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THE VILLAGE
OF ANJUNA
The saga of Anjuna lays claim to great
antiquity. It harks back to times remote when Bhumika Devi,
primitive earth-goddess reigned supreme in her temple by the
sacred tolem; the god Vetal in the vicinity near the pond of
devadasis. The story tells of installation of the swayambu or
self-generated deity of Siddeshwar in Cainsua by the Reddi
Raja of Revatidvipa in 659A.D. In the tenth century a brisk
trade in noble stallions, shipped in dhows for cavalry
regiments of the Deccan via the port of Shahpura, gave this
flourishing Arab commercial settlement the name hanjamana.
Evolving into Hanzun it was one of twelve villages where
Saraswats swooped and cultivated, setting off gory feuds with
the original dwellers. Linked by natural waterways, Anjuna
became a thriving hub of ship-building and fishing, while
traditional crafts like making mud pottery,rope and
liquor continued apace. Bullock carts transporting
agricultural produce and other goods from port to market-place
plied on uneven red mud roads with an occasional dovarne to
relieve the humble head-loader of his burden.
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PANORAMA
The magnificent vista of a great blue
canopy of sky above and a lush green valley below –  that is Anjuna from a bird’s eye
view! Ringed in by low brown-red hills of Baga, Arpora, Parra,
Assagao and Siolim, opening only in the west to the golden
sandy stretch of beach, this five-square mile hamlet nestles
within a natural barricade of sea and hill. It does resemble a
giant bowl in diverse shades of green, criss-crossed by wide
tarmac tracks, the russet ribbon of rural roads and the
scintillating shimmer of snaky streams. Acres and acres of
paddy-fields in neat square chunks are interspersed by woody
clumps of mango and coconut groves that cleverly camouflage
human dwellings. But, set on a rocky promontory overlooking
the waters of the Arabian Sea, almost defiantly the ancient
fortress of Chapora stands majestic in its ruins.
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FORTRESS OF CHAPORA
Because of its strategic position at
the border, the ancient watchtower fortress served as a
formidable bastion against the enemy - even when the region
came under the sway of the Portuguese conquistadores in the
sixteenth century! Retaining its tunnels and secret escape
routes, Chapora, as they began to call it, was rebuilt and
fortified with turrets by Conde de  Ericeira in 1717 to became the venue of constant
battle. How the hills reverberated to the thump of galloping
hordes of Maratha horsemen ravaging the countryside and
terrorizing the local population! A mute witness to the
ultimate overthrow of the Bhonsles, until annexation of border
principalities a whole century later, Chapora served as a
place of refuge to villagers vulnerable to attack; and it
remained the prestigious northern outpost of Portuguese domain
in Goa.
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CHURCH OF ST.MICHAEL 
With the conquerors came various
Portuguese missionaries to spread the Gospel. In 1603 the
Franciscans erected a massive church in Anjuna dedicated to
St. Michael, the Archangel. Rebuilt in 1717 on the model of
the famous contemporary Mannerist styled Se Cathedral of Old
Goa, this outstanding landmark is a most interesting specimen
of colonial architecture of the sixteenth century. Its baroque
interior presents a gorgeous glimpse of Portugal’s glorious
era of exuberance and gold leaf glitter. The people of the village have
in their own way kept adding to the adornments of this
beautiful house of God. This village church has been the
vibrant hub of existence, selflessly ministering to the many
homes spread around it for miles. It has nurtured musical
talent and kept aglow the torch of learning, so evident in the
two high schools it has. This year having marked the peak of
its fourth centennial anniversary, it has launched out a most
unique programme to culminate in a true Communion of
Communities.
