Arambol is a traditional

fisherman A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million Commercial fishing, commercial and Artisan fishing, subsistence fishers and Fish farming, fi ...

village in the

Pernem Pernem (''Peddnne''; ) is a town and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is the capital of the Pernem Sub-District. Geography Pernem is one of the twelve sub-districts of Goa. It consists of twenty villa ...

administrative region of

North Goa North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnatak ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, located north of

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

's capital city of

Panaji Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...

. As of 2011, it has a population of around 5,300. Its beach, bordering Keri Beach to the north and Mandrem Beach to the south, attracts many international tourists, mainly during the winter season between November and March.

Weather

* Rainfall: * Maximum temperature: * Minimum temperature: Arambol's warmest month of the year is usually April with an average high of . The sunniest months are January, February, April, May and December with around 10 hours of sunshine per day. The dry period in Arambol corresponds with its main tourist season, from December to April. The warmest sea temperature is between April and June with an average high of .

Utilities and services

Sanitation and drinking water

The village has an open drainage system. Water is supplied from a service reservoir. The town gets it water as tap water from a treated source. The capacity of the water supply system is . The nearest fire fighting service is at

– away.

Market

Every Wednesday, a weekly market takes place at the Arambol Bus Stand area, where local vegetable vendors sell their products.

Religion

The majority of the residents are

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

minorities are also present. The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel serves the religious interests of the many Catholics in the area.

Attractions

The jungle valley, enclosed between low hills, hides a banyan tree. Adjoining the banyan tree there is a stone sculpture created by a Polish artist,

Jacek Tylicki Jacek Tylicki (born 1951 in Sopot, Poland) is a Polish artist who settled in New York City in 1982. Tylicki works in the field of land art, installation art, and site-specific art. His conceptual projects often raise social and environmenta ...

, titled ''Give if you can - Take if you have to'' (also called ''The Money Stone''). It has become a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

destination. Another attraction is Arambol Drum Circle & Sunset Beach Market'','' one of the most unique flea markets in Goa. It starts a few hours before the sunset where travelers from all over the world sell their hand made creations. More than just a market, it is a party on the beach where people bring their drums, hand-pans, Didgeridoo (didgeridoo) and meet here everyday to make music as the sun sets. It is common to see performers at this time with their juggling balls, hula hoops, poi and many other props. With things like handmade clothes, food, jewelry, glass pipes – this market looks like it is right out of a music festival. Due to the composition of both national and international musicians, Arambol is home to a rich live music scene, dominated by Gypsie-Fusion bands.

Activities

Strong winds during the main season make it a significant location for leisure sports, like

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

and

kite surfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

. Every evening during the peak tourist season, there are sunset parties on Arambol beach. A variety of practitioners in

Alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

and

Wellness (alternative medicine) Wellness is a state beyond absence of illness but rather aims to optimize well-being. The notions behind the term share the same roots as the alternative medicine movement. In 19th-century movements in the US and Europe that sought to optimize h ...

offer courses in

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

Odissi ''Odissi'' (''ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ'') also referred to as ''Orissi'' in old literature, oldest surviving classical dance of India, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temple, temples of Odisha – an eastern ...

dance, and musical instruments (like

Tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

Sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

and other traditional Indian as well as Western instruments).

Events

The Tribal Dance Festival and the Indian Juggling Convention take place in Arambol. The Goa Contact Festival and In-Touch Festival both offer Contact Improvisation Dance and Somatics. All are scheduled for late January/early February.

Harmal Chilli

The

Harmal chilli The Harmal chilli is a variety of chilli mainly grown in the Indian state of Goa. Name It is named after its place of origin, the coastal village of Harmal (now Arambol), located in Pernem, Goa. This smooth red chilli with medium to high pungen ...

is a variety of chilli mainly grown in this village and so named after its place of origin. Noted for its high pungency, even a small quantity of Harmal chilli powder is sufficient to add significant flavor to dishes. Due to its intense heat, it is often blended with other spices (masalas) to create iconic Goan culinary preparations like Chicken Xacuti Masala, Garam Masala, Khatkhatem, Recheado Masala.

Geographical indication

It was awarded the

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

(GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry under the

Union Government of India The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territo ...

on 14 September 2021 (valid until 13 January 2029). The Harmal-Pernem Chilli (Mirchi) Growers Association from

, proposed the GI registration of Harmal Chilli. After filing the application in May 2020, the chilli was granted the GI tag in 2021 by the Geographical Indication Registry in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, making the name "Harmal Chilli" exclusive to the chilies grown in the region. It thus became the second chilli variety from Goa after

Khola Chilli The Khola chilli is a variety of chilli mainly grown in the Indian state of Goa. Name It is named after its place of origin, the village of Khola, located in Canacona, South Goa district of Goa. Local name It is known as Khola mirsang - Mirsan ...

and the 3rd type of goods from Goa to earn the GI tag.

References

External links

* *{{Wikivoyage-inline, Arambol Beaches of Goa Cities and towns in North Goa district Paragliding in India Beaches of North Goa district