One of the oldest houses in Panjim is that of an important Hindu family in Goa, the Mhamai Kamats who had escaped from the Jesuits crusade in Chandor to convert people to Christianity as per the law enforced then by the Christian Missionaries.

The Mhamai Kamat House at Panjim is located just opposite the statue of Abbe Faria. Some members did get converted while the Hindu section of the family that remained established alliances with the Vijayanagar rulers and the Portuguese government sections thereby shifting to Panjim in the mid 18th century.

The reason for moving into this house was the close relationship of the Mhamai Kamats with the Raja of Sawantwadi who was a bitter enemy of the Portuguese government in Goa. Since the Kamat family had established diplomatic relations with the Vice regal circle of the Portuguese government, the Raja could have benefited from this. This prompted the shifting of the Mhamai Kamat family to Panjim just near the Idalcao palace which was the Viceroy’s official residence after he had left Old Goa and so have been there ever since.

Just along the waterfront is the famous jetty of the Mandovi river where ships would arrive and depart for Bombay. There was quite a lot of commotion during the arrival and departure of ships due to passengers trying to claim their positions on the ship. Opposite this jetty, one can still find the old public buildings.

Opposite the water creek at Betim, one can see the High Court building built in 1878 besides the famous Mandovi Hotel which offers a magnificent and picturesque view across the river. On the Betim hillside opposite the Panjim jetty is a white building or the Sikh Gurudwara which is the only one in Goa besides the one at Vasco, due to less Sikh population in Goa. The Chapel of Dom Lourenco built in the 18th century, is quite congested and crammed for space with an unusual combination roof of a plastered white dome and red tiled pyramid. Within the chapel are the remains of the altars and coat of arms of the Noronha family. A road to the left of the Mandovi hotel leads to the Azad Maidan.

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