Divar

The island of Divar (Divar-derived from the word Dipavati or 'small Island' in Konkani) lies in the state of Goa,India.

Location

It is located approximately 10 km from Panaji(Panjim), and is approachable by ferry. The Island is connected to Old Goa on the south-east side ,Ribandar,on the south-west side and Narve on the north side, all by ferry . A launch also connects Divar to the city of Panaji from further north-west, in the village of Vanxim. The Konkan Railway passes through the village and the nearest stop to the village is the train station at Karmali.

The drive to the village is scenic, with paddy fields and wooded hills lacing the roadway, very typical of the Goan countryside. Though in a manner equally typical of modern Goa, of late the paddy fields lie fallow and overrun with weeds.

History

The Island of Divar was a famous site of Hindu pilgrimage and hosted the the ancient temples of Shree Saptakoteshwar,Shree Ganesh and Shree Dwarkeshwar besides others. These were irreversibly destroyed by Portuguese zealots in the 16th century in their drive for Christianisation of Goa. The Current Cemetry near Chrch at hiltop once housed Ganesh Temple which was razed by the Portuguese and the Hindus had to take the Ganesh Idol and rehabilate it in village of Khandola near Marcel. The ancient site of Hindu pilgrimage is called Porne Tirth (Old pilgrim spot-in Konkani) even today. Rui Gomez Pereira in his book Goan temples and deities writes, " The original temple (Of Shree Saptakoteshwar) was constructed in the 12th century by the kings of Kadamba dynasty. Shree Saptakoteshwar was the patron Deity of the Kadambas. It was destroyed by the sultan of the Deccan in the middle of the 14th century and reconstructed at the same locality by Madhav Mantri of Vijaynagar at the close of the same century. It was again destroyed by the Portuguese in 1540." The Saptakoteshwar idol was shifted to Narve in Bicholim after the destruction of the temple by the Portuguese. The present temple in Narve, Bicholim was rebuilt by ShivajiRaje Bhonsale the Great Maratha leader. A Jesuit priest Fr Francisco Sousa documented the religious importance of "Divar" in his book Oriente Conquistado (Conquest of the orient) around the latter quarter of the 16th or early 17th century. Fr. Sousa testifies that "Divar was as much venerated by the Hindu Brahmins as the Holy land by us, on account of a temple of many indulgences and pilgrimages..." Rui Gomez Pereira details further stating, "The linga of the temple, made of five metals - gold, silver, copper, iron and bronze" was later relocated in Bicholim. And on the foundations of the same temple a prayer and catechism house was constructed in 1563,

The original inhabitants of this island were people who once lived in Old Goa but had to desert during a disastrous pest that greatly reduced the population of Old Goa.

Piedade, a small village is spread at the bottom of a small forested hillock on which there is the Church of Our Lady of Compassion. The island is dotted with well maintained, elegant Portuguese villas. From the top of the hill, superb panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, including Old Goa, the capital of Goa, Panaji, the meandering Mandovi river, and the bridges across it can be seen.

Festivities

The famous Bonderam festival is celebrated in Divar on the fourth Saturday of August during the monsoon with great fanfare and attended by thousands of tourists and locals. Bonderam Festival: The festival is a memoir to the dispute and the fury of the Villagers over the Portuguese system of resolving the disputes. The villagers on the Divar Island often indulged in some kind of fight over the matter of ownership of their lands. To stop the disputes the Portuguese, put up flags at the boundaries. The villagers did not like this system. So they protested against the Portuguese by throwing stones at the flags. On this day a carnival ambience is created. Each section of the village has a float at the parade. Melodious music could be heard throughout the village. The gaily colored floats accompanied by colorfully dressed youngsters make a pretty picture.

Church bell

The huge bell which today adorns the Se Cathedral in Old Goa was originally donated by the master of a sinking ship who'd made a vow that, were he to survive his fate, he would donate the ship's bell to the first church village, town, or city his vessel touched. It so happened that that island was Divar. In keeping with his promise, he donated the bell to the church of Divar, which is located on a high hillock. Unfortunately though, every time the bell was struck, it shattered the windows of the church and the houses in the vicinity, so a deal was struck and the bell was exchanged with that of the Se Cathedral.

Temples

Divar Isand has numbe of Temples, most prominent is Shri Ganesh Sateri Temple at Sateri Bhat which also houses Khapro Ravalnath along with Sateri Mahamaya. There are two more Temples of Ganesh one at Navelim and other at Hilltop near the Church.