Cavelossim

Cavelossim
village
Cavelossim Location in Goa, India Cavelossim Cavelossim (India)
Coordinates: 15.174°N 73.945°E / 15.174; 73.945
Country	India
State	Goa
District	South Goa
Government
• Type	Panchayat
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,955
Languages
• Official	Konkani
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	403731
Vehicle registration	GA
Website	goa.gov.in

Cavelossim is a village in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India.

The town hosts a well known beach at the southernmost tip of the Salcete beach stretch that starts from Majorda in the north to Cavelossim in the south. The Sal river flows into the Arabian Sea at the south of this town.

History

Most of the history of Cavelossim comes from church records and from written statements by clergy originating from the village. The village was referred to as 'Suderbhatt' or village of the Shudra, as the majority of the burghers belonged to that caste. The Shudra usually worked as fisherman and as labour for the Bhatkars and Zamindars of the neighboring villages of Assolna and Carmona. The only attraction was a small temple which housed the idol of the Hindu goddess Shantadurga (not to be confused with the temple in Deoolbhat, Quelossim, located between Mormugao and Salcete, a much larger temple to the same deity) which was said to be located around 100m behind the current location of the church. It is said that a usurped Raja, Prince Rama, a scion of the Nayaka dynasties, wandering aimlessly after his defeat, was finally granted asylum in the village of Cavelossim, as there were very few of prominence residing there to oppose. Some suggest he belonged to Nayakas of Keladi and relocated as late as the 1500s with his remaining loyal soldiers and officers, hence several families in Cavelossim trace their lineage to Nayaka and Vijayanagara officers and had the different vaddos or wards renamed in their honor. Though it is claimed that the exiled ruler married into the temple family, it seems unlikely as it would have been an inter-caste marriage.

Instead it was suggested that they rather became patrons of the temple, helping it quickly became one of the largest in the region, with the manor house of his descendants - who are often called 'Rampotas' or 'Rajpotas' (sons of King Rama) - in the temple premises. The gold coins and medallions housed by the family and church are yet to be dated and estimated. After the Portuguese conquest, the majority of the villagers accepted the Christian faith and the temple fell out of use, reducing it nearly to a shed outside the family's house. This family went on to take the name of Rodrigues. During the Spanish Inquisition which spilled over to Goa as the Goa Inquisition, New Christians were encouraged to rid themselves of idols of other religions to prevent Crypto-Hinduism. In the 17th century the family requested officials to let the main idol be transported beyond the borders of that time to the village of Kavale in Ponda. Here it remains even today, near the larger main idol from Quelossim in the temple built by Shahu Bhosale I in 1720. As an act of faith, the family constructed a chapel dedicated to the holy cross, Santa Cruz in 1763 which came under the jurisdiction of the parish of Carmona.

Being fed by the Sal River, Cavelossim boasted lush fields and multiple fisheries which granted its communidade a hefty zonn or jono (dividend), with which the villagers were able to make sizeable donations to build a cemetery and expand the chapel to its current size. It was recognized as a separate parish church in 1948. The main side gate of the church was accompanied by three pairs of pillars: the first of the church itself; the ones behind leading to the Rodrigues manor were testimony to the its first patrons, who still share the back walls of the church; and the third, opposite the church, bearing lions to the erstwhile influential Souza family, whose founder was one of the early presidente da camara de salcete following Portuguese acceptance of self-governance amongst Goans.

Demographics

As of the 2011 India census, Cavelossim had a population of 1955. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Cavelossim had an average literacy rate of 90.35%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy was 93.12% and female literacy 87.56%. 9.87% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Cavelossim Beach

Cavelossim beach is known for its contrasting black rocks and white sand. It is ranked 19th in Asia by Tripadvisor 2016 and 5th in India Cavelossim Beach is located at 15 km south of Margao, the district headquarters of South Goa. Other neighbouring beaches include Carmona Beach to the north and Mobor Beach to the south. Cavelossim Beach is a beach with white sand and black lava rocks. The beach lies in between the river Sal along the east and the Arabian sea to its west. Being a peaceful beach, Cavelossim attracts a lot of tourists. Besides relaxing or swimming on the beach one can also go for dolphin sighting boat trips in the sea.

Sports

Like many other Goan villages, Cavelossim most popular sport is football. Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim, a Football club based in Cavelossim represents them in Goa's top-tier league, the Goa Professional League. They play home matches at the Cavelossim Football Ground.

External links

• Cavelossim Photographs, 2012