Begin your tour with a pickup from your hotel and head to the excavated site of Chandor. Walk through the old town of Chandor with its preserved ruins of an old fortification wall, a battlefield, and a number of sculptures. See the ruins of an 11th-century temple dedicated to Shiva. Parts of these ruins are now exposed for you to experience. A broken Nandi is prominently on display. Muslim raiders in the 13th century disfigured the Nandi while looking for hidden jewels.

Next, visit a chapel from which begins the ‘Musal Khell,’ a traditional folk dance that has been a tradition since Kadamba times. Today, it is performed on the next day of the Carnival. The Kshatriya Christians of the town, who were Hindus before converting to Christianity, perform this folk dance. The Fernandes family plays a significant role in preserving this tradition.

Continue to the Sarah Fernandez Heritage Home. The Fernandez family was one of the elite Hindu families of Chandor before the arrival of the Portuguese. Later they converted to Christianity and took the title of Fernandes. Explore their mansion featuring architectural elements of Goan Hindu and Catholic Architecture. Some of the highlights include the palanquins, ballroom furniture, cupboards, showpiece collection, and also a secret tunnel.

Finally, visit the Menezes Braganza Pereira Mansion, a royal Portuguese-style house with its elegant furniture and chandeliers in the Italian marbled ballroom. The pair of the high-backed chair that was presented to the Perreira-Braganza family by the king Dom Luis, is the highlight of this Mansion. It is also believed, the family hosts a fingernail of relic of St. Francis Xavier. The west wing of the mansion belonged to the Menezes Braganza family, a reputed nationalistic journalist, and author who contributed immensely to Goa’s Liberation Struggle.