Big Foot Museum

Big Foot Museum
Ancestral Goa
Map
LocationLoutolim, Salcete, Goa
Coordinates15°20′23″N 73°59′15″E / 15.3396°N 73.9875°E / 15.3396; 73.9875
TypePrivate, ethnographic
Key holdingsStatues, rural life
FounderMaendra Jocelino Araujo Alvares
CuratorMaendra Alvares
OwnerMaendra Alvares
Nearest parkingYes
Websitehttp://www.bigfootgoa.com/

Big Foot Museum is a museum and a theme park based in the South Goa, India, village of Loutolim in the sub-district (or taluka) of Salcete. It is a museum dedicated to rural Goan life.[1] It was founded and is run by the artist Maendra Alvares. Loutolim is close to Margao.

Themes, rural life

Scenes from rural life at The Big Foot.

This privately run venture recreates a Goan village in miniature that seeks to depict what the local rural life was in the past, over a century ago.[2] The museum is located in an open-air setting.

Depictions

The Ancestral Goa museum -- with statues of a Portuguese soldier brandishing a spear, a statue of Lord Parashuram, a fisherman, and other villagers, women selling fish, farmers working in paddy fields and other occupations of the past -- has been described in The Indian Express as nearby "the Casa Alvares mansion that belonged to the Portuguese lawyer Araujo Alvares. It is peppered with antiques, paintings and period furniture... typical shell windows, the high ceiling and the heavy carved wooden furniture. The dining room could seat at least 30."[3]

Location, etc

At the museum.

Margao is 9 km from Loutolim. It can be reached by public bus, car, taxi or even the two-wheeler motorcycle taxis that Goa is known for.

It has on its campus an art gallery, a handicraft centre offering Goan crafts on sale, a restaurant, cross, spring, rubber plantations, and a spice yard. 'Houses' in the campus recreate traditional Goan village occupations. These depict local artisans, a music school, the village market, liquor shops, and a local alcohol (feni) distillery.

Origin of its name

The big foot at The Big Foot.

Its name come from what has been narrated as The Legend of the Big Foot.[4]

Recognition

It has been listed in The Goa You Don’t Know: 10 Offbeat Travel Secrets That Go Beyond Beaches.[5] Big Foot has been listed among the "five awesome museums in Goa".[6]

The World-Famous Left-Hander Museum is also on its campus.[7]

Updates

Exhibits at the museum.

In June 2020, this museum, together with others in Goa, was reported as having its operations being hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

References

  1. ^ Rao, Bindu Gopal (2019-02-25). "Lively Loutolim". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  2. ^ "Big Foot Museum in Goa - GoaTourismTravels". goatourismtravels.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  3. ^ "Travelling suitcase: A hidden gem in south Goa". The Indian Express. 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  4. ^ "- Big Foot Goa". www.bigfootgoa.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  5. ^ "The Goa You Don't Know: 10 Offbeat Travel Secrets That Go Beyond Beaches". The Better India. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  6. ^ "Here are 5 awesome museums in Goa that you need to check out". ItsGoa. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  7. ^ "A museum for all 'lefty' luminaries". The Times of India. August 13, 2017. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  8. ^ "Hit hard by lockdown, Goa museums await Government nod to reopen". Hindustan Times. 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
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