These photographs were shot over two consecutive rain-soaked days in the idyll that is the island of Chorão, also known as Chodna or Chodan. My forbears came from this part of Goa, and were impelled to move out after the sacking of the village and the Hindu temples by the Portuguese in the 16th C.

The final photograph in the series below was taken in the face of an intense rainstorm advancing in my direction. Seconds later I had to dive into my car. These are moments to live for.

St Bartholomew church, Chorão (1569)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The lone sentinel on a dark monsoon morning
5D Mark II, 70-100L f/2.8 IS II

Nossa Senhora de Saude chapel
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

Mae de Deus church of Pomburpa seen from Chorão
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Advancing rainstorm (Pomburpa church is seen to the left)
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Sunset around midnight in Reykjavík
5D Mark II, 24-105L, Singh-Ray Reverse GND filter

Hallgrímskirkja was draped in golden light.

Hallgrímskirkja basks in golden light
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Earlier tonight we stopped by Bessastaðir again. This time I made bold to ring the bell at President Ólafur Grímsson‘s door. Nobody seemed to be in and there was no response. The mellow evening light offered another perspective on Bessastaðir.

Bessastaðir, late evening
5D Mark II, 24-105L

We got into Reykjavík yesterday morning and right away were taken for a short spin by my friend Guðmundur Eyjólfsson. This is Bessastaðir, the official residence of the President of Iceland on the Álftanes peninsula just outside Reykjavík.

In the foreground is the church “constructed from locally quarried lava stone and opened in 1796″ ( vide Andrew Evans in Iceland, Bradt Travel Guide 2008) and behind it is the president’s home.

Where else in the world can you drive up to the doorstep of the country’s president without being intercepted by armed security guards a mile ahead of the entrance?

Bessastaðir, Iceland
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The man responsible for parlaying what was once a swamp into one of the world’s most beautiful cities was the Portuguese Viceroy D. Manoel Francisco de Portugal e Castro. It was during his tenure, 1827-1835, that the marshland was reclaimed and the city’s layout conceived. A suite of important buildings arose around this time, such as the Old Customs House (Alfandega), and Casa da Moeda (Mint House), seen below.

The Ghanekar House typifies the traditional Hindu home with its raj angan (central courtyard).

Old Customs House (circa 1830), Panjim
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Casa da Moeda (circa 1830), Panjim
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Ghanekar House (19th C), Panjim
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Also see -

Panjim Promenade – 3

Panjim Promenade – 2

Panjim Promenade – 1

Inside the shrine an exquisite image of Maruti greets the visitor. But there is more – the entire temple is embellished with kaavi (sgraffito) and represents one of the finest examples of its kind in Goa, as seen in the photographs below.

Ravaged by destructive mining the settlement of Advalpal is under severe pressure from rapacious miners and their political enablers. The future of this temple is highly uncertain – it is located on private property and the owner has had ‘offers’.

Hanuman of Advalpal, Goa
5D, 85L II

Hanuman temple in Advalpal, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Kaavi art on temple façade
5D, 24-105L

From its perch there are sweeping vistas to be enjoyed. The island of Divar to the north across River Mandovi is a picture of serenity, and to the west are the monuments of Old Goa. The chapel recently underwent restoration with funding from Fundação Oriente.

I dig this locale for its vistas and for the solitude it provides for quiet contemplation. But it won’t remain that way for long. The adjacent forest at the foot of the hillock has been depleted and is being primed for construction. Shame on Goans!

The final image in this series is a photograph of a photograph from the archives collection of Central Library in Panjim.

Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount seen from Divar
5D, 300L f/4

Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount during the monsoon
5D, 24-105L

Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount after the monsoon
5D II, 24-105L

Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount c. 1925 (© Souza and Paul)

The 19th C Hotel Republica is among the city’s earliest hotels, and is located along Afonso Mexia Road in central Panjim, near the Old Secretariat building. W. Somerset Maugham stayed here in 1938 during his visit to Goa. If I recall correctly, the hotel also had a bit role in World War II history – German spies were caught on its premises. Today, Hotel Republica has devolved into a low budget way station for ill-mannered tourist hordes.

Hotel Republica in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Hotel Mandovi enjoys the same kind of cachet in the Goan mind as that accorded the Taj Mahal Hotel by the denizens of Mumbai. The hotel was erected on the Noronha family land (the family chapel still stands), and is owned by the Quenim family. Built in the Art Deco style, it first opened for business on December 1, 1952. Although some of the old world elegance has now frayed, its restaurant Riorico is known to this day for outstanding Goan cuisine, especially its signature Goan-Portuguese specialties.

Hotel Mandovi in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Also see -

Panjim Promenade – 2.
Panjim Promenade – 1.

Casa Dempo also has an uplifting past. For several decades, the Dempos have thrown open its premises to thousands during lunchtime and served free vegetarian food – annachhatra, as this old Hindu practice is called. In particular, generations of needy students of all religions and castes have benefited from this largesse of the Dempo family.

Beyond Casa Dempo in the photograph below, the old building with the yellow facade houses the government printing press. (Aside: the first printing press in India was set up in Goa in 1556.)

Casa Dempo in Panjim, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Take a look at the next item – a photograph of an old photograph (c. 1880) from the Central Library archives. Seen are the homes on what used to be the Afonso de Albuquerque Road (now the Mahatma Gandhi Road). The red arrow points to Casa Dempo. I took my shot above standing only a few feet right of the man seen in the middle of the street.

Casa Dempo around 1880 (from the Central Library Archives)

Also see: Panjim Promenade – 1.

The 12th C temple of Mahadeva (another name for Shiva) set in a remote forest at Tambdi Surla is Goa‘s oldest surviving temple. It remains a place of active worship to this day.

This photograph was taken in 2007 in the thick of the monsoon season. When I got to Tambdi Surla that morning a heavy downpour had just subsided. The ambience was magical and this framing suggested itself quite naturally. The slight colour cast of green on the temple structure is not a processing artifact; it is a consequence of the wet temple reflecting the surrounding foliage.

12th C Mahadeva Temple at Tambdi Surla, Goa
5D, 24-105L

See this earlier entry for another view of the temple.

This photograph of the Deepastambha at the Mahalsa temple in Mardol was taken at daybreak.

Deepastambha at Mahalsa temple in Mardol, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

A more modest Deepasthamba adorns the courtyard of the temple of Goddess Bhumika in the village of Chopdem.

Deepastambha at Bhumika temple in Chopdem, Goa
5D Mark II, 85L II

An ancient Deepasthamba near the remains of Piso Ravlu temple in Mayem is embraced by a Peepal tree.

Deepastambha in Mayem, Goa
5D, 24-105L