The story of the nobleman's daughter and the fisherman she loved: that's Dona Paula Beach. Dona Paula Beach is haunted, at least according to local legend. The romantic story of Dona Paula de Menezes and her lover has long been attached to the beach.
Dona Paula was the daughter of a viceroy in colonial days; she was refused permission to marry a local Goan fisherman so she threw herself from a nearby cliff. According to local myth, visitors may occasionally catch a glimpse of her on moonlit nights walking in the waves with just a pearl necklace on. Few tourists have been lost to the ghost in recent years, so there is little to worry about...
Location
A trip to the beach usually starts in the Goan capital, Panaji. Dona Paula Beach is about 4 miles west of the Goan capital, Panaji. Visitors to Panaji can travel out to the beach and sunbathe or shop for trinkets at the stalls there.
Dona Paula Beach rests on the headlands overlooking Mormugao Harbor. It is edged with palms and casuarinas. Water sports provide the main attraction of the beach. A sports club there offers motorboat excursions, water-scooters for rent, windsurfing, water skiing, para-sailing, fishing and more.
Attractions
The National Oceanography Institute is also on Dona Paula Beach. The institute was established in the 1960s to study marine biology. The institute houses a Marine Biology Museum and Taxonomy Reference Center.
The Governor's House (Cabo Raj Niwas) is about a quarter mile from the National Oceanography Institute. The tomb of Dona Paula de Menezes is in the Cabo Chapel there. Aguada Fort is also close enough to the beach to be worth a visit.
Dona Paula Beach has also served as the setting for several Indian movies, increasing its popularity as a tourist spot.
Not far from the beach, tourists can visit the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. The bird Sanctuary is on the western end of Choro Island in the Mandovi River. It is about five miles from the beach. The sanctuary covers a little more than a square mile of mangrove forest. Permission from the chief wildlife warden is needed before visiting the sanctuary.
Reis Magos Church is about six miles from the beach; it is one of the oldest churches in Goa. Reis Magos was dedicated to the three wise men of the Christmas story: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.
The Goa Tourism Department arranges sunset river cruises and full-moon cruises. Most include the option of a meal.
Greg Cruey - Greg Cruey is an educator and journalist. He works as an educational interventionist specializing in a small, rural school in Central ...
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