History and Mystery ( An old story of a Goan Village)

The village with a curse

Dr. Neeta Mazumdar

In this blog I am going to take you through a picturesque village of Chandor.  Which is a gorgeous village that is steeped in history, heritage and culture. There is something special or rather different in this village, this village of Chandor showcases not just the Portuguese period but also the pre-Portuguese era.

Chandor is located approximately 10 kilometres away from the town of Margao. The village is surrounded by hills and fields and has the Kushavati river running through it, making for a very pretty picture.

In the past, Chandor was actually known as Chandrapur and was the ancient capital of the Kadamba dynasty that ruled between the 6^th and 11^th centuries. It served as the capital until 1054 which was when the Kadambas moved to what was Govepuri, now Goa Velha or Old Goa. When the Muslims invaded in 1312, the Kadambas moved back to Chandrapur but were finally driven away by the Portuguese invasion.

Ancient Chandor was once a port of international repute where trade and commerce flourished on the Kushavati river. After the Portuguese invaded Goa in 1510, they defeated and killed the Kadamba king, Harihar, imposed their rule and Chandrapur became Chandor. Its villagers subsequently converted to Christianity. They started destroying all the old Hindu temples and constructing churches and chapels. Wiping off all the signs of the Hindu culture, some of them to save themselves escaped by running away from the village.

In spite of all this, today the village of Chandor is well known for its history and heritage as well as being an archaeological site. This is thanks to the existence of an 11th-century temple, and a headless statue of the Nandi bull which was believed to be Lord Shiva’s mode of transport. All these can be found preserved in the village.

When the Portuguese invaded Chandrapur, the then Kadamba ruler, Harihar died in the battle. According to the legend, he was killed since the villagers did not protect him in the battle. His queen committed suicide. However, out of anger, before that, she stamped her feet on a stone outside the temple and declared that from then on, every woman in the village would become a widow. The stone with her footprints is still preserved. The queen’s curse made neighbouring villages stop giving their daughters to the men of Chandrapur and its people fell on hard times. As a kid I always knew Chandor as a village with a curse!!!

Of course, this is just folklore. We will never know how much of it is true and how much is made up as village stories are known to be. Chandor also has a number of beautiful old houses but of course, the most famous of these is the palatial Menezes Braganza Pereira house. The house is more than 350 years old and is located in the heart of Chandor, near the church square. It is truly an exquisite house and the biggest in Goa.As a kid, I had previlage of visiting this house to meet the lady Madame Bertha Braganza, who gave my mother  French lessons  in her  younger days.  The house is still inhabited by descendants of the family and also some part operates as a museum.

There is lots more about Chandor that one can discover on their own if visiting the village.  It’s really worth a visit to this place of history, heritage and culture.

We have explored the village and here are some pictures

Author’s self- introduction :

Dr. Neeta Mazumder (nee Neeta Sinai Hede) is a Goan, born and brought up at Goa. She is a Doctorate in mathematics. She has authored 12 books in Mathematics and Statistics and has several research papers to her credit. Presently, she is on a Govt. of Goa assignment to head Post Graduate Deptt. of Mathmatics in a Government college.
She had been academic consultant for IGNOU and ICSE schools in South Goa and is linked with industry for consultation .Her interest includes mathematical modelling in Finance and medicine.
Other than her own subject, she is into cycling exploration of Goa countryside.
She lives in Goa with her family and is doting mother of two girls Pallabi who is a radiologist by profession and Sagorika an advocate.