Fontainhas is Panjim's most distinctive neighbourhood and one of the most atmospheric colonial streetscapes in India. A UNESCO-recognised heritage zone, its narrow winding lanes are lined with pastel-painted houses of pale yellow, green and blue, their tiled roofs and wrought-iron balconies draped in bougainvillea evoking a provincial Portuguese town rather than an Indian city. The Chapel of St Sebastian, built in 1818, anchors the neighbourhood with its whitewashed facade and famous open-eyed crucifix. Art galleries, heritage homestays, traditional bakeries and the annual Fontainhas Festival in February make it the cultural heartbeat of Panjim.
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