“My buildings will be my legacy… they will speak for me long after I’m gone.”
Julia Morgan
The Figueiredo House in Goa
The headline may make you think I am crazy to talk of Goa week after week and not go anywhere near the beaches. Allow me this indulgence. I believe in a Goa that has a rich tapestry of nature, culture and history and would love to showcase all of it. And so my wheels took me to the historic and quaint village of Loutolim (pronounced Lot-lee) near Vasco in South Goa.
The Figueiredo House features in all lists of off-beat places to see in Goa. Yet remains one of the least visited because of its location and the tag of the museum. But, it’s also a fabulous B&B where one can relive Goan history in all its flamboyant avatar. Courtesy a common friend, I could interview Mr. Pedro Figueiredo de Albuquerque, 12th generation owner/caretaker about the detailed history of the place. Our brief talk follows here, brought alive with images from the mansion.
Family History
Talking about the history of the family that owns the mansion, Pedro said, “So we are originally Hindus, our family’s name was the Podiars, and we came from Sancoale, which is near the airport, in the 1590s. We had to leave Sancoale because of bubonic plague. Around the same time the family split off, one faction went to Shiroda, and they remain as Podiars. The other half came to Loutolim as we were one of the biggest landlords in South Goa and embraced Christianity.”
I was quite curious to understand the transition of a Hindu family into the Portuguese fold to which Pedro explained, “We were Saraswat Brahmins, and to embrace Portuguese customs and Christianity, we either had to pick a priest who’ll pass the Christian name of a Portuguese family or a noble family could choose to give you name by the powers vested in them. This name had to be from the same noble class as our Hindu castes, and hence a noble Portuguese family gave the name Figueiredo. It comes from a Knight and has an association with fig trees.”
The House
According to Pedro, “Manuel Figueiredo created the outhouse and the main four rooms in 1590 AD, that makes them 430 years old. In 1791 AD, the family patriarch expanded the house to serve the increasing number of his family members and for the reputation the family had. So everything you see now is in a much more ostentatious way. When he built this site, he made that into a square half to be his private area and half to be an event area. In the event area, he made it much more luxurious. The office has Belgium crystal chandeliers and Italian tiles that are different in each of the rooms.”
As to the architecture of this lived in history, Pedro piped in with wonderful details about the construction. As he says,‘‘ On the roof, there’s a walkable space for the air to circulate. So the holes/openings on the roof are part of a ventilation system. Because of the wood in the house, this ventilation system helps, so the humidity does not settle in as much and just keeps it cooler all around. So nothing gets too humid, everything is just right.”
He continues, ‘‘In the ballroom too, he made the flooring all in wood and some openings on the front of the house so that the air comes in to freshen up the area for the people.”
Saving the History and Culture
In Pedro’s words, “So what we did was we tried to make a sensible business which would still apply to the house concept, which is the historical side. And of having a meal and enjoying all those things in the house. And everything to make the house self-sustainable for the future generations. Because our key point was to not only show our family’s history but also show the youth to look at how Goa was at one time a centre of trading in India.”
“Being a mid-point to Macau, China and Japan to Mozambique in Africa. And so we have a lot of Chinese, Japanese and European pieces. Through this, there is an attempt to show how culture travels all across, and to maintain what our forefathers have tried to do for a long time.”
With such interesting information, it was no surprise to see the clock move forward by three hours in a jiffy. Pedro was also kind enough to take me through the history of the artefacts displayed in the museum, but I will not do that commentary here. Enjoy the gallery, and plan a visit to The Figueiredo House in Goa to hear the awe-inspiring tales from the proud conservationist himself.
Very nice. Must follow
Thank you for the appreciation.