Colva
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Colva (कोलवा) is a coastal village in Salcete, south Goa, on the west coast of India. Colva Beach stretches for around 2.4 km, part of a beach consisting of about 25 km of powder white sand, lined along its shore by coconut palms and extending from Bogmalo in the north to Cabo de Rama in the south. Author (Laxman Burdak) visited the place on 19.12.2007 and has provided images and other information.
Origin
- Colva (कोलवा) is a coastal village in Salcete, south Goa, on the west coast of India. It gets name after Koli/Kullama Jats.
Location
Colvá has an average elevation of 1.1 metres. Its main village market is located behind the church, which is about 2.3 km away from the beach; there are various other shops at the cross road near the beach. Colvá recognises three beaches; firstly the main Colvá beach which is the prime beach, secondly Sunset beach (towards Betalbatim) which is less congested, and thirdly Baywatch beach (towards Benaulim at Sernabatim). Colvá is 8 km from Margao and 40 km from Panjim. The closest railway station is in Margao followed by Vasco da Gama, Goa. The neighbouring villages are Betalbatim and Benaulim and the nearest city Margao.
Distances around Goa (from Colva): Margao - 8 km , Vasco - 35 km, Mapusa - 53 km , Calangute - 56 km, Ponda - 28 km, Dabolim Airport - 28 km.
The beach can be reached very easily by bus from the city of Margao which has private buses plying at regular intervals of 15 minutes to the beach. One can get onto a bus at Margao either from the K.T.C. bus stand or from the market bus stand that lies within margao city. Also auto risckshaws and taxis can be hired to reach the beach from Margao.
From Panaji the beach lies at a distance of about 40 kms. which can be travelled in about 45 minutes by road depending on traffic conditions. However, especially during evenings, the road to the beach gets very congested and parking is hard to find near the beach. The closest railway station is at Madgaon which is within Margao city.
Famous tourist destination
Colvá is a famous tourist destination, visited for its beaches, budget hotels, guest houses, beach shacks, food stalls, restaurants, pubs and bars. The beaches are constantly monitored by lifeguards, and the swimming areas are flagged for warnings.
The village had significant importance to Portugal and was the retreat for Goa's high society, who would come to Colvá for their "Mundanca" or change of air. Today the Portuguese area is dotted with houses or villas, including many ruins. On weekends, huge crowds of tourists, visitors from around the world as well as local Indians, enjoy the sunset and various activities. The beach is particularly busy in October, when hordes of religious pilgrims come and visit Colvá Church, called Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Merces, that was founded in 1630 by the Roiz family and rebuilt in the eighteenth century on the village square.
The local people have been fishermen since the mid-16th century. They include Hindu converts as well as migrants from various Portuguese overseas territories such as Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, etc. as well as Portugal itself.
History
Colvá was a vast barren uninhabited land with a scenic Arabian Sea beach that had beach plants such as scaevola sericea until a few Harim (Fisherfolk community) settled there as migrants, primarily in the neighbouring village of Benaulim. The mughals, the people of Adil Shahi dynasty preferred the north and hilly regions of Goa, where they built forts and defences, rather than the coastal belt, and hence had not settled the barren land of Colvá. It was the Portuguese conquest which established the western regions of South Goa as a full-fledged human settlement.
Colvá was under Portuguese administration, as the Province of Portuguese-Goa, from 1510 until 1961 (and was still under dispute and represented in the Parliament of Portugal till 1974/75). It was the village of the Portuguese Roiz family, the descendants of D. Diogo Rodrigues, and its villagers. The village had belonged since 1550 to D. Diogo Rodrigues, who was the Lord of Colvá (Landlord of Colvá). He built the first Portuguese architecture residential house in 1551 facing away from the sea and at a distance from the shore to avoid any enemy attacks from the Arabian Sea. The entire beach called Praia da Colvá belonged to him.
In the 18th century, one of Diogo's descendants, Sebastião José Roiz, ordered the village people to plant coconut trees along the entire coastline, which the villagers thought was a waste of time as the soil was white and thus infertile and unable to sustain their growth. However today the shore line is fringed by those plantations of coconut trees. The entire Colvá shore and beach property as far as Betalbatim was inherited by various descendants of the Roiz family until the late 20th century, after which parts were handed over to the Government of Goa under the post-1974 Indian administration following the 1961 annexation of Goa by India. The rest of the land was sold.
Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Merces: Colvá is still famous for the white-washed Our Lady Of Mercy church, also known as Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Merces, that was founded in 1630 and rebuilt in the eighteenth century in the village square. It houses the miraculous statue of 'Menino Jesus' (Baby Jesus), which was introduced by a Jesuit missionary and which is believed to have healing powers. According to local legend, the statue at Our Lady of Mercy church was found in the mid-seventeenth century along the coast of Mozambique after Rev Fr. Bento Ferreira and his party had been shipwrecked off the coast. After swimming to safety, they spotted it as it was washed ashore after being dumped into the sea by Muslim pirates. In 1648 when Father Ferreira was posted to Colvá, he placed the statue on the altar, and it soon started drawing large crowds of devotees as it granted their favours. The Menino Jesus statue is kept for public viewing in October for the annual Fama ('Fame') festival for which thousands of people assemble. This is the only time that it is removed from the triple-vault locks of the Church. It is then dipped into a nearby river after a procession, and the pilgrims use this water for anointment and good luck.
Colva Beach
Colva beach stretches for around 2.4 km, part of a beach consisting of about 25 km of powder white sand, lined along its shore by coconut palms, and extending as far as Bogmalo Beach to the north and Cabo de Rama Beach to the South Goa's coastline.[1] Colva is now a famous tourist destination, enjoyed for its beach. The tourist industry is well developed with many budget hotels, guest houses, beach shacks, food stalls, small restaurants and pubs and bars, although these developments have not extended in any large degree to the nightlife. The beaches are constantly monitored by lifeguards and the swimming areas flagged with coloured flags accordingly. Being one of the famous beaches of Goa, this beach is highly crowded most of the time of the year. With a majority of its visitors being domestic Indian visitors this beach is mostly neglected by foreigners.[2]
कोलवा बीच
कोलवा बीच (Colva Beach): दक्षिणी गोवा के साल्सेट क्षेत्र में स्थित कोलवा बीच, गोवा के कुछ बेहद खूबसूरत समुद्र तटों में गिना जाता है। इसकी खूबी यह है कि उत्तरी गोवा के समुद्र तटों की तरह यहां भीड़-भाड़ नहीं होती और यह तट अपेक्षाकृत शांत रहता है। वैसे यह बीच गोवा के सबसे प्राचीनतम तटों में से एक होने के साथ-साथ यहां का सबसे लंबा समुद्री तट (25 कि.मी.) भी है। कुछ समय एकांत में बिताने के शौकीनों को यहां का शांत और खूबसूरत माहौल खासा लुभाता है। सफेद रेत के किनारे लगे नारियल के ऊंचे-ऊंचे पेड़ इस जगह की खूबसूरती में इजाफा कर देते हैं और सूर्यास्त के समय समुद्र किनारे टहलने के शानदार अनुभव को तो कभी भूला ही नहीं जा सकता। कोलवा से पर्यटक, काबो डि रामा (Cabo de Rama) किले तक आसानी से जा सकते हैं जो कि पूर्व पुर्तगाली समय का किला है और साथ ही गोवा का सबसे पुराना किला भी है।
कोलवा बीच का इतिहास: किसी जमाने में कोलवा एक विशाल बंजर इलाका हुआ करता था, जहां से अरब सागर का खूबसूरत नजारा दिखाई देता था। फिर मुग़ल और आदिल शाही राजवंश के शासकों को गोवा का उत्तरी और पहाड़ी हिस्सा इतना पसंद आया कि उन्होंने वहां के साथ-साथ यहां भी किलों और गढ़ों का निर्माण करवाया। लेकिन 1510 से 1961 के बीच यह इलाका पुर्तगालियों के कब्जे में रहा। तब इसे डॉक्टर डीओगो रोड्रिग्स की वंशज कहे जाने वाले रोईज़ नामक पुर्तगाली परिवार का गांव माना जाता था। उसे लोग कोलवा का भगवान मानते थे। कहा जाता है कि वह पहला शख्स था जिसने 1551 में यहां पहले पुर्तगाली वास्तुशैली से बने घरों का निर्माण कराया था। तब यह पूरा समुद्र तट भी उसी का हुआ करता तह और इसे प्राईआ दा कोलवा का नाम से जाना जाता था।
वाटर स्पोर्ट्स: यहां बनाना बोट और मोटर बोट की सवारी जैसे कुछ बेहद रोमांचकारी पानी के खेलों का लुत्फ़ तो उठाया जा ही सकता है, साथ ही समुद्र का यह हिस्सा तैराकी के लिए भी पूरी तरह सुरक्षित है। इसलिए यहां आने पर आपको तैरने के लिए सुरक्षित हिस्सों में लाल झंडे लगे दिख जायेंगे।
पाउडर जैसी सफेद रेत: यहां चारों ओर फैली सफेद रंग की पाउडर जैसी रेत विशेष रूप से लोगों को आकर्षित करती है और साथ में लगे नारियल के ऊंचे-ऊंचे पेड़ इस पूरे इलाके की सुंदरता को बढ़ा देते हैं। इस सबके अलावा यहां बने आकर्षक घर भी सैलानियों को अपनी साज-सज्जा की वजह से खासे प्रभावित करते हैं।
संदर्भ: https://www.adotrip.com/hi/destination-detail/colva-beach
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गोआ का मानचित्र
