mentions they are banned from visiting the temple because of indecent clothing.  However i found that these guys were dressed decently enough to enter the premises. 

Mangueshi temple is dedicated to incarnation of Lord Shiva, ironically Manga in kannada means Monkey.   He is revered as bhagwan of goa.  The lord is worshipped in the form of Linga.  A myth states that goddess Parvathi was frightened by a chasing tiger ( avatar of Lord Shiva ).  In her cry for help she uttered Trahi Mangesh instead of Trahi maam Ganesh. 

Mangueshi happens to be family deity of many Goan Hindus particularly Saraswath Brahmins.  They generally consume Fish particularly river fish which is considered to be vegetarian.  These GSB’s ( Goan Saraswath Brahmins ) are generally Konkani speaking and primarily a trading community.  One can find them throughout the konkan coast, who fleed from the Goan Inquistion from 1560-1812.

The temple had its roots in Bhagirathi river, the Brahmins bought the idol from the river bed to Gomantak, to establish the famous temple of Mangueshi on the banks of river Gomati or Zuari it is called currently.

Since the Portuguese persecution of 1560 during Inquistion, the Idol was shifted to the present location which was relatively safer at Ponda from Salcette.  The idol was housed in Ponda to prevent destruction of Idolaters.  The original structure was a simple hut, but later it was rebuilt into current edifice under the patronage of the Peshwas, who donated the village of Mangueshi in 1739.  Ironically once the superstructure was built and decline of Marathas took place, in 1764  Portuguese once again occupied the region.  However this time around the impact or zeal for conversion got reduced and it was disbanded due to intervention of the British in 1812.  Magueshi temple thus survived the occupation just like the Safa Masjid.  One common feature is that both the temple and masjid had lovely tanks, which prevented them from being demolished for their valuable source of potable water.

The Mangueshi temple seems to have been constructed around 1740’s with 7 storeyed lamp tower and main temple complex.  Later on guest houses were added on for devotees to spend some time during their visit to this place for lack of clean lodging in the area.  The complex contains a marriage hall which could accommodate 500 guests.

There are number of annual festive celebrations which is of significance they are Ram Navami, Akshya trithya, Navaratri, Dusherra, Diwali, Magha Poornima and finally Maha Shivaratri.  A temple guide is being sold in the premises for the GSB’s particularly spelling out all the rituals, timings and scriptures.   There is a vegetarian canteen in the basement of the Marriage hall serving good vegetarian dishes at reasonable prices.  I picked up home made goan masala to add to my kitty of shopping in Goa for preparing fish curry.

A meaningful life is not about being rich nor being popular, or being highly educated or being political perfect.....It is about being grounded to earth, being humble and able to to share,touch lives of others, it is only than we can have have contented and blissful life.

Ack : Wikipedia, Outlook Traveller Guide & Original surmise, Quote Unknown.

Safa Masjid Survives

 Prologue : Enroute to Mulki from Panjim on a Christmas day we were blessed to visit all the religious monuments of Goa.  Imagine visiting Mount Mary Church on the hillock, than Augustine tower at Old Goa, Mangueshi Temple at Ponda and Safa Mosque at Ponda on the bye pass towards Belgaum.  The caretaker appointed by the ASI revealed there were more than 27 mosques and other monuments which were destroyed by Portuguese during the inquisition from 1560 to 1812.  More than the Muslims, temples belonging to Hindus were destroyed without a trace of their existence.  It can be safely assumed that more than 200 temples were destroyed which were vestiges of Kadamba and Vijaynagar Empire.  Surprisingly Safa Mosque was constructed in 1560 when the inquisition just began survived.  The caretaker told me it survived because it was located in midst of a forest.  I just used my logical thinking to surmise probably it was because of Portuguese this wonderful mosque survived.  After chasing out the Muslims probably Portuguese higher ranking officials occupied the mosque and used it as a guest house by creating an outpost.  This theory is deduced by the fact that this mosque is located just 16 kms away from Old Goa which was the seat of Portuguese reign.  In all likelihood it was occupied in 1759 when the plague struck old Goa, when there was exodus of the population in all directions

Safa Shahouri Masjid is located just on the highway leading towards Belguam with a small deviation inside the the main road.  The premises is currently a protected monument under the ASI jurisdiction.  It has been beautifully landscaped and resurrected into a wonderful monument of historic importance.

Currently the Immam offers prayers in the mehrab and in the masjid at regular intervals.  The caretaker was kind enough to open the doors and give me a glimpse of the interiors of the Masjid without expecting any money. 

The next discovery was that of the much touted Adil Shah’s Palace, he showed me a calendar containing the pictures of Islamic structures currently existing.  It was an amazing discovery therefore i was tempted to photograph the same for posterity. 

The architecture of the tank is the main attraction in this premises.  The tank is almost the size of two basket ball courts.  Each side has 6 to 8 chambers with water being sourced from a spring nearby.  The purity of water can be gauzed from the fact that the residents draw water from the tank for their domestic use currently.

Overall photographs or videograph may not give an idea of this wonderful monument, one should experience the beauty of the resurrected premises by ASI in order to appreciate its conception.  Thank you Portuguese for preserving this monument for posterity.

Ack:  Outlook Traveller, Wikipedia and Original surmise