No visit to Chandor, India could ever be complete without visiting the Braganza House. This stunning old mansion dates back to the 17th Century and is in fact two houses owned by the same family - although as I understand it they haven't spoken to each other for generations. The mansion overall is furnished with priceless artefact's which include Ming vases, crystal chandeliers, fabulously hand carved furniture and its very own religious artifact - the finger nail of St. Francis Xavier. I was fortunate while on on my visit to meet Mrs. Braganza (who was at least 90 years old at the time) who lives in the West wing of the mansion and who told me stories of how during land reforms they had escaped during the night to Bangalore and were in hiding from the Portuguese regime in the 1960's. Of course, today it has an air of faded glory about it, however this is such a fantastic example of colonial living from a by gone age.
