History of St. Cruz

St. Cruz is known for its holy emergence of people.. it has people with various religions.. but the origin of this village was seemed to be formed out of a dispute which is explained as in : Once, the villagers of Santa Cruz and Taleigao, a neighbouring village, entered into a dispute as regards to the exact boundary between both lands, the later accusing the former of encroaching into their territory. So both had agreed that they should consult an oracle on a certain day and get the solution to the problem. These days, one would sprinkle a mixture of cooked rice with the blood of a cock on the set lines between villages, amidst dancing and and beating the 'gumot' (a bongo like instrument).

Prior to the event, the villagers of Calapor went to the spot they wanted to mark as the boundary, and dug a hole there. Then they lowered a coffin with a live man in it and, after smartingly placing back the earth fill over it, they had provided a vent pipe for the man to breath. So when the moment arrived, both village leaders implored the oracle to answer their prayer. Bowing down in abeyance to Mother Earth, they waited patiently for the occult decision. A long silence prevailed. They kept repeating " To whom does this land belong?". And from the depths of the earth a faint voice replied: "Calapor!Calapor!Calapor!" to the joy and exultation of the Calaporkars. Sadly and frustrated, the Talaleigaokars accepted the veredict and went home. Everyone in Calapor merried the whole night - and totally forgot the poor man inside the coffin! They returned the next day to the spot to dig up the coffin, only to find that the poor man had already passed away. In the coffin, they found only crawling worms. As a symbol of self punishment, so the story goes, each man took a worm and placed it in his hip belt (this coined the term 'bendecho kiddo' or 'hip worm'). On that very spot, tradition says, stands 'Almacho Khuris' (Souls Cross) - the cross that has been marking the boundary after Christianity replaced traditional symbols.

The Almacho Khuris (Souls Cross) in St. Cruz

In my next post i shall share more details about St. Cruz. Till then... Thank You