Village of Volvoi: The temples, the Zatra and the festivities
By: Lara Pereira Naik
Tags: Zatra, Tari Commuunity, Goa, Festivals, Volvoi

With the winter setting in and the December nights becoming colder the Hindu community in Goa is busy celebrating the Zatras (annual temple festivals) in the temples of their Kul Devata (Family God), Gram Devata (ancestral village God) or the Gaonvchi Zatra (the festival of the temple in the town/village of their present residence). The end of the Diwali season in November heralds the beginning of the season of Zatras in all the temples across Goa.

All of us in Goa have heard of the well known Fatorpa Zatra and the Shirgaon Zatra, thanks to the Konkani song Jhila ani Lila (Jhila and Lila) by the renowned Goan actor and singer M. Boyer. In this song, Boyer and Sophiya croon to the melodious music by the world acclaimed musician Chris Perry, the beautiful lyrics about attending in unison the Zatras of Fatorpa and Shirgaon along with some other festivals in Goa.

For most of us, a Zatra means a temple festival when the Hindu devotees take darshan (paying obeisance) of the temple deity on that auspicious day, participate in the Rath (chariot) pulling ceremony or Palkhi (palanquin) ceremony of the deity. Besides this, the Zatra is also comprised of a feiri (village fair) in the temple premises with some stalls selling the tasty khaje (local sweet made from gram flour and sugarcane jaggery) and other stalls selling useful items and home appliances. But, recently I got to know, that in some specific village temples, for certain Hindu communities a Zatra is much more than what we all seem to know and there are many customs and traditions attached to the celebration.

Trupti Tari dressed in a kapod ( nine-yard saree) in the traditional style

On the 4th of December 2021, on my visit to our family friends Mr Tukaram Tari and his wife Trupti in Vasco, I saw Trupti dressed in a nine-yard saree, a kapod (cotton/ silk saree) in the age-old traditional way which is known as kashin nessop (the saree is draped like a dhoti). She had donned a fulanchi atti / fanthi (flowers plaited together) in her hair and was clad in jewellery. On asking Trupti the reason for being dressed up this way, I got to know from her about the Volvoi Zatra of Devi Gajant Laxmi (local village Goddess) and the various customs observed there. Volvoi is the ancestral village of Mr Tari and both of them had just arrived home after attending the Zatra of their Gram Devi (ancestral village Goddess). This Zatra was held on that very auspicious day of Kartiki Amavasya (the new moon night of the month of Kartika of the Hindu Shakya calendar). Mr Tukaram Tari told me that, on this Zatra day all the villagers of Volvoi not only take darshan (pay obeisance) of the Goddess Gajant Laxmi, but also pay a visit and respect to the local deities in the other temples of Goddess Sateri, Kulpurush Deol (temple of the ancestral head of each family) and Rampurush Deol (temple of the village Saviour).

The quaint village of Volvoi is close to the banks of the River Mandovi in Ponda taluka and about thirteen kilometres away from the main town of Ponda. Interesting folklore about this village is that it was created from separate regions of land which were getting flooded with the river water. These separate low lying regions were connected together by the building of bundhs (dams). This is locally known as vholl /vollh ghalop. Thus the village got the name Volvoi. Years later these bundhs developed khavte (cracks) and once again the village started getting flooded with water. At that time one of the Purvaj (ancestor) from the village approached a close relative in the neighbouring village of Betki for his advice to stop this problem. The said relative asked the Purvaj to offer human life as an offering/sacrifice (which was a practice of a traditional custom in that era) to the bundh to put a stop to the khavte (cracks). A local young lad was offered as a sacrifice to save the village and the problem is supposed to have got solved. Since then, this young Saviour of the village whose name was Ram began to be worshipped by the villagers. They built a small temple named Rampurush Deol (temple) in his memory close to the banks of the River Mandovi. During any of the religious festivals and on the day of the Volvoi Zatra, all the villagers pay their respect to this Rampurush as a form of gratitude.

The original natives of Volvoi belong to the Tari (boatmen) community. This Tari (boatmen) community, owned small boats and carried the trade of transporting logs of timber and other commodities and even people in their boats along the River Mandovi river to distant places. They would transport the commodities to places like Khandepar, Chodnem located on the river banks as well as to the various towns in the coastal areas in Goa which included Panaji and Vasco. Sometimes, two boats were tied together to form a sangodd in order to ferry more logs in a single trip. During the Portuguese regime (Goa was liberated from this regime in 1961) in Goa, a Tari Sociedad (society) was formed in Volvoi to carry out this business of timber transportation as it was the main source of income to the villagers.

Tukaram Tari narrated to me that it is believed that initially, only four main families of the Tari community resided in Volvoi. The heads of these four Tari families are the Kulpurush (main ancestors). These ancestral heads came to be known as Vhodlo (eldest one), Mhodlo (middle one), Dhaklo (youngest one) and the Bhandari Kulpurush. Four mini temples in the village have been dedicated to these Kulpurush. Tukaram Tari and his family members are the descendants of the Bhandari Kul and hence they pay obeisance in the temple of the Bhandari Kulpurush on various religious occasions which also includes the Volvoi Zatra.

