Goa Offbeat 2 - Namazgah

by Mohammed Nayeem

“Wake up! Wake up! It’s already 4:30, If you don’t wake up, we are gonna miss the sunrise!” I’m shouting like a mad man in the house.

“2 more minutes, you get ready first”. As usual, reply from Sujay. This drama happens on almost all the trips and I have to take ownership to get them ready.

Okay, back to the story.

Itinerary:

  • Namazgah
  • Harvalem Caves and Waterfalls

Me, Akshay, and Sujay packed our day bag and started driving to Namazgah. To kick start the day, we had hot tea with Goan pav on the way to Namazgah. We got to know about this place from a youtube video that was posted very recently on the internet and the drone shots were amazing. So, we added this to our itinerary.

Driving from the rough roads to the top of the hill, we parked our car and started trekking. This place was uninhabited and abandoned by the rest of the world. There was no one except we 3. Feels frightening, but true. After a 10 minutes trek, we saw the dome and pillars on the peak of the mountain.

Namazgah is a huge and splendid architecture built-in 1683 by the Mughals at the time of Aurangzeb. It’s a place of worship arranged for outdoor prayer. This place was truly celestial with a glorious panoramic view of the town. I'm surprised to say the weather was fearfully calm and cloudy like winter in the mid-summer. Which made us spend about 3 hours, capturing its glory in our camera. And, I need not tell you we had a most delightful time.

Namazgah


It was 8:30, the weather was still cloudy because of overnight rain. After this small trek, we were starving! so, we had breakfast and coffee on the way. With full energy, we reached the Harvalem Caves, popularly known as “Pandava Caves'', because people believe that Pandavas sought refuge in these caves during their exile period. Stories aside, the caves were super dark in color and it looked like a sea stone, not a usual thing to see on the mountain. There were few chambers with a Shiva linga inside them which was completely covered in darkness. Just a few minutes away from these caves, we found a hidden gem of Goa which was Harvalem Waterfalls.

Harvalem Caves


Whaaaat!? Waterfalls!?

Yeah, we all know that Goa is known for its beaches, churches, and maybe for forts. But, a waterfall was a golden crown on the head. 50 to 60 meters tall waterfalls surrounded by dense trees with a picturesque view from the top. Maybe it’s a worthwhile place in the monsoon, but we were in summer and did not spend much time around.

Harvalem Waterfalls


If going off the beaten track in Goa, then these historical places should be on your list. Even though it’s very close to the capital city, they lack popularity and maintenance from the Government. And, we really enjoyed being there.

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