Goa - Beyond the Beaches

Goa, known as the land of beaches, is not only limited to the beaches but is also the bliss for the nature lovers. It is cozily nestled between the deep waves of Arabian sea and rising hump of western ghats. Goa provides a natural habitat to a range of birds and animals in midst of rich vegetation, well preserved as wildlife sanctuaries. So let’s start the journey to the mystical world of Goa.

The college excursion was from 24th Oct to 1st Nov '06. The next day i.e. 25th Oct we reached Mollem station from where we headed towards Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary where we were to stay for the rest of the days. We were put up in Dudhsagar wildlife Resort, a lovely place in midst of nature. It was a great place to stay. Before I proceed further let me brief you about this sanctuary.

Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary along with Mollem National Park is a 240 km² protected area located 57km east of Panji . Earlier it was game park and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1969. The core zone of 107 km² came to be known as The Mollem National Park in 1978. It is a Semi Evergreen and Moist Deciduous forest. It is a shelter for animals like Barking deer, Leopard, Flying Squirrel, Gaur, Chital, etc. But most important are the Malabar Gaint Squirrel and Slender Loris which are classified as endangered species. Avian species include Golden oriole, Greater indian hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, Paradise flycatcher, Racket-tailed drongo, Ruby-throated yellow bulbul (the Goa state bird), Shrikes, etc. It also hosts butterflies (Blue Mormon, Common Mormon, Common Wanderer, Crimson Rose, Plain Tiger) and reptiles (king cobra, cat snake, indian rock python, malabar pit viper, rat snake, russell's viper, Indian cobra and common krait).

After breakfast we headed to Dudhsagar Falls. It is a 10 km trek from mollem along the river to the base of this splendid milky white cascade of water. It falls down 306 mts in two segments. A bridge of South Central Railway passes right through the waterfalls and makes a fantastic scene. It is a major part of the Goa ecosystem. After returning to our rooms we had our lunch and then we were taken for an Evening Trail to Mollem National Park. Mollem NP and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary jointly cover an area of 240 sq kms. The forest ranges from moist deciduous to evergreen and provides ample cover to wildlife. Though we couldn’t see anything other than insects, spiders and birds it was a nice experience.

After the trail we headed for Nature Interpretation Centre. It is a store house of information on nature, environment and wildlife. The centre has pugmarks of different animals like tiger, leopard, hyena, wild dog, jackal & sloth bear. It also had exhibits of antlers, limb bones of gaur, the mandible of an elephant & crocodile skin.

After dinner we went for Night Trail. It was breathtaking experience walking in the wild not knowing the dangers in the path. It was amazing feeling to hear the sounds of the wild. During the trail we saw different insects and a tree frog. Though we couldn’t see even few animals but the trail was fantastic.

The next day i.e. 26th Oct we started our day with the visit to Dona Paula. It is situated 7kms from Panjim. This is the place where Zuari and Mandovi meet the Arabian sea, with a fine view of the Marmagoa Harbour . According to what we heard from the locals, the Viceroy's daughter Dona Paula de Menezes after facing objections from her family about her love affair with a poor fisherman jumped of the cliff. There is a statue of the lovers on the cliff hence the place is also known as the Lovers Paradise. Some locals even believe that she emerges from the moonlitwaves wearing only a pearl necklace.

From here we went for a visit to National Institute of Oceanography(NIO). It was set up in the 1960s. The NIO investigates not only marine biology, but also integrates almost all the major branches of coastal and marine oceanography. The major attraction of the institute is its Marine Biology Museum and Taxonomy Reference Center.

After having done our lunch at NIO we headed to Goa Science Centre. It was opened to the public from 19th December, 2001. Main features of the Science Centre are its interactive exhibition galleries; Science Park specially designed programs and activities.

In the evening we went for an River Cruise. It was fun as the cruise had dance performances by the locals on the traditional Goan & Portuguese songs and also by the people on the cruise. It was great fun. After heading to the resort and after dinner we played tug of war & dog and bone. It was fun playing the whole night.

On 27th Oct we started our journey by visiting a church, The Chapel of Three Kings. A secluded chapel in midst of nowhere, is surrounded by dense vegetation. Though we couldn’t see the chapel from inside as it was closed, we enjoyed the vicinity. According to the locals the chapel shouldn’t be visited after 5pm as the spirits can be seen inside the chapel. Many told us that they have seen the spirits at the window of the chapel and even if u want to visit to should not look back while leaving as there are chances of the person losing his mental balance. If you ignore these rumors you can enjoy the pure serenity of the place.

From the chapel we headed for the Naval Aviation Centre. It was set up in Vasco around the year 1998. It is one of its kinds in India and is a major tourist attraction in Goa. The place has a museum that showcases the rich history and the development of the Indian naval aircrafts, different aircrafts that are used, weapons, arms, etc.

