A cultural treasure in the woods

It’s a quiet nook deep in the woods. On the banks of a rivulet in Barabhoomi in Sancorda village in Goa’s eastern Dharbandora taluka, many a visitor to this supremely pristine spot finds themselves in union with nature and the supreme creator. It is no wonder, then, that this emerald green piece of land, within the confines of the Bhagwan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary and not too far from the 12th century Mahadev temple at Tambdi Surla, is being eyed by all and sundry.
In ancient times, perhaps there were settlements in the area, which is rich in biodiversity. Today, though, both foreign as well as domestic tourists enjoy the tranquility of the Barabhoomi area, especially the basalt Mahadev temple, which is the oldest in Goa. While the area retains its rustic charm, recently there have been some moves to develop the area—for instance, Sukdow Gaonkar, a retired official of the water resources department and secretary of Mahadev temple, suggested setting up a botanical garden in the village, since it’s visited by a number of species of birds and butterflies.

Not too far away from the iconic temple lies Barabhoomi, idyllically located along the Ragada tributary. Two small temples, one of Betal and Vetal and the other of Aathali Bhumika, stand side by side at the site. The temple of Betal and Vetal is considered unique in the state. “In Goa, most talukas have temples of either Betal or Vetal, but only this one has both (Betal and Vetal) under one roof,” says Gaonkar alias Dadi, secretary of the temple.
“The temple is over 400 years old,” says Gaonkar. “It was shifted to its present place (Dhargem in Tambdi Surla village) in the 16th century to survive the iconoclasm by the erstwhile Portuguese rulers. Since Dhargem was covered with thick forest, Tambdi Surla was out of the reach of the Portuguese.”
The temple earlier used to be at Mandrem in Goa’s northern Pernem taluka. “After the Portuguese conquered Goa, our ancestors migrated to Tambdi Surla (which presently comes under the Bhagwan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary area) with the lords Betal and Vetal, and the associated deity, Aathali Bhumika,” he said.
The village that now houses the temples has eight wards, and here’s how they came about. Amar Gaonkar, a resident of the village, said that eight of their ancestors migrated to Tambdi Surla and settled in different clusters of the village. “These are now turned into eight wards—Dhargem, Tambdi, Keri, Matkan, Boriyal, Bottar, Surla and Toldem,” he says. Amar Gaonkar continues: “Our ancestors constructed two tiny mud-walled temples at Dhargem, and installed the idols of Betal and Vetal in one, and the Aathali Bhumika idol in the other. Besides, they also placed eight stones on a platform outside the temple, representing the eight ancestors (the ones who migrated), which are now worshipped by devotees.”
Etymologically, ‘Aath’ means eight, and this, ‘Aathali Bhumika’ means the goddess of eight wards. Village elders appeared not to be aware why their village is called Barabhoomi, which literally means ‘the twelve lands’.
While Shree Betal is worshipped in the form of Shiva (or warrior god), Shree Vetal is worshipped as a ghost god. In Hindu mythology, a Vetal is a ghost-like being. Vetals are spirits that inhabit corpses and charnel grounds. These corpses may be used by the Vetals as vehicles for their movement. Vetals, though, may leave the body at will.
While Betal and Vetal are two different entities, some believe it’s one deity separated by pronunciation, as the letter B is pronounced as V in some languages, and vice versa. “But we have the Betal-Vetal idol here in our temple,” says Dadi. “It is monolithic (carved out from a single stone). The idols are in standing position and both are attached at the feet. These kind of idols aren’t seen anywhere else in Goa.”
While the deities are not famous among Goans, Dadi claims several devotees from Kumta, Karnataka, flock to seek blessings from the deities every year. “They claim that the Betal-Vetal idols are their family gods.” Many of these devotees were originally from Goa but migrated to Karnataka during Portuguese rule.
Now, while the idols are very old, some are thinking of replacing them with new idols, as also the reconstruction or renovation of the temples. These issues will be on the agenda when the committee meets later this month.
Dadi says the temple is the village’s cultural capital—the main place of civilization, and thus has been surveyed under No.1. The temple committee has been thinking of demanding the adjoining land from the state government for development of the temple premises.
But that hasn’t been done yet. Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar told STOI that the temple committee hasn’t yet approached him with the request. “If they want the land for a social cause, I will try to get it from the government,” he said.