Goa takes leaf out of Hampi for conservation and upkeep of heritage Church complex

Goa plans to take a leaf out of Hampi when it comes to conservation and upkeep of the coastal state's 17th century UNESCO-endorsed Old Goa Church complex, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday.

Sawant's assurance followed a meeting of officials from the Archaeological Survey of Indian, state government agencies and representatives of the Goa's Roman Catholic Church at the State Secretariat, in order to streamline the processes for the maintenance of the Old Goa Church Complex, one of the most popular tourism sites in the state, as well as the most significant site of worship for Goa's Catholic community.

"In future, a co-ordination committee under ASI officials, on the lines of Hampi will be formed to decide on the maintenance of the Church complex. We will obtain the rules and regulations which are in place for maintenance of the Hampi (complex) too," Sawant said.

Hampi is a popular destination of touristic and historic significance on account of its temples, which date back to between the 14th and the 16th century during the reign of the Vijaynagara empire in Karnataka's Bellary district.

The site is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, just like the Old Goa Church complex, which is also a popular tourist site.

Over the last few weeks, the Rector of the Basilica of Bom Jesus Fr. Patricio Fernandes has been lobbying with the state government officials to hasten the pre-monsoon repair work, which if not completed in time before the rains, could cause damage to the heritage buildings located in Goa's former capital.

Sawant said, that Goa Chief Secretary Parimal Rai had been tasked with formulating a draft of rules and regulations based on the Hampi model to streamline maintenance works at the Old Goa site.

"The Chief Secretry has been asked to study and prepare a basic draft.

If we need to preserve world heritage monuments in Goa, we need to have a coordination committee to ensure that these works are completed fast," Sawant said.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus, which is the key heritage building in the UNESCO-endorsed site, also holds the relics of Spanish Saint Francis Xavier, who died in the mid-1500s.