English
Hotel Mandovi
Panaji [Panagi/Pangim/Panjim/Nova Goa], Goa, India
Equipment and Infrastructures
The Hotel Mandovi is situated on the shoreline Avenida Marginal in Panaji and was inaugurated on 2 December 1952, during commemorations of the fourth centenary of the death of Saint Francis Xavier. Some technical personnel from the former British domains continued to work in Goa, in private buildings and residences, even though exchanges between the two countries became complicated after India’s independence in 1947. The Hotel Mandovi, designed by the Mumbai architectural firm of Master, Sathe and Butha, is the best example of this. Materials and work teams to build it were also brought over from Mumbai. The building occupies a corner of a block and had six floors, with the façades dealt with in different manners. The east façade is more closed, while the north façade opened to the river via verandas. The east side also contains a ceramic panel showing different aspects of Goan life, from rural to urban routines, with the hotel in the background. This panel is thought to be by the sculptor Constâncio Fernandes, as it has some aspects in common with the main panel at the Mapusa Market, though the possibility that it was done by the ceramicist Cuncolincar cannot be denied. The hotel has undergone some interior and exterior renovations. On the top floor facing the Mandovi River on the north side two single-storey volumes were added; two distinct interventions can be seen, which must have been done at different dates. Inside, the first known change dates to 1977 when air-conditioning was installed and the entire complex remodelled. It was later subject to other interventions, particularly in the rooms. Outside, the verandas of the three middle floors on the north façade were closed. The veranda was kept on the first floor, onto which the dining room opens. The sixth floor veranda was kept open, but had its sunguard altered and a metal railing added. Despite all the changes, the Hotel Mandovi continues to be one of the best examples of international style architecture in Goa.