At Grounded, where our office has been in Goa since 2010, we often go on heritage walks and bird-watching expeditions as a team to get to know each other as well as to get to know Goa. This time, we ventured into South Goa, villages of Assolna and Velim for a heritage walk organized by the Museum of Christian Art. Headed by Clive Figueiredo and Noah Fernandes. Our walk began at the Holy Cross Chapel Baradi, with stunning views of the area that we were about to explore. Followed by St. Francis Xavier Church, Velim, and Regina Martyrum Church, Assolna. 

Goa has more spoken traditions than written records. One such cultural tradition makes Velim village, important for the locals. The Churches here are not as elaborate as the churches in the north or other parts of Goa but have a historical importance. We started with St. Francis Xavier Church, Velim established in the 19th century. The facade of this chapel has a bell tower at the top center which is neoclassical, and has minimal features having IHS insignia. The facade can also be counted as Art Deco in Goa because of the sunburst on the sides. 

As we went inside the Church we were briefed about the iconography associated with elaborate features of the structure. For example, in Asolna the majority of locals are shipbearers so the Our Lady in the church holds a silver or wooden carved ship in her hand. We also learned about dying features like the Pulpit. Which is not in use anymore and some churches are removing those elements. In this church, because the staircase on the other side of the wall leading to the pulpit is now removed, it just floats on the wall with no way to access it. 

Pulpit

As the time passes, both the churches have gone through some modifications. We learned how by observing the color, sometimes the material, and intricacy in ornamentation we can tell the time period of that object. Both the churches we visited were of a different time -so we could observe the variations in detail and changes done over time. 

Our final stop was Regina Martyrum Church, Assolna. There is photographic evidence of this church having a fort wall remains in its premises back in the day. This chapel was more elaborate and huge with its school premises, offices, cemetery, and the Cristo Rei monument! We learned about the church and its mosaic tiles, wooden carvings, and iconography. One of the most fascinating moments of the walk was exploring the closet of ceremonial items inside the church building. 

It was a very good effort by the Museum of Christian Art to bring together a group of interested people from different backgrounds. We were also accompanied by residents from the Museum of Christian Art Society for the walk. The heritage walk was not just for architects, it was a wonderful gathering of local enthusiasts, conservationists, and historians, all passionate about Goa's rich cultural fabric. Whether you're living in Goa or you are new to Goa, this heritage walk can help you connect with the city a little better.

Holy Cross Chapel, Baradi

St. Francis Xavier Church, Velim

Regina Martyrum Church, Assolna

Cristo Rei, Assolna

Read more about South Goa and Goan Heritage

pc: Sanjeet Wahi

Google might suggest that winter is the best time to be in Goa, but have you ever experienced Goa during the monsoons? The weather in Goa during this season is slow and peaceful.  Just taking a walk around gives you a glimpse into the everyday life in Goa.

Cloudy sky | Cool breeze | Green landscapes

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Grounded (@buildgrounded)

You can watch people in their daily routines, cycling to places, fishing with a stick near creeks, and simply enjoying the weather. An evening visit to a nearby cafe can be a great way to end the day. Though the monsoons here can get heavy at times, a cup of coffee or tea by your window with a good book captures the essence of ‘Susegad’, the relaxed Goan lifestyle. A big plus is that Goa is less crowded with tourists during this off-season. Monsoon in Goa is a perfect escape from city life, offering a calm and natural retreat.

In the Western Ghats, the spread of non-native plant species is rapidly replacing native vegetation, causing significant ecological imbalance. This invasion is leading to a food crisis as these plants disrupt the natural habitats of key prey species. As a result, wildlife is forced to enter human settlements in search of food, increasing conflicts between animals and communities.

Western Ghats, pc: Parnavi Bangar

Invasive species like Lantana, African Tulips, and Morning Glory are widespread, causing notable damage to our ecosystems. These aggressive plants are not native to India and are displacing traditional fruit-bearing trees such as mangoes, wild jack, wild berries, and other native plants in various forests. Their rapid growth makes them difficult to control, posing a threat to the health of our forests.

Tall Morning Glory

Source: Guests who never left

The Tall Morning Glory also known as Kaladana is a fast-growing vine that can reach 2-3 meters in length, with slender, hairy stems and heart-shaped leaves. Its vibrant blue, purple, or pink flowers are funnel-shaped, and it produces up to 25,000 seeds per plant, which can spread by wind, rain, or accidental human activity.

Kaladana grows by twining around other plants, creating a thick canopy that shades and competes with them for nutrients and water. This makes it a troublesome weed, as it can significantly reduce crop yields. It can also spread rapidly in both disturbed areas and forests, making it a challenge to manage.

Young seedlings can be easily pulled out by hand. For small patches, cutting the plant is an option, but make sure to dig out the roots to prevent it from growing back. In areas where the vine forms large patches, cutting followed by herbicide application is recommended to stop regrowth.