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CHAPELS
Like every other village in Goa
wayside crosses and shrines dot Anjuna’s placid scenario. They
started as the venue of folk gatherings and later evolved into
chapels that complement the church. At times a private chapel
sprouted near the ancestral home of a priest who stayed with
his family and served the people. In such a far-flung parish
the chapels proved a boon to the old and the infirm living a
distance from the church. Under its special direction the
church of St. Michael has six chapels spread out in different
wards. Charmingly retaining still the Portuguese name of their
dedication, the oldest dating back to 1697 is Nossa Senhora da
Necessidade at Cainsua.  Nossa Senhora da Saude began in 1735 as a private
chapel of the Mascarenhas family of Mazalvaddo while Nossa
Senhora da Piedade originated in 1844 adjacent to the Campos
home in Chinvar. Santa Cruz is at Chapora and S. Joao Baptist
in Sonarvaddo while S. Antonio has lent its name to Praias, a
lovely stretch of beach.
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PEDRA de MALDICAO
Almost unknown among the ancient
monuments of Anjuna is a grim reminder of the days of the
Inquisition in Goa. An enigma to many, it is what historical
records call A Pedra de Maldicao/ Accursed Stone. Indelibly
etched on the six-foot granite monolith, long shattered by the
elements in two, and no longer erect, is the spine-chilling
legend of a murderous assault by some persons in Bamonvaddo on
a defenceless Portuguese priest who was visiting the area. His
principal, adhering to the currently harsh dictum, had ordered
a Brahmin widow to bring her posthumous child to the church
for baptism. The stone records also how, as punishment, the
guilty were sent to the galleys, their houses destroyed, their
fields rendered infertile. And it ends with a severe warning.
Today candle stumps and charred agarbatti articulate
reverence, or fear, of the locals to whom it has become a
shrine of sorts. However, rather than arouse aggressive
sentiments, the presence of this monument in our midst should
serve to highlight our crying need for greater sensitivity and
inter-communal harmony.
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MANSIONS
Some extremely charming old villas in
Anjuna mirror the grandeur and grace of Goa at the close of
the eighteenth century. Yet, certain architectural features of
their interior like secret trap doors and underground recesses
reveal the turbulence of those same times. With a highly
ornamental coat of arms emblazoned on its threshold: Fidalgo
Cavaleiro de Casa Real, an array of portraits of decorated
 ancestors, and an immense
dance-hall with mezzanine floor for the orchestra, the
gracious Gama-Pinto residence on the Assagao border certainly
showcases a bygone era of opulence and ease. So also does the
family seat of Caetano Diogenes Mascarenhas, Visconde de Damao
in Mazalvaddo - replete with Chinese screens, crystal
chandeliers and antique carved rosewood furniture, which is an
epitome of elegance. But who could fail to be impressed by the
stately fairytale castle on the road to Vagator - a miniature
of the palace of the Sultan of Zanzibar - built in the last
century by the celebrated Dr. Manoel Francisco de Albuquerque?
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CELEBRITIES
A galaxy
of intellectuals and individuals outstanding in diverse
spheres have been nurtured by Anjuna.  The man who made a distinct contribution to
Goa’s freedom struggle was the late Prof. Lucio Rodrigues of
Chinvar. In the past certain families conspicuously kept
producing a string of celebrities; sometimes even more than
one. Such is the De Souza family of Grande Chinvar, which gave
Goa its Chief Minister for two terms.
Dr.Wilfred
A. de Souza was renowned as a leading surgeon even
before he started his political career. His brother Fr.
Romualdo de Souza S.J., is best known for founding several
academic institutions in many parts of India. Currently he is
Founder-Director of Goa Institute of Management. Arcanjo
Mascarenhas, also of Chinvar, better known as “Masci”, became
a legend in his lifetime as one who worked his way up from
kitchen boy to an outstanding Chef of the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Another son of Anjuna, Placido P. de Souza of Praias de S.
Antonio, has been India’s Ambassador. Writer and cartoonist,
after retirement he brought out a prestigious illustrated
quarterly journal India Digest which globally highlighted
various aspects of India’s progress.
