Chorao is an island along the river Mandovi near
Panaji,
GoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
,
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The island was historically called Chudamani, meaning stunning precious stone in Sanskrit. Local legends tell of the islands emerging from diamonds that were thrown away by Yashoda the mother of Lord
KrishnaKrishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. The Islanders call it Chodan or Chodna. It was the Portuguese who called it Chorao. The Portuguese noblemen found the island a pleasurable place to live and hence the name Ilha dos Fidalgos(Island of Noblemen).
It is believed that 10 families of Goud Saraswat Brahmins were amongst the earliest settlers of this island. The island was said to be a place of learning and said to have a University of
SanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. According to the Hindu deities and Temples by Rui Pereira Gomes, the island had ancient temples of Ganesh,
RavalnathRavalnath is a very popular Shaivite deity in west coastal region of India, figuring predominantly Goa, the Sindhudurg district of coastal Maharashtra and some areas of Karnataka.-Etymology:...
, Bhaukadevi, Mallinath, Bhagwati, Devki, Santa-purush, Narayan, Kanteshwar, Chandeshwar and Dadd-sancol and also Vanadevata and Roulu on Caroi Vaddo. When the
PortugueseThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
began to forcibly Christianize the Goan islands, many Hindus fled Chudamani and shifted Hindu idols via Mayem to Naroa and Marcela.The main deity Devaki-Krishna and its associated deities of Bhumika Devi, Laxmi
RavalnathRavalnath is a very popular Shaivite deity in west coastal region of India, figuring predominantly Goa, the Sindhudurg district of coastal Maharashtra and some areas of Karnataka.-Etymology:...
, Mallinath, Katyayani, Chodaneshwar and Dhada Shankar were taken to Mayemwadem in
BicholimBicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...
and then moved to their present location at
MarcelMarcel may refer to:* Marcel , a novel by Erwin Mortier* Marcel , people with the given name Marcel* Marcel, California, in Kern County* Marcel , a German entry for Eurovision 1963People with surname Marcel:...
. The island was Christianised by the Jesuits as they did the adjoining Islands of
DivarThe island of Divar lies in the Mandovi river in the Indian state of Goa.-Location:...
and Salcete(Saxti).
On
Caroi“Karekar is a surname of the Daivajna Brahmin community, predominantly found in Goa, coastal Maharashtra, some parts of southern Maharashtra, and northern Karnataka .-History:...
Vaddo of Chorao there were temples dedicated to goddess Gaja Lakshmi and Ravalnath. The temples were on the banks or river Mandovi and situated in a forest, thus the deity was called as Vanadevata (ref Hindu Temples and Deities, Rui Gomes Pereira)
Chorao constituted of three
comunidadeThe Comunidades of Goa are a unique and age-old collective land-ownership pattern that has been predominating in the state of Goa, India.-Codified by the Portuguese:...
s.
- Ambelim - GSB and Daivajna Vangors
- Caroi
“Karekar is a surname of the Daivajna Brahmin community, predominantly found in Goa, coastal Maharashtra, some parts of southern Maharashtra, and northern Karnataka .-History:...
- 3 Daivajna Vangors
In 1552, the island of Chorao had a population of 300 Christians out of 3,000 and by this time, also had a small church which was visited by a Jesuit from St. Paul's every Sunday. In 1557, a marriage ceremony among the
ChaudarisChoudhury is a term in Indo-Aryan languages, literally meaning "holder of four". Traditionally, the term is used as a title indicating the ownership of ancestral land, but in contemporary usage it is often taken as a surname or title....
(landlords) was defiled by the presence of a Christian in disguise. After two years, this fact became known to the affected party. This time the ceremony was repeated in secret, as by now such rites had been forbidden. The event was unfortunately discovered and the guilty arrested. A village elder among them knowing very well the futility of resistance, told the magistrate, "Take whoever you want. Make all the people Christians." By the end of 1559, over 1,200 had accepted
baptismIn Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
. The following year, the first bishop from the Jesuit order, Dom Joao Nunes de Baretto set up residence in Chorao, which eventually became a Noviciate.
Most of Chorao's population converted en masse to Roman Catholicism in mid 1560 as a result of an incident which occurred in neighboring Divar. In July of that year, twenty young men were intercepted as they were headed for the mainland to illegally participate in a Ganesh puja. After spending a few days in prison, they decided to embrace Christianity. This culminated in a general baptism by August 15 and by November, the number of converts had crossed 1,500. In Chorao, the figure for the year reached 1,207 covering almost the entire population.
An edict of 1556 saw all the lands, gardens and immovables like gold and silver of the temples of the islands of Chorao, Divar, Vanxim and Jua move over to the Jesuits. The Gaonkars were warned to do all under this oath, failing which they would forfeit their properties.
A seminary called the Real Colegio de Educacao de Chorao was established in April 1761. A temple of Shri Devaki Krishna Bhumika Mallinath was rebuilt on 11 January 1934.
Amongst the Christian places of worship is the Church of St Bartholemew. The other church is the Church of Our Lady of Grace. Chorao is also home to the
Salim Ali Bird SanctuaryThe Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary located on western tip of the Island of Chorao along the river Mandovi, Goa, in India. The size of the sanctuary is 1.78 km²...
.
Hindus and Christians live peacefully today on this island.