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Art,
Culture, Heritage
Culture
| Festivals
| Music
| Mythology
Land of Artistes and Craftsmen
Goa has a rich and magnificent tradition of the classical arts.
Goa is a land of crafts and craftsmen, where aesthetic quality finds a natural expression.
Over the years, Goans have excelled in poetry, music and the fine arts.
The exquisitely carved rosewood and teak furniture, the terracotta figurines, the classic brass items and the unique gold
jewellery designs all speak of an age still valuable in this technology obsessed world.
The folk paintings of Goa have been traced to different places from ancient temples, churches and palatial manors to humble households.
They mostly depict episodes from the epics - the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and the Puranas and also scenes from the New Testament.
During the Portuguese
colonization, local craftsmen played a major role in the development of the exquisite furnishings and decorations used in residential houses, churches and chapels.
This art can still be seen at the Christian Art Museum in Old Goa.
Goans have contributed greatly to the world of music.
Many famous names on the Indian music scene originate from Goa,
including singers such as Lata Mangueshkar and Kishori Amonkar in the classical variety and Remo Fernandes in pop
music.
Konkani literature has produced many great names such as Bakibab Borkar who have contributed to the development of Konkani as a national language with some superlative writing.
Local craftsmen in Goa produce a wide variety of crafts ranging from terracotta pottery and figures to superb brass lamps and decorative items.
A large number of Goans have also played a major role in drama and Hindi film industry in the
neighboring state of Maharashtra.
Culture
The most popular celebrations in Goa are Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi, New Year's Day, the Shigmo festival and the Carnival.
However, since the 1960s, the celebrations of the Shigmo and Carnival have shifted to the urban
centers, and in recent times these festivals have become tourist
attractions. Celebrations for all festivals usually last for a few days and include parties
& balls.
Western English songs have a large following in most parts of Goa. Traditional Konkani folk songs too have a sizable following.
Manddo, the traditional Goan music which originated in the nineteenth century, is sung and danced on special occasions.
The trance music originating from Goa is world famous.
Rice with fish curry is the staple diet in Goa.
Goa is renowned for its rich variety of fish dishes cooked with elaborate recipes.
Coconut and coconut oil is widely used in Goan cooking along with chilli, spices and vinegar giving the food a unique flavour.
Pork dishes such as Vindaloo, Xacuti and Sorpotel are cooked for major occasions among the Catholics.
A rich egg-based multi-layered sweet dish known as bebinca is a favorite
during Christmas. The most popular alcoholic beverage in Goa is feni; Cashew feni is made from the fermentation of the
cashew fruit, while coconut feni is made from the sap of toddy palms.
The Bom Jesus Basilica and a few designated
convents are World Heritage Sites. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, regarded by many Catholics as the patron saint of Goa.
Once every decade, the body is taken down for veneration and for public viewing.
The last such event was conducted in 2004.
In many parts of Goa,
there are mansions constructed in the Indo-Portuguese style architecture, though in some villages, most of them are in a dilapidated condition.
Fontainhas in Panjim, has been declared a cultural quarter, and are used as a living museum showcasing the life, architecture and culture of Goa. Some influences from the Portuguese era are visible in some of Goa's temples, notably the Mangueshi Temple; although, in an conscious effort after 1961, many of these were demolished and reconstructed in the indigenous Indian style.
The Velhas Conquistas regions are also known for their Indo-Portuguese style architecture.
Music
Goa has had historically closer connections with Western classical music than the rest of the country.
Indigenous Goan music was incorporated with the European music. Goa has also produced several pop stars, including Remo
Fernandes.
Traditional Goan music includes religious music, theatrical music, art music, dance music and songs used to mark points like marriage.
The most widespread kind of folk music in Goa was the mando, a kind of dance music that evolved out of wedding music, specifically the Ovi.
Mando is meant for dancing, and, in contrast to the Ovi, uses a chorus.
It probably evolved after the 1830s, when ballroom dance was introduced to the area.
In modern times, Goa has become a home for electronic music, especially a style called Goa trance.
This genre began its evolution in the late 1960s, when hippies from the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere turned Goa into a tourist destination.
When tourism began to die out, a smaller number of devotees stayed in the area, pursuing a specific style of trance music.