[Note: This Bhandari Kulpurush is different from the Bhandari Samaj which is another special community amongst the Hindus in Goa.]

Just like most of the villages in Goa, Volvoi has a local ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Sateri. Sater means a roin (an anthill) which was worshipped by the early Goan ancestors and later on came to be known as Shantadurga in some places. It is this Goddess Sateri of Volvoi who gave shelter in her own vatar (area) to Goddess Gajant Laxmi who came to this village from some other distant land. The Goddess Gajant Laxmi is known by this name as the idol of Laxmi Devi is flanked by Gajas (elephants), one each on either side who are seen with raised trunks showering water on her.

The idol of the Goddess Gajant Laxmi is flanked by Elephants on either side. ( Copyright: The Facebook group of Shri Gajant Laxmi Saunsthan-Volvoi, Goa)

There are different folklore about the arrival of the Goddess Gajant Laxmi to this riverside village of Volvoi. Some folks believe that the original idol of this Goddess was found in one of the boats of a Tari, who came back to the village after delivering the timber to a neighbouring place. The villagers believed the idol to be of Goddess Kelbai and that she had come on her own to settle down in Volvoi. After noticing that the idol was not of Kelbai but was of Goddess Gajant Laxmi they built a temple for her in the village. Whereas Tukaram Tari has a different tale that has been narrated to him by his ancestors. According to his tale, Devi Gajant Laxmi was originally from a place named Unchgao in Kolhapur and is supposed to have been brought to Goa from that place. Initially, she was kept in a place named Rumad in Ponda taluka and later on brought to Volvoi. A temple was built for her by the Tari community of this village. The existing temple of the Goddess Gajant Laxmi is about 126 years old and since it was built by the Tari community, they are the Mahajans (owners) of it. Since then the Murthy Punarprathishthapan (ceremony of replacement of the idol of the Goddess) has been performed thrice. The last time this ceremony was performed was in May 1995 when the temple had completed a century.

Sticker issued by the temple committee dated 15th May 1995 commemorating the completion of 100 years of the temple and the third idol replacement ceremony ( Copyright: Shree Gajant Laxmi Saunsthan, Volvoi, Goa)

About a couple of years ago the existing original temple has been extended and a new Sabha Mandap (a meeting hall) and a grand entrance have been added to accommodate more people during the temple festivities. Also, the Kalash (dome) of the temple has been renovated.

The Gajant Laxmi temple in Volvoi with the extended Sabha Mandap on the left and the new Kalash (dome). (Copyright : Abhilash Halarnker )

Every year to honour and thank the Goddess Gajant Laxmi for having brought prosperity to the village on her arrival, the villagers of Volvoi celebrate the temple Zatra on the auspicious day of Kartiki Amavasya (full moon night in the month of Kartika). On this day, the Palkhi (palanquin) ceremony of the Goddess starts at seven-thirty in the morning. First, the aarti (religious ritual of worship) and the other rituals of the Goddess are performed and she is seated in the Palkhi which is carried by the Mahajans belonging to the Tari community. The Palkhi is taken out for paying respect to the other ancient temples located in the vicinity. This procession is accompanied by the Bhatt (temple priest), a Vajantri (band of local musical instruments) and hundreds of Savashins (married women) carrying a fully lit divaj. A divaj is a two-layered traditional tree lamp made from brass which used to be made from clay in the olden days.

[Note: Divaj is Goa’s official state symbol].

A brass divaj ( traditional two-layered tree lamp) with a handle for holding

For participating in the ritual of Divaja at the Zatra, all the Savashins (married women) are dressed in a kapad (a nine-yard saree) in the traditional kashin style. They are decked in gold jewellery and adorn their hair with a fulanchi fanthi (weaved flowers). Each of them comes with a divaj in the hand and oil to light it. This divaj is lit by a Mahajan and given to the Savashin. The Savashin first goes with the lighted divaj to her respective family Kulpurush (ancestor) temple to pay respect to him and comes back to join in the procession of the Palkhi going to the Sateri temple. On the way, all of them halt to pay respect at a Gram Purush (village ancestral head) temple. Then the Palkhi procession proceeds to the temple of Goddess Sateri to pay respect to her as a mark of gratitude for having given shelter to the Devi Gajant Laxmi. Near this temple, the newly married women join in the procession along with their husbands. These newlyweds are initiated by the Bhatt for the first time in the ritual of Divaja. Then the entire procession returns back to the temple of Gajant Laxmi where the Palkhi is kept in the temple hall for the rest of the devotees to pay obeisance while the Mahajans light the lamps on the Deepasthambha (tower for lamps) outside the temple. Each of the Savashins performs the aarti of the Goddess holding the divaj and takes five Pradakshina (circumvent) around the temple. After the Pradakshinas all of them go to pay their respect to the Rampurush temple which is located close to the banks of the river. They pluck small twigs of the Paripat (a small wild medicinal herb) shrubs growing there and adorn them in the hair as a symbolic token of completion of the annual Divaja ritual. After this, they all disburse to have their meals as they had been fasting and then indulge in some shopping in the mini feiri (fair) which is held in the area around temple premises.

