Goa Chitra Museum

A major section of the tradition and culture of Goa has been inspired by the Portuguese culture which was introduced in this section of the Indian sub-continent during the 18th century. The Goan tradition and culture was formed as result of the invasion by the Portuguese and some of people have tried to retain and restore the historical associations of India’s smallest state to the maximum extent possible.
One such attempt of holding on to the culture and historical artifacts of Goa was the establishment of the Goa Chitra Museum. Although founded very recently, in 2010, this museum has already become one of the primary attractions in this region for the tourists. It was founded by artist-cum-curator-cum-restorer Mr. Victor Hugo Gomes in one of the coastal villages of Goa, namely Benaulim.

History of the Goa Chitra Museum

The museum was established as a token of appreciation and tribute to the ancestors of the founder himself as well as other Goan residents. It was meant to showcase and acknowledge their style of living as well as instil parts of the wisdom the ancestors possessed during their time.
The museum primarily focuses on the farming techniques, equipments and tools used by the originators of the current state of Goa. The place has a collection of farming equipments, trade related tools belonging to ancient times which are set up against the background of an ancient organic farm.

Objective and structure of the Museum

The Museum was established not just as a tribute to the way of living of the ancestors of Goa, but also to convey the message to the present generation that natural resources that are made available to us by the dynamic nature must not be wasted at any cost.

This message is appropriately conveyed by the structure of the Goa Chitra Museum since it has been created by recycling and reusing wood work, windows, doors, pillars, residual wood, fences and other similar material, which were recovered from demolished buildings of the ancient time, by the founder of the museum. This structure has been further enhanced by the implementation of necessary modern technology, lending a contemporary and stylish look to the architecture of the museum. It is a very well-planned and well-executed museum which upholds the current demand of nature from humans, which is saving and recycling of resources to the largest possible degree.

Collection in the Goa Chitra Museum

The museum is a storehouse of unique items, collectible and artifacts belonging to the different years experienced by the state. It was started with a collection of only about 200 privately owned artifacts that has now attained a figure larger than 4000 artifacts. These artifacts cover ancient equipments used in to ease the process of farming and save maximum energy and resources, along with trade elements.
These artifacts may not be as advanced as current age tools used for making life easier but they surely represent and showcase a quite advanced side of the ancestors through process, as their intention was to save for the next generations and never indulge in exploitation of natural as well as human resources.

The collection of Goa Chitra Museum includes ancient instances of regional pottery, farming apparatus, musical instruments, ancient carriages and palanquins, belonging to different parts of the past. In its surrounding open-air area, the museum has a live example of an organic farm meant for depicting the cultivation of vegetables, sugarcane, rice, herbs and spices etc., as suitable for the soil of the western coastal region of India.

The museum has many transcripts and workshops organized to communicate to the modern day farmers as to how to create and use fertilizers and pesticides derived from recycled materials such as farm waste, human waste and bio-gas. It highlights and encourages the use of solar energy and power derived from bio-degradable elements, available on the earth.



Awards and Recognitions

The Goa Chitra Museum been declared as the "topmost contemporary museum" of India by the Archaeological Survey of India. It has been stated to be “one of Goa's most charming attractions" by the TIME Magazine of Mumbai and has been recognized as a small rural model complex, which should be followed and implemented to applicable extents in the modern age agricultural processes.
The Museum intends to establish and popularize itself as a common platform for artists and craftsmen to showcase their skills and talents for interested viewers.

It also plans to conduct workshops for students studying the subject of agriculture in India and become an agro-science park for interested visitors and students from schools and universities. It is an excellent and rather unique place to visit in the state of Goa and can be a source of unexplored or rarely explored field of information, technology and bio-science.