Salcete

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Not to be confused with Salsette island.
Salcete
Saxtti/Xaxtti
Salcette
Taluka (sub-district)
Idyllic scenery
Salcete countryside
Location of Salcete in South Goa, Goa
Location of Salcete in South Goa, Goa
Coordinates: 15°12′45″N 74°04′24″E / 15.212450°N 74.07323°E / 15.212450; 74.07323Coordinates: 15°12′45″N 74°04′24″E / 15.212450°N 74.07323°E / 15.212450; 74.07323
Country India
StateGoa
DistrictSouth Goa
HeadquartersMargao
Settlements (as of 2011)2 cities
11 towns
35 villages
Government
 • Deputy CollectorJyoti Kumari, IAS[1]
 • Talukadar[1]Prataprao Gaunkar
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total294,504
DemonymSaxtticar/Xaxtticar
PIN
4036XX, 4037XX
Vehicle registrationGA-08

Salcete (Lua error in Module:Lang at line 1807: attempt to call method 'gsub' (a nil value).: , Script error: The function "transl" does not exist. ?; Romi Konkani: Saxtti or Xaxtti; Portuguese: Salcette) is a sub-division of South Goa district, Goa state, situated along the south-west coast of India.[3] The Sal river and its backwaters dominate the landscape of Salcete.[4] Historically, the sixty-six villages south of the Zuari river formed the original Salcette territory.[5] Salcete forms a part of the bigger Konkan coastal region thats stretches north–south through most of India's western shoreline.[6]

In erstwhile Portuguese India, the municipality of Salcette concelho located in the Velhas Conquistas (Old Conquests) of Goa was co-terminous with the undivided Salcette territory (Salcete and Mormugao talukas).[7] In 1917, the territory was bifurcated into the present-day talukas.[8] The contemporary Salcete taluka of the civil district of South Goa is a rurban area.[9] Margao serves as the administrative headquarters of both Salcete taluka and the South Goa district.[10]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

'Salcete' is the anglicised spelling of the lusitanised version "Salcette" that was derived from the Konkani word "Saxtti" which in turn is a corruption of the Sanskrit word "" ṣaṭ-ṣaṣṭi[lower-alpha 1] meaning "sixty-six".[11] According to Hindu mythology of the Konkan, the original sixty-six settlements of the Salcette territory were established by sixty-six Saraswat Brahmin clans who had emigrated here from northern India.[12] In Konkani, the natives are referred to as Saxtticar or Xaxtticar (/; Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.; IPA: [/'saːʂʈiːkaːɾ/] / [/'ʂaːʂʈiːkaːɾ/]).[3] The Salcete Konkani dialect of southern Goa known as 'Saxtti' is notably different from the 'Antruzi' (Ponda) and 'Bardescari' (Bardez) dialects of northern Goa.[13]

History[edit | edit source]

King Viramarmadeva of the Kadamba dynasty issued a copper-plate inscription in 1049 CE concerning a grant of a piece of land called Tudukapura in Kudtarika agrahara of Chhat sathi desha. This inscription suggests that Chhat sathi refers to modern Salcete, known as Sāshṭi in the local language.[14]

Salcette territory[edit | edit source]

The original sixty-six settlements of Salcette are as follows:[15]

Salcete taluka[edit | edit source]

Environs typical of houses in rural Salcete

Salcete taluka comprises nine comunidades: Benaulim, Betalbatim, Colva, Curtorim, Loutolim, Margao, Nuvem, Raia, and Verna.

The subdistrict consists of two cities, eleven towns, and thirty-five villages as per the 2011 Census of India.

