Panaji, the capital of Goa, features a fantastic riverfront along the Mandovi River, which flows past the city and into the Arabian Sea. Lining the promenade are some of Panaji’s most iconic and historically significant buildings.
One of them – the structure known as “Old Secretariat” – is the oldest surviving building in the city. It was built by then ruler Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur around 1500 and is said to have served as his summer palace. The structure is believed to have had a salt water moat and an arsenal of several dozen cannons for its defense.
A bit about its history: In 1510, Adil Shah’s forces were defeated by Portuguese forces led by Afonso de Albuquerque during the Portuguese conquest of Goa. Thereafter, the palace was used as a rest house for visiting Portuguese Viceroys. Adil Shah’s Palace was called the ‘Idalcao Palace’ by the Portuguese.
Eventually, when the capital moved from Old Goa to Panaji, Adil Shah’s Palace became the official residence of the Portuguese Viceroys. Later, the residence was shifted to Cabo Palace near Dona Paula, which is at the southern end of Panaji.
After Goa’s liberation in 1961, Adil Shah’s Palace served as Goa’s Secretariat Building, or its legislature. During recent times, a new Secretariat Building was built at Porvorim, and the Legislative Assembly was shifted there. Hence, today, Adil Shah’s Palace is popularly known as the “Old Secretariat.”
In current times, the Old Secretariat houses the Goa State Museum. The Museum houses a number of ancient relics such as statues, stone inscriptions, old lottery draw machines and old printing machines.