People on Dona Paula Beach in Goa, India, claim to have seen the ghost of a woman emerging from the ocean wearing only a pearl necklace. Legend has it that this is Dona Paula, mourning her tragic love.
Along the coast of Goa, Dona Paula Beach is a famed destination for tourists looking for relaxation and adventure in Panaji. With its pristine sands, azure waters and vivid atmosphere, it offers an idyllic getaway where the Mandovi and Zuari meet the Arabian Sea. It is crowded during the tourist season, with people flocking to the beach, but is a peaceful place during the monsoon season.
But as the sun sets and the shadows deepen over the Marmugao Harbour, this seemingly peaceful paradise transforms into one of the most haunted places in Goa, steeped in tales of love, loss and the supernatural.
Dona Paula's Story
Dona Paula Beach is named after Dona Paula de Menezes, or as her full name was Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior. She was the pretty daughter of the Portuguese Viceroy of Jaffnapatnam, Sri Lanka, or at least related to him.
Dona Paula is said to have arrived in this area in 1744. It was once a fishing village known as Oddavell. So what happened after Dona Paula arrived in the village that would eventually be named after her?
There are many legends about Dona Paula, and the confusion about her true identity is so deep that even tourist guides make mistakes.
A tragic love story
Legend has it that Dona Paula fell deeply in love with a local fisherman, some call him Gaspar Dias or Paulo, a romance that defied the unyielding social norms of the time. Her aristocratic family vehemently opposed the union, forbidding Dona Paula from seeing her beloved.
Distraught and heartbroken, she decided to end her life rather than live without him. One fateful night, she jumped off a cliff into the raging Arabian Sea, and her tragic story became forever intertwined with the scene. In some versions, he jumped with her.
Other versions of the legend
There is also a slightly different myth about her, in which she was a lady-in-waiting to the wife of the Governor-General. The Portuguese governor was fascinated by her, and his wife did not like it and took action to separate them.
According to the story, the Governor even gave her a pearl necklace. As punishment, she was stripped of all her clothes on top of a cliff. With only the pearl necklace around her neck, his wife pushed her off the cliff.
Paradise for lovers in Goa and on the Dona Paula beach
It is said that Dona Paula was buried in a nearby chapel in Cabo and that her spirit still lingers there. To this day, the spot where she jumped off the cliff is still called a paradise for loversAccording to many locals, it is also believed to be haunted by Dona Paula.
It is said that on moonlit nights, the ghostly figure of Dona Paula can be seen emerging from the sea, clad only in a gleaming pearl necklace. Her ghostly figure glides silently along the shoreline, a melancholy reminder of her unfulfilled love and untimely death. The sight of her apparition has sent an unsettling chill through many, as her melancholy eyes seem to search for the beloved she lost to the cruel waves of fate.
The True Story of Dona Paula
The haunting tales of Dona Paula Beach have endured for generations, with each recent version adding recent layers to the legend. Some believe her spirit wanders not out of malice, but out of a desperate desire to be reunited with a lost love. Others suggest her restless spirit guards the beach, ensuring that no one else suffers a similar fate. But how much of this is true?
We know that Dona Paula was married when she arrived in Goa, as her title Dona suggests. In 1756, she married a hidalgo, a Spanish nobleman named Dom António Caetano de Menezes Souto Maior. They were a very wealthy family, owning everything from Cabo Raj Nivas to Caranzalem.
The locals knew her as a woman with a gigantic heart and remembered her for her charity, which is why the former village, now a district, was named in her honor. It is said that she died on December 21, 1782, but it is not known exactly what happened.
It is not known how her legacy became haunted, however. One wonders whether a woman who dedicates her life to charity must be reduced to a lovesick woman who cannot cope with life if she cannot have her possible fictitious lover.
References:
Problems “troubling” Dona Paula | undefined News – Times of India
The Legend of Dona Paula – Truth or Fairy Tale | undefined News – Times of India
Of Love and Legends: The Story of Dona Paula
Image Source: Pixabay.com
