Chandor is a village in

Salcete Salcete or Salcette (Konkani: ''Saxtti''/''Xaxtti'') is a subdivision of the district of South Goa, in the state of Goa, situated by the west coast of India. The Sal River and its backwaters dominate the landscape of Salcete. Historically, ...

sub-district of

South Goa South Goa district is one of two districts that together constitute the state of Goa, India, within the region known as the Konkan. It is bounded by North Goa district to the north, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. It ranks among t ...

, in the

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 ...

n state of Goa. It lies on the southern bank of the

Zuari River The Zuari River ''Zuvari,'' pronounced ) is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river which originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions. It f ...

and western bank of the Kushavati River.

History

The ancient city of Chandrapura, where Chandor now stands, served as a capital from the

Bhoja Bhoja was the Paramara dynasty, Paramara king of Malwa from 1010 until his death in 1055. He ruled from Dhara (city), Dhara (modern Dhar), and Military career of Bhoja, fought wars with nearly all his neighbours in attempts to extend his king ...

period to that of the

Kadambas The Kadamba dynasty were an ancient royal family from modern Karnataka, India, that ruled northern Karnataka and the Konkan from Banavasi in present-day Uttara Kannada, Uttara Kannada district in India. The kingdom was founded by Mayurash ...

. The name comes from ''Chandreshwar,'' meaning Lord of the Moon, after the Hindu god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

who wears a crescent in his hair. Chandor has a fort and a temple within its citadel. Located from the inland of Margao, it has both ancient and modern aspects to its history. Chandor also boasts ancient inscriptions of Bhoja kings dating back to the 3rd or 4th Century CE. It is thought that by the 3rd century, the Bhojas had ruled over Goa as well as Shashti, Antruz, Bardez, North Kanara district, part of Belgaum district and some other areas around Goa with their main power base being Chandrapur (current Chandor). The earliest piece of evidence being the Siroda plate found in Shiroda on the banks of a river. It also has a Shiva temple with old remnants of the fortress walls and form one of the oldest structural remains in Goa. Chandor’s origins are not exact, which has been justified by the fact that there has been found pottery of the Satyavahanas which leads one to think that their dynasty was much older than the Bhoja kings, ruling far back as 200 BCE. Chandor was also the capital of the Kadambas until 1054, when they moved the capital to Govepuri/Gopakapattan (

Goa Velha Goa Velha is a small town in ''Ilhas de Goa'' subdistrict, Goa state, India. It should not be confused with the World Heritage Site of the historical city of Old Goa (). St Andrew's Church is its parish church. It is well known for its yearl ...

). Govepuri was destroyed in 1312 , prompting them to move the capital back to Chandor, until it too was sacked in 1327. Father Heras on his discovery of Chandor in 1929 CE, found a very old and shattered image of Nandi, Shiva’s Bull, believed to be affected adversely by raids in the 13th century CE. This is part of a complex housing the relics of an ancient temple dedicated to

, known alternatively as Isvorachem. The first Jain sculpture belonging to the early southern Shilahara in Salcete, Chandor was discovered by Fr Henry Heras during one of his expeditions. The citizens of Chandor have long harboured a fear of marrying women, due to a "Queen's curse" dating to the Kadamba dynasty. Many men thus prefer to leave the village before marrying a woman. Chandor is home to many ruined forts.

Geography

Chandor is located at . It has an average elevation of .

Transport

Chandor is connected by road from

Margao Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa, and administrative headquarters of Salcete sub-district. It is Goa's second largest ci ...

. It has its own railway station.

Notable places

* Braganza House * St. James' Chapel (with historical palace step stone at the entrance) * Nossa Senhora de Belem Church * Monte Church * Old Shiv Temple/ Nandi Bull from Bhoja period. * Figuerado mansion

Bragança house

The Bragança House was built in the 17th century. This huge house is situated on one side of the village square. It has now been divided into two separate houses, with a common entrance. The east wing, occupied by the Pereira Bragança family, has a small

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

with a relic of St.

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

, which is a fingernail. The artefacts, collected by the family over a number of years, have added to the beauty of the house. There is a Great Salon, a large

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

with the floor made of Italian marble, antique chandeliers from Europe adorning the ceiling, and heavily carved, ornate rosewood furniture. What stands out among the furniture is a pair of high-backed chairs, bearing the family crest, which was given to the Pereira Bragança family by King Dom Luís of Portugal. Most of the furniture dates back to the 18th century and is made from local ''seeso'' (martel wood), lacquered or inlaid with mother of pearl by craftsmen from

Curtorim Curtorim is a town in the Salcette taluka of South Goa district in Goa, India.It comes under Margao metropolitan region. Curtorim, a verdant agrarian village, known as the "granary of Salcete", is said to have got its name from either ' or ' sin ...

village. For antique aficionados, the house holds many delightful finds. The west wing of the house belongs to the Menezes Bragança family. Apart from its exquisite furniture and Chinese porcelain from Macau, it also houses a collection of family portraits, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The library is believed to be the first private library in Goa. It has almost 5,000 leather bound books in Portuguese, English and French collected by

Luís de Menezes Bragança Luís de Menezes Bragança (15 January 1878 – 10 July 1938) was a Portuguese journalist, writer, politician and anti-colonial activist. He was one of the few Goan aristocrats who actively opposed the Portuguese colonisation of Goa. During h ...

(1878–1938), a reputed journalist, renowned for the part he played in Goa’s independence movement.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Villages in South Goa district Comunidades of Goa Chandor