Chandor:
Chandor (Portuguese for Chandrapuri!) was the capital of the ruling dynasty of Goa, the Kadambas. A walk through the village testifies to its rich past, although architecture is quintessentially Portuguese with all those airy 'balcaons' and high ceilings etc. Not too far as you enter Chandor from Margao is the chapel. It is there that I witnessed that strange ritual.
It takes place on the day following the end of the three day fest of the absurd, Carnival. It so happened that this year the day coincided with the Hindu festival of mahashivrathri. It added to the enchantment and the magic of the ritual.
I had never seen Goan Christians wear a dhoti, and smear their foreheads with the tripunda-an unmistakable shaivite thing. In Chandor, on this particular day they do. They are all Christians. They go to church and believe in all that the christian doctrine prescribes.
I saw these men, a group of about 20, with sticks in their hands and some musical instruments, initiate the ritual at the chapel. They lit a fire and sang praises to Lord Shiva! I heard also a name repeatedly featuring in their song. I wondered who that might be. An elder from the village told me that it was the name of the Kadamba king.
I am not being able to express exactly my surprise at witnessing that in Chandor. It was indeed strange. I was enthralled. One in our group, a journalist, said that it indicated "our" Hindu past. To me, it was not so much "our" and "Hindu" past as it was the ability of those men (of human- kind) not only to tolerate other religion, but to accept it right in the heart of their belief in their inherited faith.
Sattari:
Sattari is one of the 11 Talukas of Goa. Ranes (ex C.M. Mr. Pratapsing Rane) from Maharashtra ruled this area. They have a ritual there which is in keeping with the war-lord-like penchant for gore. They have, at the end of Shigmo, the Hindu harvest festivity, an yearly Jatra. It is called 'choranchi jatra'- the feast of thieves!
'Gaonkars', or the village maintainers, offer food to all who come for this fest from outside. We had a simple meal at 5 p.m.; we were hungry! It was boiled rice with a gram curry, and pickle. That's all. Simple but delicious. And they ask you( they must) whether you would eat a bit of chicken gravy. Those who wish are served a chicken gravy. Only gravy, no meat! Why?
Originally, I was told, there was human sacrifice on this day. 'Gaonkariponn' or gaunkar-ship is honor which you had to earn by sacrificing one young male from your household. But that was even prior to Portuguese rule. That was when Ranes ruled! Yet this human was stopped owing to a rather strange occurrence.
It is believed that a young from the neighbouring village of Zarme was married in this village. The very year she was married the 'gaonkariponn' was requested by the head of the boy's family. It was granted to him, but then he had to sacrifice his only male child in order to get the honor. The parents of the who was faced with the prospect of widowhood could not accept this. " How", they demanded, "can we allow our daughter to be widow in the very year that she is betrothed? There will be WAR!"
So all the elders met and saw reason here, and did a 'garhane', (a special prayer to Gods). Gods being very benevolent accepted and addressed them to kill a goat or a chicken. Since then man slaughter was stopped and we had chicken gravy prepared to serve all he guests who wanted it.
But where was the meat?
The meat is given to 'chors'(thieves). And after the meal they are buried alive in the ground near the temple. The human sacrifice part is symbolically enacted now.
I saw the buried bodies when at the end of a prolonged ritual, they are 'shown' to the gathering.
I saw that the 'chors' were breathing! It seemed such a bad show. But it was not disappointing because in sattari they distill the best 'urrak" available to man for consumption. we drank on our way back. We were happy and tired.
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