African Tulip

Source: Guests who never left

The African Tulip, also known as Pichkari and Rugtoora is a medium-to-large tree that can grow up to 35 metres tall, with a wide crown and smooth, greyish-brown bark. It has deep green, glossy leaves and produces striking orange-scarlet flowers, with its seeds dispersed by wind.

Pichkari trees invade open pastures, abandoned agricultural land, plantations, and disturbed forests. They grow rapidly, forming dense stands that suppress other vegetation. The flower nectar is toxic to insects, while mammals like Nilgiri langur and barking deer eat the flowers, and parakeets and squirrels consume the seeds.

To manage African tulip trees, young trees can be uprooted, though large trees may resprout from root fragments. Chemical control includes injecting herbicide into young tree trunks or applying it to stumps of cut trees. In some areas, biological control using pathogenic fungi has been effective for young trees.

Lantana

Source: Guests who never left

Lantana, or Raimuniya and Tantani, is a woody shrub that grows 2-5 metres tall. It thrives in both dry and wet environments, forming dense thickets or climbing trees. Found across India, including Goa, its leaves are rough, oval, and green with toothed edges. The small, colourful flowers attract butterflies, and its fruit turns from green to black, dispersed by birds and mammals.

Lantana's dense growth prevents native plants from growing and changes forest structure. It increases fire risks and is toxic to livestock, reducing available forage. Lantana also hosts diseases like sandal spike disease and suppresses important plants like amla, posing risks to forest communities.

The most effective removal method is cutting the plant below the root collar to prevent regrowth. Uprooting is less effective and labour-intensive. Consistent removal and establishing canopy cover can help control Lantana.

Conclusion:

There are many such invasive plant species altering habitats in our forests. Managing them in the forests of the Western Ghats is crucial for preserving biodiversity and ecological balance. Raising awareness about such species and promoting knowledge about native trees is essential for safeguarding our environment. 

This understanding is particularly valuable for individuals managing their gardens, such as in Goa, where knowing about trees in Goa is crucial for effective plant management. For further information on such species refer the book ‘Guests who never left’ and the article ‘No food in Forests’ for Invasive species in the Western Ghats. For more tips on living in Goa and managing your home and garden, stay tuned to our blog!

Sakshi R Ghodake

Our love for flowers continues and Goa is vested with a bounty of gorgeous bright flowers that bloom profusely throughout the year. Following is a list of a some locally found species that are grow well in Goa.

Cordia Sebestena L. Tree

Cordia Sebestena L.

Common Name: Aloe Wood, Orange Geiger Tree.
Color: Orange.
Fruiting: Blooms throughout the year, particularly in the spring and summer.
Occasionally seen in gardens, can be seen in Kala academy and Garcia da Orta academy.

---

Cascabela thevetia (L.) Lippold

Common Name: Oleander.
Color: Yellow, pink & white.
Fruiting: Blooms from summer to fall.
Is usually planted as a hedge plant and maintained as a shrub.

---

Allamanda Cathartica

Allamanda Cathartica

Common Name: Allamanda Golden-Trumpet Golden, Trumpet Vine, Yellow Allamanda.
Color:Yellow, pink & white color.
Fruiting: It blooms from spring to summer.

---

Plumeria Rubra L. Tree

Plumeria Rubra L.

Common Name: Champa
Color: Yellow, pink & white
Fruiting: Blooms from early summer to fall.

---

Albizia Julibrissin Rosea

Common Name: Silktree
Color: Pink
Fruiting: Blooms from early summer.

---

Caesalpinia Pulcherrima

Common Name: Peacock flower
Color: Yellow, orange, red
Fruiting: Blooms from late summer to fall.

---

Brugmansia plant

Brugmansia

Common Name: Angel’s Trumpet
Color: Yellow, white
Fruiting: Flowers in mid to late spring in warm climates and continue into the fall (autumn), often continuing as late as early winter in warm conditions.

---

Mussaenda erythrophylla

Common Name: Ashanti blood, red flag bush and tropical dogwood
Color: Pink, white, red
Fruiting: Blooms from March to June.

---

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Common Name: Hibiscus
Color: Pink, white, red, yellow
Fruiting: Blooms throughout the year.

---

Nyctaginaceae.

Common Name: Bougainvillea
Color: Pink, white, yellow
Fruiting: Blooms from May to December.

---

Ixora coccinea

Common Name: Scarlet Jungle Flame, Flame of the Woods
Color: Pink, white, yellow, orange, red
Fruiting: Blooms from spring to fall.

---

FLOWERING CREEPERS

Campsis Radicans

Common Name: trumpet creeper
Color: Yellow, orange, red
Fruiting: Blooms during summer months.