Early pioneers included Mark Allen, Goa Gil and Fred Disko.
Hindu Legends and Mythology
The origin of Goa or Gomantak
(as it is also known), is lost in the mists of time.
In the later Vedic period (c.1000-500 BC), when the Hindu epic Mahabharat was written, Goa has been referred to with the Sanskrit name Gomantak, a word with many meanings, but signifying generally a fertile land.
The most famous legend associated with Goa, is that of the mythical sage Parashuram (the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), who several thousand years ago created the entire stretch of Konkan coast by ordering the seas to recede.
The Sea God gave up the lands on the the banks of the two main rivers of Goa viz. Mandovi and Zuari (then called Gomati and Asghanasini) for the settlement of the Aryans accompanying
Parashurama.
Another legend, less well known, states that the coastal area of Konkan enchanted Lord Krishna, who was charmed by the beautiful ladies bathing in the area.
The ladies in turn, were so taken up by the melodious music coming from his flute, that they kept dancing forgetting their daily chores.
Lord Krishna, then named the land Govapuri after the cows (gov) belonging to the locals.
The history of the sacred land of Gomantak, 'land of the Gods' is well described in Sahyadri Khand of Skandha Purana, the ancient
Vedic text.
According to this story narrated in the Chapter Shantiparva of Mahabharat, a Brahmin from the Saraswat family, Parashuram, annihilated the entire community of the warrior tribe Kshatriyas and gifted the conquered land to a sage named
Kashyapmuni.
Unfortunately, the Kshatriya annihilation meant that the land was left unadministered and fell into anarchy and chaos.
The worried sage Kashyapmuni, requested Parashuram to leave the area and settle elsewhere.
Parashuram came south and reclaimed new land by ordering the sea to recede and give up the coastal land. This land known as "Aparant" or "Shurparak" is spread between the Sahyadri mountains and
Sindhusagar.
The first wave of Brahmins to settle in Goa, were called Saraswats because of their origins from the banks of the River Saraswati, an ancient river that existed in Vedic times.
The subsequent drying up of the river caused large scale migration of Brahmins to all corners of India.
A group of ninety-six families, known today as Gaud Saraswats, settled along the Konkan coast around 1000 BC.
Of these, sixty-six families took up residence in the southern half in today's Salcete taluka which derives its name from the Sanskrit word "Sassast" meaning the number 66.
The other thirty families settled in the northern area in today's Tiswadi taluka which derives its name from the Sanskrit word for the number 30.
The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the local indigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who still exist today.
Around the year 740 AD, the Brahmins established their first Matha (religious centre of learning) at Kushasthali (present day
Cortalim).
An interesting sidelight in this legendary origin of Goa is that Lord Parashuram is supposed to have shot an arrow from the top of the
Western Ghats into the sea to command the Sea God to withdraw till the place where the arrow fell and claimed that land to be his kingdom.
The place where the arrow landed was called Bannali (in Sanskrit for 'where the arrow landed'; Bann: arrow, ali: village), or today's
Benaulim.
Parashuram arrived in the new abode with other Saraswat Brahmins and sages in order to perform the Yadnya and other rituals.
These Brahmin families of Dashgotras from Panchgoudas of Trihotrapura in northern India came along with their family deities and settled themselves in this land of Gomantak or the land of the Gods as it came to be known thereafter.
They initially settled at Mathagram (Margao), Kushasthal (Cortalim) and Kardalinagar (Keloshi).
The main deities which also came along with them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga, Nagesh, Saptakoteshwar besides many others.
According to local legend, the ash found at Harmal beach in Pernem Taluka is cited as the ash of the Yadnya or holy ritual performed in Goa.
Today a temple of Parashuram exists in Painguinim village of Canacona Taluka in South Goa.
There is no concrete proof to determine the exact date of the arrival of Saraswats or Parashurama in the area, nor is it conclusively proved that Saraswats or other Aryans were the first to arrive in Konkan.
Even if the legends are considered as only myths, the residence of Saraswat Brahmins in Goa since ancient times along with their family deities is an undeniable fact.
And most probably they arrived in Goa under the leadership of a towering personality named
Parashuram.
Also
see
Festivals in Goa
Reference:
http://www.goatourism.org/
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