Goa Chakra Museum, Benaulim – Tribute To The Wheel

July 2, 2014

Goa Chakra Museum is a part of Goa Chitra Museum, a huge hall dedicated to heritage carriages from various eras and states of India. It is located at Benaulim, South Goa.

Table of Contents

Intricately carved wooden Wheel at Goa Chakra Museum

It is a part of the Goa Chitra Museum complex, which also includes an ethnographic museum and an organic farm.

It is dedicated to the history of transportation in India, and its collection includes a wide variety of vehicles, from ancient chariots to modern cars.

It was founded by Victor Hugo Gomes, who has been collecting traditional Goan artifacts for several years.

Horse Cart from the Royal state of Rajasthan at Goa Chakra — Horse Cart from the Royal State of Rajasthan

Goa Chakra Museum – Heritage Wheels & Carriages Collection

There are carriages drawn by animals such as horses or bullocks. And those that were pulled by men. There are palanquins to carry the ladies – some partially and some totally closed. There is North India’s quintessential Cycle Rickshaw.

UP's Rickshaw that you can still see in most North Indian towns — UP’s Rickshaw that you can still see in most North Indian towns

Galleries

The display of the artifacts at the museum can be broadly classified as follows:

Ancient Chariots
Carriages
Mechanical transportation like bicycles and rickshaws
Motorized transportation like cars and motorcycles

Well-organized and easy to navigate, the exhibits are informative and engaging.

There are cradles to carry children and there are temples that must be carried on strong shoulders.

Wooden Palanquin used to carry Temple Deities during processions

Take a look at the photographs of the exquisite collections in the museum.

To carry the women, this one is from South India at Goa Chakra Museum — To carry the women, this one is from South India

Palki from North India - look at the exquisite carvings on wood — Palki from North India – look at the exquisite carvings on wood

This from Romantic Goa to carry the couple while they faced each other — This one from the Romantic Goa to carry the couple while they faced each other

An Ice Gola Push Cart, designed to display bottles enticingly

The Victoria carriage from the British era

Outside the hall, Victoria stood with grace and pride. And then as if giving way to the mechanical era stood an old Volkswagen car – somewhere from the era between the carriages in the hall and the cars standing in the parking lot.