Dona Paula
Dona Paula is situated around 6 kilometers from Miramar Beach. The place is named after the viceroy’s heartbroken daughter, Dona Paula, who hurled herself from the nearby cliff. Although there are many variations to this story, one legend says that she was the lady in waiting for the Portuguese governor general’s wife, and over time the governor fell victim to her beauty and charms. When the governor’s wife learned of this adulterous relationship, she went wild with rage. She made Dona Paula stand on the rocky cliff and pushed her into the sea. Her tombstone epigraph in the transept of the heritage Cabo chapel in Cabo Raj Niwas authenticates her; its inscription Dona Paula died on December 21, 1682, and was buried in the Cabo Chapel. Dona Paula was the daughter of Amaral de Menezes. On January 31, 1656, she married Dom Antonio Souto Maior and came to be known as Dona Paula Menezes e Souto Maior. She performed many acts of charity. The village of oddavel came to be known as Dona Paula after her death in 1682. The twin sculptures of a man and a woman on the rocks at Dona Paula are not of Dona Paula. These sculptures are the creation of an artist, a German baroness named Yrsa Von Leistner in memory of Mr. and Ms. Robert Knox, a US senator whose will was posthumously honoured by his brother. They were installed as late as 1969. It is mostly mistaken for that of Dona Paula and her lover. It’s famous as a “lovers spot”. One can see young couples, teenagers, and a large number of tourists frequenting this place.
It has a large number of resorts and complexes, although it was basically a fishing village. Water sports are carried out here. They also organise boating trips, etc. It is a very famous place, and often shooting for movies is carried out here.
On the westernmost point of the peninsula lies an old fortress called Cabo Raj Niwas. The fort is equipped with several cannons. It houses a chapel in the fortress. The place has a large garden and a little beach. There is a grotto there too. On the southern side of the access road is the “British Cemetery”. Today, Cabo Raj Niwas is the residence of the Governor of Goa.
On the other side, below the Cabo Raj Niwas, is the Aviao-Dona Paula Beach, which is also a very beautiful beach.
The Dona Paula jetty has been renovated and opened to the public. The department of tourism has notified an entry fee of Rs 50 per adult and Rs 25 per child (over 10 and under 18 years).
