Diu

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The Portuguese came to Daman and Diu in 1535 and formally established it as a colony in 1537. It survived independence in 1947 and was only annexed to India in 1961. It was the longest surviving colonial rule by any European power.

The historical centrepiece is the Diu fort, about 15 minutes from Nagoa beach where our hotel is. It was completed in 1547 and is a formidable structure, with double walls on the landward side and a moat, and the sea on the other three sides. It is seemingly not curated in any way, and there are no signboards or any explanatory boards, just a useless map at the entrance.

Form the moment we enter the fort, we are assailed by “hello one photo please”, all requested perfectly politely by respectful youths, polite young girls or entire families who want to be photographed with us. Western faces are clearly extremely rare here. It is churlish not to oblige but it does get a bit wearing. To make eye contact is to invite a photo request.We reckon we must have been photographed at least two dozen times; once or twice it proves too much for Sara, who finds something of compelling interest in a local piece of stonework, leaving David with much handshaking to do and explaining we are from London, and yes we like India.

There are numerous bastions with cannon, some ruined chapels, wells, and buildings of unknown use. It is “unusually hot for this time of year”, as the BBC World weather reports, and we are reeling a bit from the heat. It is nevertheless a very interesting site. There is even a “sub-jail” within the fort, though we understand there are no prisoners any longer, even though the superintendent of the sub-jail still has an office there. That must be a cushy job with no prisoners.

Next stop is St Paul Church, a very ornately fronted white church from 1610. Inside it is also ornate, in a fashion, but the pigeons are in residence on high and may poo on your at any moment. There is a big nest immediately above the altar, with a poo-catching cloth on it, which must make for an interesting communion on Sundays. A bit of restoration work wouldn't go amiss, but there probably isn’t much money available.

The St Thomas church nearby that has now been converted into the “Diu museum”. This is something of a misnomer; the contents are a series of wooden carvings of saints, of limited artistic merit, but they are quite touching in their naive simplicity. A grumpy man follows us around this artistic treasure house, muttering “no photo no photo”. Sara sneaks one anyway when he is not looking as an act of defiance against this petty jobsworth.

Onwards to the next Portuguese church, which sadly is closed and looks very neglected. Mr Singh suggests we visit the Hanuman caves, which sound a bit dubious but are actually quite interesting. There is a series of semi-open caverns below ground level, looking as if they have been formed by a river long since gone coursing through the sandstone. We manage some photos, by waiting patiently for the selfie-brigade to get out of our shots.

The Gangeshwar temple is not what we expect. It is a small rocky alcove under overhanging rock with the sea lapping on your right hand side as you descend. It is small but clearly a site of importance to the devotees. Some Shiva linga on which you deposit your offering, all overseen by a benevolent Ganesha. A mantra is repeated quietly over the sound system in a strangely compelling way.

We head back towards the fort tolook at the fishing boats tied up at the quayside. Some opportunist beggars appear, pestering us and the Indian tourists. We dive into the market across the road, built in an old colonial structure, to buy some bananas and oranges for lunch. Even though we didn’t have much breakfast it’s too hot to feel hungry.

We retire to our hotel to read our books, and pass on the idea of another walk along the beach. David spends much of the afternoon checking on the announcements about Brexit, getting hot and bothered, while Sara concentrates on a fascinating book on why open defecation rates are so high in India. Yes, that may well sound like an unlikely topic, but it genuinely is very interesting, and a deeply complex problem to tackle. It results in high child mortality, stunted growth and lower incomes, but the many strong social taboos have meant the government’s programme to give everyone a latrine have not had the desired effect.

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Comments

[Keep Smiling]

Fascinating...
I'm referring to the remnants of Portuguese colonisation - not the open defecation rates!