Picturesque Loutolim village is home to a number of impressive Portuguese mansions, including the ancestral home of famed cartoonist Mario Miranda. Of those that are open to the public, Casa Araujo Alvares is the most well known.
This 250 year old mansion belongs to the Alvares family and forms part of the Ancestral Goa tourist complex, set up to recreate Goan village life under Portuguese rule. It was named after owner Eufemiano Araujo Alvares, who was a prominent lawyer during the colonial period.
The mansion has been constructed around an inner courtyard and features a chapel at its center. It’s gracefully furnished with European antiques and old photos. Each room has been preserved as it was centuries ago, including the kitchen filled with traditional implements. The office of Eufemiano Araujo Alvares has an intriguing desk with secret drawers and corners, and a collection of antique smoking pipes. Other unique items are a collection of thousands of Ganesh idols, and a prayer room with hundreds of icons (pictures) of Jesus hanging in it.
The Alvares family has installed an automated “sound and light show” tour of the property (the first of its kind in Goa), which illuminates each room and provides a commentary. It gives visitors an informative insight into life of a Goan-Portuguese family in the olden days.
Location:
near Ancestral Goa, Loutolim.
Google Map Directions
Contact:
0832 2750430
Timings:
9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. until 5.30 p.m. The tours, in English and Hindi, run every 15 minutes.
Fees:
The entry fee is 125 rupees for adults.
Photography:
Permitted and costs 20 rupees per camera.
