Kishore121 at 07:28, 19 March 2026

2026-03-19T07:28:44Z

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{{Short description|Neighborhood in Goa, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{More footnotes|date=April 2011}}
{{Infobox landform
| name = Dona Paula
| other_name =
| image = Fishing Boats anchored at Dona Paula , Goa.jpg
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| caption = Fishing Boats anchored at Dona Paula, Goa
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| coordinates = {{coord|15|27|2|N|73|48|12|E|display=inline}}
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| type = Neighborhood
| free_label_1 = Patrolled by
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[[File:Dona Paula Goa.jpg|thumb|300px|View of the rocks by the sea at Dona Paula, Goa]]
[[File:Dona Paula, Goa.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Sculptures of Robert Knox with his wife, made by Yrsa von Leistner in the 20th century]]
'''Dona Paula''' (Named after [[Dona]] Paula de Souto Maior) is a neighborhood and tourist destination in the city of [[Panaji]], [[Goa]], India.<ref name=TI1>{{cite news | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1925951.cms | title=The legend of Dona Paula - truth or tall-tale | date=20 April 2007 | newspaper=The Times of India | first=Blessy | last=Thomas | accessdate=21 February 2019}}</ref> It is today home to the [[National Institute of Oceanography (India)|National Institute of Oceanography]] and the [[International Centre, Goa|International Centre Goa]].

== History ==
The place is named after ''[[Don (honorific)|Dona]]'' Paula Amaral Antónia de Souto Maior, a historical figure in [[Portuguese Goa]]. She was related to the Portuguese Viceroy of [[Jaffnapatnam]] in Sri Lanka. She and her family arrived in Goa in 1744 and she married a [[Hidalgo (nobility)|hidalgo]] from [[Spain]] in 1756. Her father was ''Dom'' António Caetano de Menezes Souto Maior. They were an extremely affluent family, and the entire property from the present-day Cabo Raj Nivas all the way to Caranzalem belonged to the Souto Maior family. She died on 21 December 1782.<ref name=TI1 />

Dona Paula was a woman of charity, and is known to have helped the villagers and worked a lot for their betterment. Hence after her death, the villagers decided to rename the neighborhood as Dona Paula. Initially, the neighborhood was called Oddavell.<ref name=TI1 />

The ''Palacio do Cabo'' (present day [[Raj Bhavan, Panaji|Goa Raj Bhavan]]) is situated at a scenic spot in Dona Paula.<ref name=Monteiro>{{cite news
|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/a-walk-through-goas-most-iconic-residence/articleshow/67389712.cms|title=A walk through Goa's most iconic residence
|work=[[The Times of India]]
|date=5 January 2019
|first=Lisa
|last=Monteiro}}</ref> The area is also the location of a historic British war-graves cemetery.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/dona-paulas-forgotten-british-cemetery-gets-a-new-lease-of-life/articleshow/58485876.cms
|first=Paul
|last=Fernandes
|title=Dona Paula: Dona Paula's forgotten British cemetery gets a new lease of life
|work=[[The Times of India]]
|date=2017-05-03}}</ref>

==Tourism==
Dona Paula is located on the sea stretch that spans from [[Panaji|Panjim]], [[Miramar, Goa|Miramar]] and Dona Paula is an area frequented by tourists. During the tourist season, Dona Paula transforms into a crowded stretch which is otherwise a calm place during monsoons.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} A large part of the Hindi movie [[Ek Duuje Ke Liye]] was shot here, popularising the place further. An action sequence from Rohit Shetty's movie Singham was shot here.
The idyllic rocky tourist attraction lies at the spot where the [[Mandovi River|Mandovi]] and the [[Zuari River|Zuari]] rivers meet and flow into the [[Arabian Sea]] at a distance of 1 km from this point.

One of the attractions in Dona Paula is a whitewashed statue perched on the rocks near the ferry jetty. Sculpted in 1969 by Baroness Yrse Von Leistner, there are different versions of its purpose of origin. According to Goa Tourism Board's website, it is named "Image of India" and depicts the figures of Mother India and Young India, one looking to the East and the other to the West. The [[Ashoka Chakra|Wheel of Ashoka]] is in the middle half, buried in stone, to represent the ancient culture, that nurtured this blend of ideas and emotions.<ref>[http://www.goatourism.gov.in/destinations/other-attractions/179-dona-paula Dona Paula as described in Goa Tourism Government website]</ref> While in the book 'Walking in Goa' published by [[Heta Pandit]], it is said that the Baroness had actually sculpted statues of philosopher Robert Knox and his wife because she admired him.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/goa-plus/The-legend-of-Dona-Paula--truth-or-tall-tale/articleshow/1925951.cms?|title=The legend of Dona Paula - truth or tall-tale|last=Thomas|first=Blessy|date=20 April 2007|work=The Times of India|language=English|accessdate=7 July 2016}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Dona Paula}}
{{commons category|Dona Paula}}

[[Category:Beaches of Goa]]
[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Panaji]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Panaji]]
[[Category:Beaches of North Goa district]]

Dona Paula - Revision history

Kishore121 at 07:28, 19 March 2026