Cuncolim is a town in

South Goa district 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 th ...

in the state of Goa,

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 ...

Geography

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

History

It is a former village, now with a municipal council of its own, in the south Goa sub-district (''taluka'') of Salcette,

. It is part of the AVC (Assolna-Velim-Cuncolim) network of villages. There are twelve chardo(kshtriya)''Vangodds'' (clans) of ''Ganvkars'' (landlords) in the village. Their names, in order of precedence, are as follows: Mhal, Shetcar, Naik, Mangro, Shet, Tombddo, Porob, Sidakalo, Lokakalo, Bandekar, Rounom and Becklo. Cuncolim was the site of the Cuncolim revolt in 1583. Those killed on the Christian side included five

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

who were later beatified as the "

Martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

of Cuncolim". The village of Cuncolim was the original site of the famous temple of Shree Shantadurga before almost all the villagers converted to Christianity and the temple was demolished.''Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians'', Alan Machado Prabhu, I.J.A. Publications, 1999, p. 103. The few remaining Hindu families took the idol of Shree Shantadurga to Fatorpa where the new temple of Shree Shantadurga Cuncolikarin stands today.Goa's First Revolt Against Portuguese Rule in 1583
.

Demographics

Cuncolim has population of 16,623 (7,924 males, 8,699 females) with 50.42% being Hindu, 37.58% Christian, and 11.82% Muslim as per reports released by India’s Population Census 2011. Other religious minorities are present in trace numbers. The village’s native Christian community consists of

Goan Catholics Goan Catholics () are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community adhering to the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konka ...

originating from

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

noblemen, known as Chardo, presently numbering 3000. Cuncolim also houses a Scheduled Tribe community of 738 and a Scheduled Caste population of 157 individuals as per Population Census 2011.

Education

Cuncolim is home to National Institute of Technology Goa, an autonomous institution in western India of national importance. It is one of the 31 N.I.T.s in the country. Cuncolim has 5 high schools namely Our Lady of Health, Cuncolim United, Infant Jesus, Maria Bambina Convent and St. Anthony High School. Higher secondary needs are catered to by Maria Bambina and United Higher secondary, former has Arts and Commerce stream whereas latter has both the streams in addition to Science. Cuncolim United College is the only college in Cuncolim which mostly has students from areas surrounding Cuncolim and also there is Graduation College namely Cuncolim Education Society of Arts and Commerce which provides Degree Course of B. A and B. COM for students of Cuncolim and surrounding areas . Prabal's Institute of Commerce and Computer Education has been imparting typing and computer skills for the last 25 years.

Culture

Cuncolim has a unique traditional village

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

, involving 12 bunds (water-gathering centres). It has also 12 residential clans (or "vangodds"). Cuncolim Union is one of the social organisations formed by people of this area.

Government and politics

Cuncolim is part of Cuncolim (Goa Assembly constituency) and South Goa (Lok Sabha constituency).

Places of interest

Cuncolim is home to the Molanguinim Cave, small waterfalls and the Nayaband Lake.

References

External links

Cuncolim
on GoaHolidayHomes.com {{Localities in and around Margao Cities and towns in South Goa district