The heritage precinct of Campal is Panjim’s hidden gem

QUIET, QUAINT QUARTER

While Fontainhas is the uber-famous Latin Quarter of Panjim, Campal, on the other end of the capital city, is a quiet heritage precinct with charming, colonial era homes.

IT’S ALL PLANNED

With its streets designed in a gridiron pattern, ‘Campo de Dom Manoel’, or Campal, showcases the town planning prowess of the Portuguese. This residential zone features houses built around a garden, FL Gomes garden – the focal point of the area.

BEHIND THE NAME

A statue of Francisco Luis Gomes – the famed Goan physician, writer, historian, economist and MP in the Portuguese parliament of the time – occupies a pride of place at the entrance of the garden.

TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS

A traditional bandstand and pergola are two colonial features of the Francisco Luis Gomes garden, aka FL Gomes garden.

ALL AT SEA

Across the road, in front of the former Military Hospital, stands a unique pillar bearing navigational markings. Called the ‘Prince Henry the Navigator Monument’, it is a reminder of Goa’s seafaring traditions.

FROM JAIL TO HOSPITAL

The former Military Hospital, in Campal, was once a cadeia or jail.

READY, AIM, FIRE

A solitary cannon along the main road is the oldest cannon of its type in India, and dates back to the reign of Adil Shah.

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