---

Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Common Name: Bleeding-heart, Bleeding Heart Vine
Color: White, red
Fruiting: Blooms during summer season.

---

Thunbergia laurifolia

Common Name: Blue Trumpet Vine, Laurel-Leared Thunbergia, Laurel Clock Vine
Color: Pale blue, purple
Fruiting: Blooms from August to September.

---

All Photographs are from the internet.

Sakshi Ghodake

Goa provides a trail of colorful wild flowers to be explored, specially during and post-monsoon. These flowers are not just creating beautiful travel spots in Goa but are also a part of the Goan lifestyle and culture. The wildflowers are used as medicinal herbs and help to improve the soil health, prevent erosion, improve the water quality.

Utricularia Malabarica are not so commonly seen, but are found on some plateaus in Goa. They are endemic to the laterite plateaus of the Western Ghats.

Harna (Senecio Bombayensis)

Impatiens Balsamina

The Impatiens flowers (above) represents Gauri and are worshipped during Ganesh Chaturthi in some villages of Canacona. The yellow colored flowers which blooms in August-September, known as Harna or Sonki in Konkani.
Impatiens Balsamina are native to Western Ghats and locally known as Chiddo which is usually found along roadsides, open green spaces. They are used in various rituals like Shravan month’s Aayatar Poojan, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc.

Wild Til (Sesame Orientalis)

Dhobi’s Handkerchief (Mussaenda Frondosa)

The Wild Til’s are bell-shaped pink flowers, seen almost everywhere in Goa during monsoons. As the name suggests, these are a wild variety of sesame seeds. The pods contain these tiny seeds.
The shrub of Dhobi’s Handkerchief flower grows like a wild creeper on other trees. The bract beneath the tiny orange flowers is white in color. It is locally known as Patri and is integral part of wild leaves and flowers, offered to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Tiger Claws (Gloriosa Superba)

Wild Turmeric (Curcuma Aromatica)

Tiger Claws or Glory Lily is a bright yellow-red colored flower with an unusual shape. It is a vine which is usually found in forested areas. These pretty flowers are poisonous and toxic.
Wild turmeric blooms during monsoon season. It is recognized as a medical herb with strong antibiotic properties.

Pagoda Flower (Clerodendrum paniculatum)

Pagoda flowers as represented (above) are a bunch of bright orange-red colored flowers that blooms during the monsoon period. These are mostly seen in green open spaces and are cultivated in gardens for their impressive flower display.

Celosia argentea

Buttonhead Pipewort

Celosia Argentea commonly known as Silver Cock’s Comb is said to be edible before it flowers. It is good for sight and controlling diabetes. These plants are a part of Goan diet in monsoon season and especially the Hindu month of Shravan and Ganesh Chaturthi as vegetarian cuisines are most preferred. The best species are seen on the plateaus.
The Buttonhead Pipewort are mostly found on plateaus near water bodies.

Little Persian Violet

Look for these gorgeous gifts of nature that flower abundantly in the Goan countryside, on the roadsides and fallow fields. People travel the world in search for wildflowers. Goa is home to many, only if one can slow down to observe and appreciate them. We at Grounded, hope to utilize these in our landscape design as well.

If you live in Goa or are considering a move to Goa, keep your eyes open for these beauties!
Inspired by Arti Das. For more information do visit here.

“Flowers are the music of the ground.
From earth’s lips spoken without sound”.
-Edwin Curran

I grew up in Delhi and I have distinct memories of the trees that I grew up amongst. These trees are sometimes more important in my memories than the people. I guess I lived in a bit of a dream world where these trees played a salient role. Here I have attempted a compilation of my most memorable flowers and flowering trees. 

champaka

Champaka tree

Champaka
Scientific name: Magnolia champaca

Champaka flowers are one of my favorite. They have a magical scent and are available in white and yellow color. They bloom during April to September. These are popular flowering tree varieties of Goa. If you live in Goa, then you can often find women selling bunches of these wonderfully fragrant flowers at the Mandovi bridge in Panjim.

parijat

Parijat
Scientific name: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

Another favorite is Parijat, even though the tree is a bit scruffy, the flowers are glorious with a heady scent. These flowers are aesthetically very pleasing with a white head and an orange stem. These flowers always drop at night, so early morning, one is welcomed by a carpet of white & orange blossoms on the ground with a heavenly smell. I have fond childhood memories of making my way to this tree each morning during flowering season and collecting as many as I could and then fixing the flowers into each other to make flower ornaments. I also remember grinding them for their orange color :)

franjipani/ champa

Champa tree

Champa
Scientific name: Plumeria Rubra L.

