The Best Experience of Goa Pilgrimage Tour

Pilgrim Tour Packages in Goa:- This was my second Pilgrimage Tour to Goa (South and North) which is also organized by Shikhar Travels. All the members for the tour have come from London, the United Kingdom and they all are Pilgrims.

Goa Pilgrimage Tour is managed by Shikhar Travels and I am a tour guide for the tour.

This tour is all about spending time at the beautiful Churches of South and North Goa, hitting best local markets, having mouthwatering Feast of Saint Francis Xavier Festivals in Goa, meeting local Priest (Father) and doing English mass at all churches.

Goa Pilgrims tour will take around one week or so and we stayed at Bougainvillea Hotel at Candolim Beach which is carved with mesmerizing views.

First, we take our pilgrim group to Hindu Temple for visit and yes they all are very happy to see the Hindu temple and I am explaining about the Hindu culture and God & Goddess.

After visiting the Hindu Temple, all group members told me that on their next visit to India for Pilgrimage Tour, they would like to see Hindu temple from the other parts of India, I recommend them to see Hindu Temples at North India in which Varanasi and Rajasthan as they will know something more about Indian history and Hinduism. They all are ardent to know about the Hindu culture, food, and diversity in India.

First, we are going to cover all the churches and sightseeing of North Goa first:

1. Bishop’s Place – Another name of Bishop’s place is the Patriarchal Palace, which is in Altinho and viewing the capital city of Panjim. Bishop’s Palace is very famous for its architectural glory and as the home of the Archbishop of Goa. Here, the mass will be observed in the day time.

• Reis Magos – Mapuca – Next, we turn to the Goan village of Reis Magos, which is the Portuguese name for the Three Wise Men. This village is popular for two of Goa’s famous structures; the Reis Magos Fort, and the Reis Magos Church which is the first church in Bardez. After that, we visit St Jerome’s Church in Mapusa. Next, we will drive to the town of Mapusa in North Goa, which is remembered for its very interesting weekly Friday Market, that lasts to the late evening. Thereafter, we visit Our Lady of Miracles Church which was built in 1594 by the Portuguese army.
• Pilar Seminary – Usually, the Saints takes place on the Monday of Holy Week. It was placed on a small hill, situated south of the capital city of Panaji. The Pilar Seminary is appreciated for its peaceful ambiance and the sensational views across the countryside.

• Feast Day of St Francis Xavier – Anjuna Flea Market – Honour Mass for the best Feast Day of St Francis Xavier. In the afternoon, we turn to the village of Anjuna to explore the famous Anjuna Flea Market. It is settled on the sandy stretch viewing the Arabian Sea. Pilgrims are appealed by the vast and bustling market selling locally produced apparel, spices, tea, coffee, jewelry, hand-made toys, and souvenirs.

• Rachol Seminary – Margao – At first, the seminary was built by the Jesuits between 1606 and 1610, and includes a hospital and a school for the poor people besides the college for the trainee priests. Moreover, it is also known for its settling of the third setup of a printing press in the subcontinent. Fr Thomas Stevens who is said to be the first Englishman to set foot on Indian soil was known to set up the press, which conducted to carry out some sixteen books, also includes the first version of the Gospels into an Indian language.
   The Seminary also includes a church, built-in 1576, devoted to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. After we set to traverse Margao, the industrial and artistic capital of Goa. Margao developed originally as the settlement encompassing the ancient Damodar Temple. After the annihilation of the original temple, it was then displaced by the Holy Spirit church and church grounds. On the western side of the Church, there is a market place, which is best to visit. Even, the people from all across the Goa come to visit at the special market to buy spices and dried fish which will be great for the upcoming rainy season. Then, we turn towards the eastern side with the church at its core and continued outwards.

There on, our pilgrim group went to have a special dinner at the best restaurants in North Goa. The cuisine was commendable there.

They all are really satisfied with the service provided by Shikhar Travels. They add that they would recommend this to their near and dear ones. They were very pleased by Goa culture and most importantly the Indian culture.