When various religious orders landed in Goa, after the Portuguese occupation, they erected noble and expensive churches, chapels, monasteries, convents and colleges. Many of these are reckoned as outstanding examples of Christian architecture. Most of the churches in Goa exhibit tiered frontispiece and are framed with columns and pilasters, generally presenting single or a combination of classic orders of architecture.

You pick up a lot of friends when you live in a place for over 25 years. One of my closest friends here in Goa is called MOCA or, the Museum of Christian Art. Um, can a museum be a friend? Yes! For, like any other close friend, MOCA has imparted knowledge, shared moments of joy and contemplation, a joke, a revelation, a secret, a story.

An event that took place over two thousand years ago, when the Magi journeyed to Bethlehem to pay homage to Jesus is still celebrated across the world on January 6 th as the Feast of the Epiphany. In Goa it is also celebrated in the villages of Reis Magos and Chandor. The villages of Arossim, Cansaulim and Cuelim however have an elaborate pageantry to integrate this Christian cosmology with local customs and symbolism rooted in the histories of village life. While these rituals weave through clan, caste, and class structures they also maintain a deep reverence for the sacred landscape of the area.