Cabo da Rama Fort

History of the fort :
Located in Canacona taluka Cabo da Rama - Cape Rama -, takes its name from Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana, who, along with his wife Sita holed up here during his exile from Ayodhya. The promontory was crowned by a fort centuries before the Portuguese cruised in and wrested it from the local Hindu rulers in 1763.
Moving south of Madgaon, a deviation from the National Highway going to Karwar at Chinchinim, a quiet bumpy road goes towards the hills on the edge of the sea. At the end of this long winding road is the lonely Cabo De Rama. The headland of Cabo De Rama had been a fortress much before the Portuguese ever reached Goa.



There is little to see of the old structure beyond the front wall with its dry moat and main gate, and the small church which stands just inside the walls. The church is still used, and its pristine whitewash contrasts notably
 
with the blackened stone of the ruined front rampart.

MINUTES

                                                                      MINUTES

The meeting was held on 4th October 2014 at KFC .

Present in attendance
Chairperson    -    Mr. Keegan Lima
Secretary        -    Ms. Queency Rodrigues
Members        -    Ms. Neha Patil 
                       -    Mr. Saieesh Sakhardande
                       -    Mr.  Rudresh Virnodkar

List of members present in person.

Sr.no                      Items                                   Details
   1             Notice of the meeting           With the consent of the
                                                                 members the notice was
                                                                 taken as read.
   

   2             Chairperson's speech            The chairperson welcomed
                                                                the members for the
                                                                 meeting . He gave brief 
                                                                review on the blogs
                                                                 prepared by the members.


   3              List of members                    The chairperson dew the
                                                                   attention of the members.
  


   4             Vote of thanks                         A vote of thanks was
                                                                   proposed by the secretary
                                                                   and the chairperson
                                                                    adjourned the meeting.



Date                                         Sd/-                              Sd/-
5th October 2014            Chairperson                    Secretary
                                       [Keegan Lima]       [Queency Rodrigues]

                                                                 

                  
                     

SHANTADURAGA TEMPLE KAVLEM GOA

The temple is dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess who mediates between Vishnu and Shiva. The deity is also called 'Santeri' colloquially. This avatar of Shree Jagdamba Devi which had come to make peace (Shanti) between Shree Vishnu and Shree Shiva, came to be known as Shree Shantadurga Devi.

Local legends tell of a battle between Shiva and Vishnu The battle was so fierce that Lord Brahma prayed to Parvati to intervene, which she did in the form of Shantadurga. Shantadurga placed Vishnu on her right hand and Shiva on her left hand and settled the fight.

The deity of Shantadurga is shown as holding two serpents, one in each hand, representing Vishnu and Shiva. Apart from this battle, local legends often say that Shantadurga of Keloshi had gone to Sankhwal, a village in Salcette Taluka to kill a demon named Kalantak that was harassing the Brahmins. As a reward, she was given the name of Vijaya. Shri Vijayadurga shrine was located in Sankhwal along with Shri Shantadurga and Shri Lakshmi Narsimha but was later shifted to a place called Kerim in Ponda Taluka during the Portuguese invasions.^[1]

Shantadurga is the Kuldevi (family deity) of many Konkani Saraswats,Karhade Brahmins, Maharishi Saraswatis (Mahe Gotra), Vishyawani from (Kokan region of Maharastra and Goa) and Bhandaris.

CHAPORA FORT

chapora fort 

Chapora Fort, located in Bardez , Goa, rises high above the Chapora River. Before the Portuguese arrived in Goa in 1510, this location was the site of another fort. The fort changed hand several times after Portuguese acquired Bardez. Trying to end the Portuguese rule in Goa, Prince Akbar joined his father’s enemies, the Marathas in 1683 and made this place his base camp. It became the northern outpost of the Old Conquests. After the Portuguese recovered from an encounter with the Marathas, they strengthened their northern defences and provided shelter to the people there.