Salcete Taluka (Census 2011)[2]
# Settlements Population
Municipal Councils
1. Margao 87,650
2. Cuncolim 16,623
Census Towns
1. Davorlim 15,350
2. Curtorim 12,886
3. Navelim 12,323
4. Benaulim 11,919
5. Raia 10,706
6. São José de Areal 10,229
7. Nuvem 9,288
8. Chinchinim 6,908
9. Verna 6,632
10. Aquem 6,511
11. Varca 5,439
Villages
1. Adsulim 214
2. Ambelim 2,853
3. Assolna 3,410
4. Betalbatim 3,551
5. Calata 1,739
6. Camurlim 2,247
7. Cana 494
8. Carmona 3,864
9. Cavelossim 1,955
10. Cavorim 2,228
11 Chandor 707
12. Colva 3,141
13. Deussua 1,479
14. Dicarpale 3,057
15. Dramapur 3,441
16. Duncolim 748
17. Gandaulim 438
18. Gonsua 222
19. Guirdolim 3,622
20. Loutolim 6,121
21. Macasana 1,972
22. Majorda 2,813
23. Mulem 2,799
24. Nagoa 3,873
25. Orlim 2,049
26. Paroda 620
27. Rachol 1,686
28. Sarzora 2,270
29. Seraulim 3,250
30. Sernabatim 1,548
31. Sirlim 845
32. Talaulim 2,911
33. Utorda 2,018
34. Vanelim 1,860
35. Velim 5,955
Total 2,94,504

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Founded by the immigrant Brahmins (circa 4–12 CE), Salcette is the Portuguese corruption of the word Sāṣaṭī, the sixty-six settlements.[16]

Citations[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20210325183859/https://southgoa.nic.in/about-district/whos-who/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chandramouli, C. (2015) [2010–11]. "Salcete Taluka — South Goa". Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Government of India. Census Organization of India. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sequeira, Newton (21 December 2014). "The true soul of Goa's South". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Nambirajan, M. (2007). Coastal Archaeology of Western India: With Special Reference to Goa. Kaveri Books. p. 134. ISBN 9788174790798.
  5. ↑ Rodrigues 1990, p. 231
  6. ↑ Halarnakar, Tanaji D. (1990). Gram Panchayats in Goa: A Critical Study. Rajhauns Vitaran. p. 48.
  7. ↑ Pandit, Heta; Mascarenhas, Annabel; Koshy, Ashok; Dalvi, Sunita (1999). Houses of Goa (2, illustrated ed.). Architecture Autonomous. p. 15.
  8. ↑ Pinho, Vasco (2007). "Snapshots" of Indo-Portuguese history, Volume 1. p. 122.
  9. ↑ Deshpande, Abhijeet. "Exploring Salcete, places near Margao". Indiatimes.com. The Times Group. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Deshpande, Abhijeet. "Margao, the cultural capital of Goa". Indiatimes.com. The Times Group. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1929). A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout. London: Oxford University Press. p. 168.
  12. ↑ De Souza, Teotonio R. (1990). De Souza, Teotonio R. (ed.). Goa Through th Ages: An Economic History, Volume II, Issue VI. Goa University Publication. Concept Publishing Company. p. 6. ISBN 9788170222590.
  13. ↑ Fernandes, Joaquim (15 February 2010). "Saxtti dialect draws the laughs on Konkani stage". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Kadamb 2013, pp. 1–14
  15. ↑ Rodrigues 1990, p. 245
  16. ↑ Kosambi, Damodar Dharmanand (1962). Myth and Reality: Studies in the Formation of Indian Culture (reprint ed.). Popular Prakashan. p. 169. ISBN 9788171548705.

References[edit | edit source]

  • Kadamb, S. G. (2013). Sources of History of the Kadambas of Goa: Inscriptions (First ed.). Broadway Publishing House. pp. 1–14. ISBN 9789380837314.
  • Rodrigues, L. A. (1990). "The Peninsula of Salcete". In Kusuman, K. K. (ed.). A Panorama of Indian Culture: Professor A. Sreedhara Menon Felicitation Volume. Mittal Publications. pp. 231–246. ISBN 9788170992141.

External links[edit | edit source]


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