Fontainhas: Where History Keeps Its Colour
Between the Ourem Creek and Altinho Hill, Fontainhas preserves a distinctly Portuguese imprint on Panjim. Its narrow lanes, red-tiled roofs and brightly painted houses form one of Goa’s most recognisable historic neighbourhoods.
A local tradition attributes the quarter’s vivid facades to an old Portuguese-era practice of repainting houses regularly. Whether folklore or fact, the colour has endured: ochre, indigo, rose and turquoise walls sit beside projecting balconies, shaded verandas and weathered colonial details.
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History is embedded in the streets themselves. Rua 31 de Janeiro commemorates Portugal’s restoration of independence from Spain in 1640. Eighteenth June Road recalls the date in 1946 when Ram Manohar Lohia’s civil-disobedience movement challenged Portuguese rule in Goa—an early landmark in the territory’s eventual liberation in 1961.
Today, some houses remain carefully maintained while others show the unmistakable marks of age. Yet their fading walls and ageing balconies possess a quiet visual power.
Fontainhas is not a preserved colonial tableau. It is a living quarter, where Portuguese architectural traces, Goan life and the passage of time coexist—turning history into something you can walk through, rather than simply read about.
NILANJAN RAY has a handful of exposed stock on “HUMAN INTEREST” and keeps stock of other people’s money in a Bank since it is his profession. He has received Merit Prize from National Geographic, USA & National Award from Photo Division, Govt. of India twice.
His Solo Photography Exhibition on ‘VARANASI - AN ETERNAL CITY’ was organized by OXFORD BOOKSTORE, Kolkata, NATIONAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS, (NCPA), Mumbai and INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE (IIC), New Delhi.
His Solo Photography Exhibition on “FAITH – A QUAINT EMOTIONS” was organized by INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTER, NEW DELHI.
Other than above, his photographs were selected for exhibition at British Council, UNICEF, ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, Calcutta, LALIT KALA ACADEMY, New Delhi etc. Photographs are also selected for a Book” Framed City”- published at Indian Art Festival, New Delhi. Photographs were also selected for a Book “INDIA- 5 Senses“ by Roli Books. Photographs & Articles are published regularly in leading daily Newspapers and Magazines.
