Chandor: Goa’s Ancient Capital

There isn’t much to go by – a headless Nandi bull, the ruins of a few old temples and the site of a mud fortification that has long since crumbled to dust. Yet these meager clues – believe it or not – are markers of a once magnificent city.

We are in Chandor, a sleepy village in South Goa, 43 km south of the state’s capital, Panaji. Well off the beaten track and definitely not on any tourist itineraries, Chandor was the ancient capital of Goa’s Hindu kingdoms before the arrival of the Portuguese.