Golden beaches, blue skies and pale hills, Silvery sands fringed with palms.. A magnificent hybrid of Oriental, occidental barogue architecture set in a tropical landscape... The deities living side by side in their temples, churches and mosques. International cuisine with local flavour. Scrumptious seafood, feni and fruits- the spices of life. The land of fun and frolic and of hard work as well... This is Goa. Truly this is the "Jewel of India", as the late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi fondly called it.

There are any fragrances to this exotic island state. And its charm lies essentially in the fact that it's possible for every tourist to find exactly what he is looking for in this little haven. A holiday destination in India-for all seasons.

An emerald fleck on India's Western shore, a 50-minute flight south of Mumbai... Goa. It's culture, a unique blend of the Indian and the Portuguese, laced with, 'alegria' The Goan spirit of laughter, good fellowship and affection. It's no wonder that Goa is called the "Pearl of the Orient".

It's not surprise that a land so heavenly should have its origins in a smaller fashion. According to legend, Lord Parashurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, shot an arrow from the Western Ghats into the Arabian sea.

He then commanded the sea to receed upto that point. And, reclaimed the beautiful land of Gomant.

More recently, Goa's history stretches back to the 3rd century BC when it formed part of the Mauryan Empire. It was later on ruled by the Kadamba dynasty from the 2nd century AD to 1312 and Muslim invaders from 1312 to 1367. In 1370 King Harihara of the Vijaynagar Empire, only to lose it to the Bahmani Dynasty of Bidar in North Karnataka. They established old Goa in 1440.

By which time, Goa was already an important trade centre for horses with the Vijayanagar Empire. When the Portuguese arrived, Adil Shahs of Bijapur were the kings. The Portuguese under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque, captured the city and made in the capital of Portuguese empire in the east.

The "Golden Period" of Goa was between 1575 and 1600 when the natural harbours and wide rivers helped the sea-loving Portuguese control the Spice trade in the Indian Ocean.

The Marathas nearly defeated the Portuguese in the late 18th century. But it was not until 1961 that the Indian government ejected the Portuguese from the sub continent. By which time decline had already set in by the inability of the Portuguese government to service its far-flung empire.

Originally Goa was an Union Territory along with the former Portuguese enclaves of Daman & Diu. on 30th May, 1987, it became a full state of the Indian Union.