Dona Paula
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Dona Paula is a village and tourist destination in the neighborhood of
Panaji Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary i ...
, Goa,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. It is today home to the National Institute of Oceanography and the International Centre Goa.


History

The place is named after ''Dona'' Paula Amaral Antónia de Souto Maior, a historical figure in Portuguese India. She was related to the Portuguese Viceroy of
Jaffnapatnam Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mos ...
in Sri Lanka. She and her family arrived in Goa in 1744 and she married a
hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le ...
from
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
in 1756. Her father was ''Dom'' António Caetano de Menezes Souto Maior. They were an extremely affluent family, and the entire property from the present-day Cabo Raj Nivas all the way to Caranzalem belonged to the Souto Maior family. She died on 21 December 1782. Dona Paula was a woman of charity, and is known to have helped the villagers and worked a lot for their betterment. Hence after her death, the villagers decided to rename the village as Dona Paula. Initially, the village was called Oddavell. The ''Palacio do Cabo'' (present day Goa Raj Bhavan) is situated at a scenic spot in Dona Paula. The area is also the location of a historic British war-graves cemetery.


Tourism

Dona Paula is located on the sea stretch that spans from
Panjim Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...
, Miramar and Dona Paula is an area frequented by tourists. During the tourist season, Dona Paula transforms into a crowded stretch which is otherwise a calm place during monsoons. A large part of the Hindi movie
Ek Duuje Ke Liye ''Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' () is a 1981 Indian Hindi romantic tragedy film directed by K. Balachander. A remake of Balachander's Telugu film '' Maro Charitra'', it stars Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri as a pair of lovers from different families who ...
was shot here, popularising the place further. An action sequence from Rohit Shetty's movie Singham was shot here. The idyllic rocky tourist attraction lies at the spot where the Mandovi and the
Zuari The Zuari River ''Zuvari,'' pronounced ) is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river which originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions. It ...
rivers meet and confluences with the
Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channe ...
at a distance of 1 km from this point. One of the attractions in Dona Paula is a whitewashed statue perched on the rocks near the ferry jetty. Sculpted in 1969 by Baroness Yrse Von Leistner, there are different versions of its purpose of origin. According to Goa Tourism Board's website, it is named "Image of India" and depicts the figures of Mother India and Young India, one looking to the East and the other to the West. The Wheel of Ashoka is in the middle half, buried in stone, to represent the ancient culture, that nurtured this blend of ideas and emotions. While in the book 'Walking in Goa' published by Heta Pandit, it is said that the Baroness had actually sculpted statues of philosopher Robert Knox and his wife because she admired him.


References

* 4. https://mitaroygoahotel.com/2010/04/17/dona-paula-beach-goa-sun-sand-and-sorrow


External links

{{commons category, Dona Paula Beaches of Goa Neighbourhoods in Panaji Tourist attractions in Panaji Beaches of North Goa district