The present fort was built in 1717, replacing the older fortifications. Across the Chapora river, the Hindu ruler of Pernem, the Maharaja of Sawantwadi who was an old enemy of the Portuguese held the fort for two years after it fell to the Marathas in 1739 in its first test. When Goa's border moved northwards with the acquisition of Pernem as part of the New Conquests, the fort lost its military significance towards the end of the century. It is a pleasant place to wander that offers fantastic views north across the Chapora river to Pernem, south over Vagator and also far out to the Arabian Sea in the West.

The fort sits on a prominent position which commands views in all directions. It also has steep slopes on all sides. The fort follows the outline of the higher slopes. This forms an irregular outer wall that uses the natural form to add defensive height to the fortifications. This offers an advantage over dry ditches being dug. At the top of the steep approach track, the main gate is small and unpretentious, but narrow and deep. Depending on defence requirements, the positions of bastions are irregularly spaced with enormous embrasures for cannon. Each bastion has a cylindrical turret offering a special character to the fort.

Inside the fort, the church, once dedicated to St. Anthony, has disappeared and inside only a few signs exist of the barracks and housing that once filled this vast area. The wide expanse of open space is only a tumble of stones, where a few herds of goats graze and cashew bushes grow. A natural valley to the beach protected by rocky promontories provides an excellent natural access to the sea.

REIS MAGOS FORT

REIS MAGOS FORT

Predating Fort aguada by half a century, a second, smaller fort that crowns the headland jutting into the narrowest stretch of the Mandovi, almost facing the capital city Panjim, is the Reis Magos Fort. This Fort, surrounded by walls studded with typically Portuguese turrets, was erected in 1551 to protect the narrowest point at the mouth of the Mandovi river. Towards the east, at a little distance from it, flows a spring with abundance of excellent water, while at its base rises the church of the Reis Magos, ascended by a beautiful flight of stairs.

This edifice was built on the ruins of a pagoda in 1550 by the Franciscans, with the sum allotted to them by the Government, and bears a crown on its façade, and the royal arms on its sanctuary and other places. The pavement is dotted with inscriptions, the most important of which, found in the sanctuary, indicated the spot enclosing the remains of Dom Luís de Ataíde, Count of Athoughia, who twice held the position of Viceroy of Portuguese India  and Goa. This Fort stands on the north bank of the Mandovi at Reis Magos, and is very much visible from the Panjim side of the Mandovi river. It was used as a residence for viceroys and later converted to a fortress. It was occupied briefly between 1798-1813 by the British Army. It was subsequently abandoned by the military and served as a prison until 1993.

Shri Mangeshi Temple, Ponda, Goa.

Shri Mangeshi      Temple








This temple had its origins in Kushasthali Cortalim, a village in Saxty (Salcette) which fell to the invading Portuguese in 1543. In the year 1560, when the Portuguese started Christian conversions in Salcete taluka, the Saraswats of Vatsa Gotra moved the Mangesh Linga from the original site at the Kushasthali or Cortalim on the banks of river Aghanashini (Zuari) to its present location at Mangeshi in Priol village of Atrunja Taluka, which was then ruled by the Hindu kings of Sonde of Antruz Mahal (Ponda), to be more secure.

                                                               The idol of mangeshi

The annual festivals include Rama Navami, Akshaya Tritiya, Anant Vritotsava, Navaratri, Dussera, Diwali, Magha Poornima Festival (Jatrotsav) and Mahashivratri. Magha Poornima Festival begins on Magha Shukla Saptami and ends on Magha Poornima.

Notice And Agenda

                                                                   NOTICE

The meeting will be held on 4th October 2014 at 10:30am at the KFC .


3/10/2014                                                                      Sd/-
  Date                                                                        Secretary


                                            AGENDA

1.Read the notice if required.
2.chairperson speech.
3.List of member.
4.Vote of thanks.
5.Adjournment.