Panjim: The Union Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ Webinar Series titled, “Culture & Tourism- Two sides of Goan economy on May 26, 2020 presented the culture, history, heritage and architectural marvel, which India’s most popular tourist destination ‘Goa’ offers; thus bringing the participants face to face with the lesser known places, history, architecture, culture and heritage aspects that can be explored by the tourists.
Presented by Sanjeev Sardesai (Historian), Arminio Riberio (Architect) and Sawani Shetye (Archaeologist), the webinar showcased the richness of Goa that extends back through centuries of profound history, cultural exchange and creativity, which is beyond the famous beaches and nightlife.
This webinar session allowed a peek into Goa’s history, from the times of the kingdom Kadamba Empire, Vijayanagara Empire, Bahmani Sultanate and Sultanate Bijapur, during the medieval period and till the Portuguese invasion of Goa defeating the Sultanate Bijapur. The speakers spoke of how the Portuguese rule that lasted for about 450 years had heavily influenced Goan culture, cuisine, and architecture.
The presence of marine fossils, buried seashells and other features of topography in the Coastal belt indicate that Goa has been uplifted from the sea due to geological tectonic plate movement. The story trails of some of the heritage architecture like Safa Masjid, Convent of St. Monica, Archbishops Cathedral, Basilica of Bom Jesus, ,Deshprabhu Palace, Soundekar Palace built by the Portuguese, Deao Palace, TB Cunha Mansion, Solar Colacos house, Panjim Church are not only interesting but also an insight to Goan history.
These webinar series are presented by the Tourism Ministry with technical support from National e-Governance Division created by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology for effective citizen engagement and communication with all stakeholders using the digital experience platform.
