Shirgao is a village in the

Bicholim Bicholim, pronounced (), also known as Divchal and Dicholi, is a town and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is the headquarters of the ''Concelho'' (district) of Bicholim, one of seven that make up the ...

sub-district (''taluka'') 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 located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...

, which is popular for its annual temple festival that includes

fire-walking Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones. It has been practiced by many people and cultures in many parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating from Iron Age India . It is often used as a rit ...

traditions.

Festival of the ''Lairai dhondachi zatra''

The festival is known as the '' Lairai dhondachi zatra'' and usually occurs around the months of April or May each year. In keeping with the

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

in this area of

Velha Goa Old Goa ( Konkani: ; pt, Velha Goa, translation='Old Goa') is a historical site and city situated on the southern banks of the River Mandovi, within the Tiswadi ''taluka'' (''Ilhas'') of North Goa district, in the Indian state of Goa. The ...

, the goddess Lairai is considered as a "sister" of the ''Milagris Saibinn'' (

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

) in the Milagres Church of

Mapusa Mapusa (म्हापशें) is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Kochi. In Portugu ...

, some or so away from the area. The village is estimated to have 350 houses, 70 wells and 32 springs. But the area faces a water shortage due to rampant mining nearby.

Fire walking

On the night of the ''

zatra Zatra(जात्रा) is the Konkani language term for the pilgrimage festivals celebrated at Hindu temples in Goa, India; the equivalent of '' yatra'' and '' jatra''. In Maharashtra the alternative term Urus is used as well. During the za ...

'', an estimated 20,000 ''dhonds''—men and women from diverse parts of

and the nearby Konkan region—walk through the ''homkhan'', over a burning charcoal bed. Shrigao has shrines dedicated to a number of deities (14, according to one count) including Santer, Mahamaya, Ravalnath, Mahadev, Grampurush, Kshetrapal, Aapevans, Kulkar, Brahman, Homkhandi, Purush, Lakhamo, Aairo and Mharingan, of whom the goddess Lairai—considered to be an incarnation of goddess

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi ...

—is treated with particular reverence. The official Goa Tourism site describes the festival thus:

In the early hours of the morning when the fire has died down, the raking of the coals begins. The devotees await their turn to walk on the holy path of hot coals. Around 4 a.m., the actual ritual starts, with the devotees running through the hot coals carrying their sticks and shouting the name of Devi Lairai. As the crowd watches in stunned silence, some devotees do the 'hot run' once, others do it several times. Those who have finished their run, then remove and throw their flower garlands onto a nearby banyan tree and return home. The ''jatra'' reaches its conclusion as the sun rises in the distant hills.

GoanFestivals.in says that "One of the most looked forward event in the Hindu calendar of religious festivities is the

fire walking Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones. It has been practiced by many people and cultures in many parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating from Iron Age India . It is often used as a rit ...

held at Shirgao, near Assanora in the

Taluka."

Mining

Shirgao is also part of the

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 Karnataka ...

mining belt. The Vedanta-owned SRL, Goa and its subsidiary Sesa Mining Corporation Limited extract iron ore from 11 mining leases covering in Goa in

and Surla, both together account for approximately 90% of SRL's total estimated iron ore reserves as of 31 March 2016. The Pale-Velguem-Bicholim-Shirgao iron ore belt is part of the Surla mine.

References

External links

Rites and rituals hold centrestage at ShirgaoFacebook Shirgao ''jatra'' pageGoddess in the mine, Rajan Parrikar
{{coord, 15, 36, 15, N, 73, 54, 05, E, type:city_region:IN-GA, display=title Villages in North Goa district