One of India's oldest jails is now a hub for fashion and arts
Indian Fashion, Timeless Elegance celebrates Indian couture spanning 2,500 years, showcasing the diversity and the craftsmanship of the country’s jewellery and garments (there’s a second century image of Emperor Kanishka wearing a tunic). Sahitya Chitravali delves into Indian epics like the Mahabharat, informing the visitor about the country’s literary legacy. The third, Kamal, explores the symbolism of the lotus flower in religious iconography and mythology.
The renovated rooms and exhibitions are a fun crash course on Goa’s, and India’s, history. The restaurants on the property are great to take a break after all the walking and reading, and enjoy fried fish while looking at the waves. It makes you forget the crucial role the property played in the 1600s, when Goa was referred to as “Little Lisbon" and the “Rome of the East", facilitating trade in gemstones and spices.
But the empty jail cells, the cliff where prisoners were hung, all a few metres from the exhibition area, instantly remind you of this dark past. In the 1930s, the then Portuguese prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar converted it into a place of incarceration and torture for those opposing the foreign regime. Inside the cell, the only source of light is an average hand-sized window.
“You can see a dolphin from there if you are lucky," the guide tells me when I try to look out of from the window. Is it okay to turn a place that was an operational prison till 2015 into a hub for culture and entertainment? The answer depends on who you ask. According to Suneel Anchipaka, director of tourism, government of Goa, and managing director, Goa Tourism Development Corp.
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