St. Paul’s church is a beautiful Portuguese baroque styled church built in the early seventeenth century … the construction started in 1601CE and was completed in 1610CE.  The richly decorated facade and ornate wooden work are the special features of this church. There are several interesting motifs carved in the facade.

Inside the church we can see some interesting stucco work too. It is interesting to imagine how the local Indian artisans adopted and tempered the Portuguese style with their own perspective.

There are two more churches inside the Diu fort. The church of St. Francis of Assissi is said to be the oldest and currently being used as a hospital. I could not visit this church. St. Thomas church now home to the Diu Museum.

During our trip the museum was closed for renovation but it was interesting to see the freshly painted white interact with the clear blue summer skies … and if you want to take a bigger dose of colourful stucco work … you have to visit Nagarseth Ni Haveli in Panchawati area of Diu town.

From the man made vibrancy of the Haveli … lets go underground to explore what the nature has in store for us … quite literally underground … to visit the Naida caves.

I would love to know more about the geological phenomena behind the formation of these caves. It is fascinating to see several layers of rock sandwiched together forming these massive boulders. Every shade of yellow and orange can be seen here in the sandstone… and a dash of green … of the flora thriving in the gaps … plenty of openings for sunlight to trickle down and play hide & seek …

And take a half day drive around the island to explore many more … clean … pristine … quiet beaches … with white sand and gentle waves …

Do not miss the memorial site made for the martyrs of INS Khukri… an Indian Navy frigate that was sunk by PNS Hangor during the Indo-Pak war of 1971 … the incident took place few miles away from Diu coast.

From the west coast… time to move to central India … let us say bye to these blue waters and explore the heart of India … From spiritual Sanchi to the grandeur of Bhojpur … and the rock shelters of Bhimbetka…. see you soon!