Trupti Tari, who always attends the annual Zatra, says that all the Savashins have to observe an Upvas (a fast) right from the previous day (eve of Amavasya) in order to perform the ritual of Divjaa. They break the Upvas and have a proper meal only after the completion of the Divaja at the Zatra. Further, she explained the interesting initiation process of the newly married Savashin into this ritual of Divaja for whom it starts from the first Zatra soon after marriage. In the first year of marriage, the Savashin participates in the Divaja along with her husband and the couple is called Ghatval. The Ghatval couple joins the Palkhi procession at the Sateri temple only after the Bhatt performs some special initiation rituals and lights the divaj for them. The couple together holds the divaj and joins the Palkhi procession returning back to the temple of Gajant Laxmi where the husband moves out of the procession while the wife joins the rest of the Savashins in completing the Pradakshina and other rituals of Divaja. Subsequently, from the next year of marriage, the Savashin participates alone (not with the husband like the previous year) in the Divaja of the Zatra along with the other women.

The Savashins waiting in the temple of Devi Gajant Laxmi for participating in the Divaja ritual (Picture credit to Tejas Tukaram Tari)

This ritual of Divaja is performed by Savashins belonging to other Hindu communities too at some other temple Zatras across Goa celebrated on other auspicious days. The village temples of Amona, Alorna and Khandepar celebrate their annual Zatra with Divaja on the same day as the Volvoi Zatra. Trupti mentioned to me that all over Goa, twelve places including Volvoi celebrate their annual Zatra on this auspicious day of Kartiki Amavasya and it is known as the day of Bara Zatra(twelve Zatras).

On the night of the Volvoi Zatra, a Kalo festival is held near the Gajant Laxmi temple. The young men from the village along with the seniors participate in this Kalo, wherein a special stage is erected in the temple premises for conducting the same. At this stage, a scene known as Ganesh Vandana depicting Lord Ganesh with his two consorts Riddhi and Siddhi is enacted. This act is followed by the performance of a teen anki Pouranik Natak (a three-act play based on the Puranas which are the ancient scriptures of the Hindu religion). The entire village comes to see this Natak as it is a source of learning the Puranas and entertainment. The dramatists of Volvoi are well known far and wide for being good at performing on stage. Master Dattaram Walwaiker who belongs to the Tari community of Volvoi was well acclaimed in the theatre world in Mumbai. He was known for performing and directing plays in the Marathi language. Another dramatist named Narhari Volvoikar whose grandfather was a Tari from Volvoi also started his acting career over here before gaining fame far and wide. So one can conclude that the performance at the Natak (drama) in the Kalo at the Volvoi Zatra is a launchpad for the local dramatists to hone their acting skills.

Master Dinanath Walwaiker (Copyright: Akashwani Mumbai)

Besides having the honour of carrying the Palkhi of Devi Gajant Laxmi in the Volvoi Zatra, the men belonging to the Tari community in Volvoi enjoy the same honour in the Zatra of Devi Vijaya Durga at Keri, a village in the neighbourhood of Volvoi. A young and cheerful relative of mine named Geet Gaurish Naik, whose maternal Kuldevi (ancestral Goddess) is Vijay Durga in Keri, informed me about this Zatra held on the auspicious day of Dashmi, Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha month (tenth day of the waxing moon of the Margashirsha). On this day the Tari community from Volvoi has been bestowed the special honour of carrying the Palkhi of Devi Vijaya Durga and all of them are served special food by the temple priest himself. This respect is given to them as a form of gratitude for having done the favour of ferrying the Goddess Vijay Durga to Keri village in ancient times. This year, the Keri Zatra was celebrated on the 13th of December 2021.

After the celebration of the Zatra of Gajant Laxmi this year, the entire family of Tukaram Tari and all the descendants of the Bhandari Kulpurush got the opportunity to celebrate the Nutan Murthi Pratisthapana Sohala (function of installation of new idol) of the Bhandari Kulpurush. This was held on the 25th and the 26th of December 2020 and comprised of a grand function of performing the religious rituals and worshipping of the new idol.

Trupti and Tukaram Tari told me that December was a month of total enjoyment for them as they participated in the festivities of Volvoi Zatra as well as the function of the Bhandari Kulpurush temple. Now they are looking forward to the unique Volvoi Gondall which will be held in the month of March. Meanwhile, for the rest of the Goan Hindus, the Zatra season will continue as they celebrate the forthcoming Zatras of their own Kul devatas (family Gods) and Gram devatas (village Gods).