ABSTRACT
Being under Portuguese domain for almost five centuries, Goa presents local cultural histories that translate the uniqueness of this Indian state. Its conquest in two different phases reveals the existence of two distinct cultural landscapes: one that saw the development of a Catholic culture during the first half of the 16th century, and the territories that maintained religious freedom and the local social structures under Portuguese rule from the second half of the 18th century. Besides the existence of temples and archaeological remains from the Kadamba and Vijayanagara dynasties (11th–15th centuries) and the large, and famous, Goan temples in Indo-Portuguese style (mostly renovated during the 18th century), there are numerous old village temples punctuating the forested Ghats and alluvial plains. Among these, we find small temples with ancient wooden structures, corresponding to vernacular architectural histories, built in profound harmony with the environment and reproduced in several large temples, unfolding the evolution of temple architecture in Goa. This diversity of elements and aesthetics is intertwined with a profound sense of spatial belonging, translating deep-rooted relations between sacredness, architecture and the natural world.