The next stop was at National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research(NCAOR). It was established as an autonomous R & D Institution of the Department of Ocean Development (DOD) on the 25th May 1998. The jewel in the NCAOR’s scientific crown is the upkeep of the year round Indian station in Antarctica, ‘Maitri’. Maitri was established in 1989 and allows Indian scientists to conduct critical studies across all areas of polar research. The best part of this visit apart from an presentation of the ongoing projects was the visit to the lab which has the Antarctic ice kept in it. Just 3 of us and our 2 professors were allowed to get in this restricted area. First we had to go through decontamination chamber and after wearing apt shoes were first taken to a lab (10 C) where the instruments for research are kept, then to another lab (20 C) where some work was on and finally in to the store room which was at 40 C for 5 min where the ice slabs brought in from Antarctic were kept. I must say that it was a chilling & experience.

Then we headed for Fishery Survey of India(FSI). Here we saw some fish specimens and the making of the nets.

The last stop was at Sada Beach. A very secluded beach where very few tourist turn up. It was great to see sunset sitting on the beach and hearing beautiful sound of waves and chirping of birds. A must see beach.

On 28th Oct we started our day by visiting Basalt Rock Temple of Mahadev.

It is the most ancient temple in the whole of Goa, located at a place called Tambi Surla which is approximately 12 kms from the border crossing post of Mollem. The temple was built in Jain style in the 12th century. The temple faces east so that the rays of the rising sun fall on the deity at the crack of dawn. There is a headless Nandi in the centre of the mandap, surrounded by four matching columns. There is a linga mounted on a plinth inside the inner sanctum and local legend has it that a huge King Cobra is in permanent residence in the dimly lit interior, though we couldn’t see one. There are 4 rocks in the vicinity which are the symbols of 4 elephants guarding all the 4 directions.

After visit to temple, we went for a small trek near the temple, where the river Surla flows. One can reach this river via a flight of stone steps. It was a beautiful & quiet trek where we saw various stunning butterflies (pansies, cruiser, crimson rose fly, black mormon,etc), scorpion, tree frog, whip spider, etc. We even managed to see skink - a reptile which has resemblance with the snake but is actually a lizard. It is a semi-poisonous creature, whose poisan is fatal to animals but not to humans. It was really an awesome animal. We had a great fun walking through the river and watching natural exhibition of these exquisite animals.

After this, we headed for Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary. It covers an area of 7.98 sq kms. Though we couldn’t visit the sanctuary, we managed to visit the Mini Zoo & Formal Gardens. There are numerous endangered species which provides the visitors to see them. The animals one can see are elephants, sambhar, crocodiles, snakes (pit vipers, wine snake, cobra, king cobra, rock python, etc), gaur, sloth bears, leopard, etc. Then we visited Nature Education Centre and lastly went for a walk in the garden. The garden had spacious lawns, variety of flowers and in between there was a idol of the deity Gajalakshmi belonging to the period of between 6th & 8th century.

On 29th we headed for Ajobachi Rai-The Sacred Groves. The groves are an important part of Goa's natural heritage. A sacred grove is the patch of untouched forest area where traditional worship of local deities or forest spirits, as well as of plants and animals, has been carried out in since ancient times. Strong taboos prohibit the cutting of trees and plants or harming of any form of life within this protected area. The fear of punishment by the spirits residing in the groves has kept the forest in a near-natural state. Sacred groves have numerous medicinal plants & the waters of the springs have medicinal properties. Ajobachi Rai, the largest of them all is situated in the village of Keri, in Sattari Taluka. These sacred groves are considered to be sacred area and one should follow rules like removing footwear and not disturbing any life forms when visiting the groves.

After spending some quality time hiking up on the groves we headed for Paykecha Sada. It is a beautiful waterfall in midst of bondla ws. It is the life line of the sanctuary and cascades down beautifully. We rested here for an hour or so before heading back to our resort. Here we observed a very classic Malabar Pit Viper and experienced most stunning sunset.

The next day (30th Oct) we visited Basilica of Bom Jesus. Bom Jesus is the name used for the infant Jesus. The church is located in Old Goa, about 10 km from the city of Panjim. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier; a member of the Society of Jesus. After his death during sea voyage in 1552, his remains were brought to Goa, in accordance with his wishes. The church is beautifully constructed with amazing interiors and calm vicinity.

After this we headed for Dr.Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. It is one of the smallest bird sanctuaries having an area of merely 1.8 sq kms. Though small, the sanctuary homes around 400 species of birds, both local and migratory. It is located on island of Chorao near Mandovi River. One has to take ferry from Ribandar ferry dock to reach the sanctuary. Because the island of Chorao is full of mangrove swamps, the region produces exceptional cover and vegetation for many different breeds of local coastal bird as well as the perfect resting ground for migrating birds from all around the world. Besides a rich diversity of exotic birds, one may catch a glimpse of wild animals like crocodiles, foxes, and jackals. The sanctuary is open throughout the year, though it is better to avoid it during the monsoons and summers when it can get really hot and humid.

Our last day i.e. 31st Oct we were to visit Mangeshi, Mahalsa & Shantadurga temple. Of all three I visited only Mahalsa temple as it was not commercialized. The temple is dedicated to goddess Mahalsa, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The reason for my visiting this temple was a six-storied 'deepstambha' in the courtyard. This splendid pillar is 40 feet in height and has 21 rings of a hundred fifty small lamps.

After going back to the resort and after having our lunch we shot a small film on the students. The film is great to watch with comments and crazy remarks. We headed to mollem station to cah our train.

An Amazing trip came to an end with happy note.