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{{Short description|Heritage site in Goa, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox monument
| name = Mermaid Garden
| native_name = ''Jardim da Sereia''
| image = Mermaid Statue, Mermaid Garden, Panaji.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Mermaid statue at the Mermaid Garden
| location = [[Campal]], [[Panaji]], [[Goa]], India
| designer = Vishnu Mahadev Cuncolkar
| type = [[Statue]] in a garden
| material = [[Porcelain]]
| length =
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| height = {{Convert|5|ft|m}}
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| complete =
| dedicated =
| open = {{circa}} 1940s—1950s
| restore = 2012
| dismantled =
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| coordinates = {{Coord|15.5006202|73.8310372|format=dms|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
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}}
'''Mermaid Garden''', also known as '''Jardim da Sereia''', is a public park and heritage site located in [[Campal]] locality of [[Panaji]], the capital of [[Goa]], India.<ref name="Scroll18">{{Cite web |last=Vaz |first=Renata |date=2018-12-22 |title=As Panjim turns 175, an art exhibition celebrates its rich past and flags the threats to its future |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/906188/as-panjim-turns-175-an-art-exhibition-celebrates-its-rich-past-and-flags-the-threats-to-its-future |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Scroll.in}}</ref><ref name="TOIVandal19">{{Cite news |date=2019-01-20 |title=Statue in city’s mermaid garden found vandalised |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/statue-in-citys-mermaid-garden-found-vandalised/articleshow/67606787.cms |access-date=2024-05-06 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name="TOIFacelift22">{{Cite news |date=2022-01-06 |title=City’s mermaid garden set to receive facelift |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/citys-mermaid-garden-set-to-receive-facelift/articleshow/88736820.cms |access-date=2024-05-06 |work=The Times of India}}</ref>

== History ==
The mermaid garden was set up under the mayoralty of [[Froilano de Mello]] in the 1940s<ref name="HaywardMermaid18">{{Cite book |last=Hayward |first=Philip |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=JuxjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT51&lpg=PT51&dq=Mermaid+statue+panjim |title=Scaled for Success: The Internationalisation of the Mermaid |date=2018-07-26 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-86196-951-7 |page=51 |language=en}}</ref> or 1950s. Historian Sanjeev Sardesai suggests that the statue was sculpted by Vishnu Mahadev Cuncolkar. He further states that the garden served as a resting spot for seafarers whose ships were anchored nearby.<ref name="SardesaiStatues20">{{Cite news |last=Sardesai |first=Sanjeev |date=September 2, 2020 |title=Lesser known statues of goa |url=https://epaper.navhindtimes.in/PageImages/pdf/2020/09/02/02092020-md-ga-08.pdf |work=[[Navhind Times]] |access-date=2024-05-06}}</ref>

==Design==
The central feature of the park is a [[porcelain]] statue of a [[mermaid]].<ref name="HeraldNeglect20">{{Cite news |date=2020-09-24 |title=The weeds of neglect in the gardens of Panjim |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/goa/the-weeds-of-neglect-in-the-gardens-of-panjim/165389/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=O Heraldo}}</ref> She is depicted as being bare breasted and is {{Convert|5|ft|m}} tall. The statue is placed in a shallow pond in a garden.<ref name="HaywardMermaid18" /> The statue featured a lotus in her hand and is possibly inspired by ''[[The Little Mermaid (statue)|The Little Mermaid]]'' and the [[azulejo]]s featuring a mermaid at the [[Institute Menezes Braganza]].<ref name="SardesaiStatues20" />

==Significance==
The garden is recognized as a significant part of Panaji's cultural and architectural heritage.<ref name="TOIVandal19" /> In 2018, it was featured in an art exhibition titled "The Sun Also Sets," curated by Vivek Menezes, which sought to highlight the history of Panaji while drawing attention to the environmental and structural threats facing the city's landmarks.<ref name="Scroll18" /> The garden has been described as a site of "melancholy" and historical reflection within the Goan landscape.<ref name="Outlook22">{{Cite web |last=Menezes |first=Vivek |date=2022-06-11 |title=Tears Of The Mermaid: The Melancholy Of Goa |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/tears-of-the-mermaid-the-melancholy-of-goa-magazine-201234 |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Outlook India}}</ref>

==Condition and restoration==
The Mermaid Garden has faced periods of physical decline and neglect. It was restored by sculptor Ghaneshyam Chari in 2012 as part of preparations for the [[43rd International Film Festival of India]].<ref name="TOIVandal19" /> It was during this time that it was discovered that the statue had 18 layers of paint, under which it was found to be made of porcelain.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-27 |title=The sad mess of the Mermaid Garden and its resident mermaid |work=O Heraldo |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/goa/the-sad-mess-of-the-mermaid-garden-and-its-resident-mermaid/154659/ |access-date=2026-05-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2019, the mermaid statue was vandalized, resulting in the breakage of one of its arms.<ref name="TOIVandal19"/> By 2020, reports indicated that the park was poorly maintained, with overgrown weeds and wild vegetation obstructing the pathways and the central statue.<ref name="HeraldNeglect20"/>

In early 2022, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) announced plans for a significant restoration of the garden as part of a broader effort to rejuvenate the city's public spaces. The proposed facelift included the installation of new illumination, the development of a pathway, and general landscaping to restore the site's aesthetic appeal.<ref name="TOIFacelift22" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Panaji]]

Mermaid Garden - Revision history

Dr.Sanjeev Narayani: Started basic stub added tags!