Goan culture is an impeccable mosaic of bright and myriad colors - the ostentatious designs of Latin acumen set against the perpetual hues of traditional Indian attitudes and lifestyles. No doubt, a vacation plan on the sea-adored land of Goa is surely going to give you an altogether different experience - beauty merged with intricate craftsmenship.
Goan handicrafts are made from the abundant natural raw material strewn all around its beaches and villages. You can get a sundry variety of shell artifacts - lampshade, jewellery, mirrors. The object d'art is interestingly the exquisite coconut shell items and is a must buy for every tourist to Goa. The local craftsmen fabricate an impressive array of designer arts - Ganesha's head or an old goan man- besides creating varied interior decoration items of tourist interest. Terracota heads the list of traditional art forms available in goa with vast selections made by the artisans from Kumbharvada in Bicholim. These range from pots planters and urns in a spectrum of shapes and sizes, to intricately crafted planters in tortoise, pig and toad form. Remember to look for some wooden lacquer articles in festive colours like green and red, popularly known as 'chitaris', dreamed up by master craftsmen from Cuncolim in South Goa.
During a Goan marriage, one can come across a number of awe-inspiring creations in fabrics. Starting from handmade needlework in a popular table cloth size of 6 ft by 4 ft, these splendid works trace their limits to embroidered bedsheets, cushions, covers and even batik spreadsheets. For jewellery lovers, there is an imposing collection of locally crafted beads in myriad hues - black, red, green and white - and contemporary designs, that enthralls every visitor. Get yourself a nice earring or bracelet, made from pure silver and sometimes set with semi-precious stones, heavily influenced by designs from Rajasthan and Gujrat.
The paintings of Goa is another thing that fascinates tourists from across the world. The example of these paintings can be found on the walls of temples and churches. All these images are based on mythology and depict the stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata or stories from the New Testament. Example of Goan art can be seen in the Christian Art Museum. In terms of music, Goa has been a great talent pool. Some of the finest musicians of today hail from Goa.
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