Champa or Frangipani, comes in various whites and pink color. We had a big Champa tree just outside my family's house in Delhi. The tree flowered throughout the year, had white flowers with a yellow heart and a strong perfume. Ah, my memories of this tree and the flowers... They would play a role in all my pretend-plays, end up dried between books, stuck in collages and made into garlands. Champa is a favorite choice for landscape design, and simply transforms the any area with its beautiful form. It maybe a tad over-used at this point but if used correctly it still retains its magic!

kachnar/ apta

Kachnar/ Apta
Scientific name: Bauhinia purpurea

Bauhinia purpurea are available in white and pink color. These flowers bloom during October to January. We had a large purple-Kachnar tree that grew close to our house. It would flower profusely and was a sight to behold. Sometimes, my dad and I would go to the tree in the early morning to pick flowers that my grandmom would later cook the flower. Unfortunately, I do not remember the taste of the dish.

pongamia

Pongamia tree

Pongamia
Scientific name: Millettia pinnata

Pongamia is available in white color and it usually blooms during May to December. This was a large tree close to our house and I loved its flowers that had a beautiful scent. I found there clusters to be soft and romantic. But I remember that they would wilt really easily so whenever, I tried to bring them home, they would not last a long time.

bottlebrush

Bottle Brush
Scientific name: Melaleuca citrina (Curtis) Dum.Cours.

Bottle brush is red in color and it blooms during Febraury to May. We would find these trees in the district park close to our home in Delhi. I loved this flower as it was so unique, resembled a bottle brush and the possibilities of its use in pretend-play were infinite!

Inspired by the book ‘Tress of Delhi’, by author Pradip Krishen. Read the book here.

Goa is not only known for its beaches, but it is famous for its flora and fauna as well. If you're someone living in Goa, you will know of its vibrant variety of aviary species. The state is home to 5% of the world’s bird species and about 50% of the bird species found in India, making it an important location for birdwatchers.

Intermediate Egret

Red Whiskered Bulbul

Asian Geen Bee Eater

The bird-lovers visiting Goa have a lot of places to choose from; Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Carambolim Lake, Soccorro Plateau, Morjim Beach, Curtorim Wetland Complex and Zuari are among the significant birdwatching locations here.

Purple Rumped Sunbird

Pale Billed Flowerpecker

Barn Swallow

Black Winged Stilt

Black Headed Ibis

Brahminy Kite

Oriental Magpie Robin

Gull Billed Tern

We here at GROUNDED have attempted to give you a compilation of the most commonly spotted birds in Goa, especially the regions closer to our villa projects. For anyone looking to move to Goa, check out our upcoming sustainable villa developments here.

All photographs are taken by our COO and resident wildlife and architectural photographer, Sanjeet Wahi.

---

The House with Three Pavilions is a sustainable house in Goa, designed and developed by GROUNDED.

The house explores the intimate relationship between the land, its people, water, and the biodiversity that exists in Goa in India. It is designed as a cluster of three pavilions that gently weave around existing trees in an attempt to coexist with nature and to minimize the impact of new construction on virgin land.  

The architecture of the house takes inspiration from the surrounding Goan village houses. Mostly constructed as ground-floor structures, each pavilion attempts to match the volumetrics of its village peers. Throughout, a simple sweeping roof form is used in red terracotta tile that is ubiquitous to the Goan village built-landscape. Proportions are borrowed from doors, windows, and plaster bands of vernacular Goan structures even as a distinct contemporary style is articulated in the design.

With a focus on connection with nature, the materials used in the house are kept subtle and natural. All floors are finished with a natural Indian ‘kota’ stone in a blue-green color that merges with the landscape. Pigmented cement and exposed local ‘laterite’ are used extensively to mirror the rustic countryside character. ‘Teak’ is used for doors and windows to add warmth and rich texture to the interiors. Antique wood columns and stone pedestals are also incorporated to bring a sense of luxury and timelessness throughout.  

The project also prioritises the enhancement of the site’s resources and biodiversity through a comprehensive water-management system which includes a natural seasonal pond connected to a newly planned system of bioswales. This on-site wetland feature harvests rainwater, recharges depleted underground aquifers, and offsets the load on the public drain system. Furthermore, it preserves the pre-existing site habitat. It is a win to see that insects, birds, and animals continue to find the site a safe space even as they come in close contact with the human life around, making this truly a space for all seasons and species.

---

Grounded in Goa is a series that documents the everyday beauties and joys of living in Goa. For anyone looking to move to Goa, it offers a glimpse into Goa's undeniable connection with nature, a life lived in harmony with the fertile land, changing skies, and the giving waters.

Also read - What To Look For While Buying A House in Goa and Designing a House in Goa

Grounded in Goa is a series that documents the everyday beauties and joys of living in Goa. For anyone looking to move to Goa, it offers a glimpse into Goa's undeniable connection with nature, a life lived in harmony with the fertile land, changing skies, and the giving waters.

Also read - What To Look For While Buying A House in Goa and Designing a House in Goa