Why Goa houses look so much like Portuguese houses

For many, a trip to another country is the discovery of another world, where they speak, think, live differently, every time it expands the boundaries of perception. These findings are not always positive. But that's the way the world works.

A trip to Goa causes a lot of conflicting feelings, which are analyzed for a long time after the end of the trip. There are so many contrasts here, so many unusual things for a Russian: climate, attitude to life, way of life, food, nature. Goa is just one of the states of India, very different from all the others, more Europeanized, more prosperous. And yet this is already India with its variegation, screaming garbage dumps along the roads, undersized cows everywhere, houses, as if painted in the color of the hostess's sari.

In the villages closer to the ocean, houses are pleasing to the eye, clearly belonging to the wealthier class of Indians. This house, neatly painted in blue and turquoise shades, is decorated with twisted columns, arched windows. The small door is framed by a mosaic frame. All these are echoes of the period of Portuguese expansion, which reigned in this territory for almost 5 centuries: from the beginning of the 16th to the middle of the 20th. Such a long-lasting proximity of the two cultures, Asian and European, was reflected in the architecture, customs, and religious preferences of the Goans.

An attentive, loving attitude to the home is combined here with Indian negligence in landscaping the front garden. A riot of greenery, once planted in front of the house, is chaotic and requires attention.

Standard individual buildings in Portugal are usually built in 2-3 floors. This two-story Goan house has a neat Portuguese-style patio, again columns and arches, and the entrance gate is decorated with small sculptures of lions.

This picture was taken in Portugal. The same color palette, curved lines of metal structures. And what a luxury of a well-groomed tree bent under the abundance of fruit!

Together with the Portuguese, the Catholic Church came to Goa. It was not always a peaceful way of competing with the religious views of the Hindus existing at that time. Muslims were particularly affected. The male part of the population was exterminated. And women were forcibly baptized and given in marriage to Portuguese soldiers. Historians claim that from the middle of the 16th century to the 19th century, the Inquisition reigned here. Many indigenous people fled, some, trying to save their lives, nevertheless came under the wing of the Catholic Church. Until now, in the territory of Goa, there are cathedrals in the architectural style with recognizable Portuguese features.

The wedding of an Indian couple in the Catholic Church. Guests lined up to congratulate the newlyweds.

The state of Goa was recognized as an Indian territory only in 1974. It is not surprising that here at every step you can find echoes of such a long era of colonization. A bizarre interweaving of cultures, styles, worldviews, lifestyle in big and small things, in everyday life and in relation to life adds color to the already bright world of India, which can only be comprehended falling in love.

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