Heritage monuments list to grow

More temples, churches to be added in heritage monuments list.

Panaji: The Goa government committee has recommended that 107 catholic religious places and 17 temples be added to the list of heritage monuments, which would be notified as protected monuments for their preservation and conservation.

The Rajiv Yaduvanshi Committee, in its recommendation to the state government, has identified 434 additional monuments and structures with immense heritage value. Currently, Goa has mere 51 notified structures under state Archeology Department and 22 under Archaeological Survey of India. Officials said that 434 structures were identified after exhaustive survey conducted across the state by the experts instituted on the Yaduvanshi committee. The list includes churches, temples, hospital buildings, an island, water springs, caves and other monuments recommended for preservation after classifying them under three different categories. Interestingly, the list also includes Azilo and Hospicio hospital buildings, both state-run district hospitals, constructed during the Portuguese regime. The state government has already constructed a new Azilo hospital in Mapusa town after the Portuguese-era building started crumbling. The old building will now be preserved after the list is notified by the state government. Eighteenth century Kapileshwari Temple, situated on the outskirts of Ponda town, is amongst the temples that have been identified for preservation in the new list. Similarly, Panaji`s Mary Immaculate Conception Church, built in 1541, located in the heart of capital city, is also recommended to be protected. The committee has also suggested the protection of Goa`s one of the oldest educational institution, St Mary`s high school in Mapusa town for the conservation purpose. The missionary run school is housed in the building constructed in 1948. Nanus Fort, which once guarded the area from Portuguese invasion and currently crumbling down, is also listed by the committee. The fort situated in remote Sattari taluka was built in 17th century by Chhatrapati Shivaji. PTI