Devotees throng Arambol beach to mark 'Somvari'

Mapusa: Arambol beach witnessed a mini 'Kumbh Mela' on Monday, as over 8,000 devotees took a dip in the Arabian sea to observe 'Somvari', a day on which sea water is believed to turn holy. The festival was last held in 2003.
Many tourists were taken by surprise as people from several parts of North Goa and the neighbouring villages of Maharashtra converged at Arambol beach in the wee hours of Monday to bathe in the sea.Devotees as young as 15 months and as old 80 years, thronged the beach till around 3pm to take a holy dip and seek blessings from the priests present. A number of married couples were also seen offering prayers. Oblations of bananas and coconuts to the sea god were later fished out by the devotees and eaten. Small, red-coloured beans, locally known as 'gunji', were also offered. Devotees believe that a special reverence is attached to offering these wild beans on the day of 'Somvari'.
Sources said 'Somvari' is only observed on Arambol beach despite the state having a 105-km-long coastline. As part of the ritual, village deities from various parts of Pernem taluka were also transported to Arambol on palanquins and placed within a pandal erected specially for the purpose in the vicinity of a nearby temple. Later, the idols, along with the village deity of Paliem, were taken in a 4-km-long procession to the beach and were dipped in the sea.