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Fr. AGNELO de
SOUZA
 Many know Anjuna today as
the birthplace of the saintly Agnelo Gustav de Souza who in
all probability will shortly be raised to the altar. His
ancestral home has already become a place of pilgrimage. Born
at Sonarvaddo on 21 January 1869 to Miguel Arcanj de Souza and
Maria Sinforosa Magalhaes, Agnelo lived along with his seven
brothers and an only sister. He attended the local primary
Portuguese school and after further study joined the seminary
of Rachol. Meanwhile he lost his parents one after the other.
Drawn to the Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier at Pilar
he was ordained a priest of that order. In the course of his pastoral duties his eloquence
in preaching and his sympathetic attitude in the confessional
became known and he was called conduct missions all over Goa.
In fact, he died in harness, as a result of a stroke while on
the pulpit at Rachol. Fr. Agnelo’s exceptional humility and
virtue are an inspiration and favours have been wrought
through his intercession.
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BEACHES
 The lovely long
stretch of virgin beach at Vagator used to draw people from
all over Goa during the languid summer spell to come chase
away the prickly heat, aches and pains with a glorious dip in
the blue waters. Hotels were undreamt of, but entire families
camped in the homes of friends along the shoreline or pitched
makeshift shacks with palm frond roofs that provided shade
from the fiery sun. They drank pure cool water from the
sparkling springs of Ozran which itself is a quaint and
enchanting cove. The solitary seaside villages of Cainsua
and Chapora provided a
rich variety of seafood including chinaniois - the
mouthwatering mussel for which Anjuna is still famous! To
climb up the craggy rocks to the ruined fortress, or to Baga
on the other side, or more adventurously to cross the choppy
sea in a loppy odhem and explore the wonder of Morjim beach
with its wild seagull sanctuary, were delights unimaginable!
While the elders sat to drink, chat and make matches, many a
romance budded beneath the stars at night.
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HOTEL
INDUSTRY
Only after Goa’s liberation, with an
eye for scenic beauty and tranquility, the hippies were the
first outsiders to discover paradise in Goa’s virgin beaches.
Overnight Anjuna Beach, with its jutting rocks once the
peaceful haven of anglers, landed on the international tourist
map. With innate Goan hospitality every second home near the
beaches turned into a guesthouse; gradually restaurants, bars
and dormitories mushroomed into existence.
The Flea
Market came to stay: If it’s Wednesday, it must be Anjuna!
Along came a babel of tongues, skins of all hues in dress and
undress drug pedalling, nudism, sex orgies, midnight moonlight
rave parties on the beach, raucous music blaring all hours.
The character of the village transformed; yet more tourists
rained in… the hotel industry flourished, better roads,
houses, buses and banks, cyber cafes, more jobs. Yet, what of
the moral damage? Even school children are victims to drug and
child abuse. Happily KRIPA Foundation in Casa Manoel Francisco
de Albuquerque rehabilitates addicts.
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TRANSPORT
The earliest form of village transport
used to be the humble bullock cart. A few in Anjuna were
privileged to own horse-drawn carriages, which they kept using
till the advent of the motor-car. Most of the affluent
families owned a machila or two. Of eastern usage, this
palanquin shamefully required a couple or more servants or
slaves to lift it on their shoulder. Even the church had its machila for the
parish-priest to make his rounds of the village. But for the
middle class almost till the middle of the twentieth century
the only option was the hired “match-box”, drawn by a pair of
bullocks and true to its name in size and shape. But by then
the camiao had also come on the scene. The only form of
organised public transport under the Portuguese, this brassy
contraption of a bus with a blaring horn, was made for twenty
but obligingly halted on request to accommodate double that
figure. During the 1920s the Gama Pintos and Mascarenhas
sported the first private cars in the village. A regular taxi
service also began with a man known as “Potto”. Since
liberation, roads have improved vastly and a never-ending
fleet of buses, cars and motorbikes ply constantly.
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