Daman and Silvassa: home to Portuguese history and natural beauty

When the Turks annexed Constantinople in 1453, the land route to India was permanently closed for Europeans. They needed to find a way through the sea and hence Vasco da Gama sailed to the west coast and landed in present day Calicut on Malabar Coast in 1498. The Portuguese came to India with the intention of not only opening a trade route to South East Asia and Japan, but also to spread Christianity through missionary work. With their sail boats carrying goods for commerce, arrived the priests to set up the first Diocese in Goa in 1534. The first headquarters by Viceroy Francisco de Almeida was established in Cochin. Daman (Portuguese: Damão) was an important trade route for the Portuguese along with Daman, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa and Diu. Before 1505, these regions were under the Muslim Gujarat and Bhamani sultanate, and Hindu Zamorin kings, until it was liberated from Portuguese rule by the Maratha light infantry of Indian Army in 1961.

Remnants of Portuguese history and culture lie scattered all over Daman and Silvassa in its churches, chapels, forts and old quarters. I visited Daman with the aim of going off beat into the interiors and exploring the daily life as well as the stories behind its Portuguese history. Even though the heritage of Daman needs significant conservation work, it did not fail to impress. Here are the list of places I recommend if you are planning to visit Daman and Silvassa.