From battleground to sports playground

Circa 1675,

Adil Shah

took on the

Maratha

rulers here. Ever since, Curti came to be remembered as a battleground. Stories of valour and bravery have been synonymous with the village. Around 350 years ago, the Shahs had a fort in Cottwada-Curti while the Marathas had stationed its fleet down at

Quela

.

This village in

Ponda

has come a long way since. From fighting battles, this land, with a population of 20,155, now houses the state’s principal dairy, the only boys sports hostel and offers important utility services from its power station.

Historically, Curti has had its own village comunidade and was one of the 28 gaunkari systems of Ponda, existing much before the arrival of the Portuguese.

Carlos Fernandes, curator of Goa Central Library and resident of neighbouring Khandepar, attempts to trace the etymology of the village name. He refers to the book People of India (Goa), edited by K S Singh. “Curti (Ponda) must have been a corrupt version of ‘Kutti’, a Kannada word meaning peak.”

Development has caught up with the village, making it easily accessible from the city. Lying around 21km from Margao and around 32km from Panaji, the once sleepy village is now teeming with housing projects. The demand for property in the area has raised land prices, making it one of the more popular areas to invest in.

Post-Liberation, the village occupies eight of the 11 wards which come under the Curti-Khandepar panchayat. These wards are numbered 4 to 11. Its traditional vaddos are Mahalasewada, Mestawada, Nagazar or Nagzari, Haveli, Cottwada, Nagamasjid, Kelbai, Copperwada, Zingdimol, Salembhat, Amrai or Gaonkarwada. Curti is surrounded by Khandepar, Bethora, Ponda and Priol.

Today the village houses some key utilities for the state. “The Goa Dairy, Key Village Scheme, Sports Authority of Goa ground and Sports Authority of India hostel have contributed immensely to the state’s economic and sporting prowess,” says

Sarita Parab

of

Krishnavihar

.

RENOWNED RESIDENTS
Late Madhav Shivram Korde, late Shivram Korde, late Dadu Vasu Naik, Manmohan Shivram Korde, Promod Shivram Korde | Freedom fighters

Late Dr Dada Vaidya | Ayurvedic doctor of the village

Dr Firoz Badesab | Scientist at National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Dona Paula

Dr Vilas Naik | Deputy director of animal husbandry

Shambu Naik, Dadu Naik, Dr Nilesh Korde | Local vaidyas (practitioners of ayurvedic medicine)
Krishna Gawade | Folk artiste

Gurudas Khedekar, Dadi Naik | Village chroniclers and panch members of Curti-Khandepar panchayat

Late Kamalakant Parab | Principal of Ameya Higher Secondary School, former sarpanch


HERITAGE TRAIL
Kelbai Devasthan
This over 100-year-old temple is frequented by devotees during Gudi Padwa.

Sateri Devasthan
Another century-old temple at Mestawada famous for its zatra in February.

Masjid-e-Noorani
This 550-year-old mosque at Nagamasjid is among the 27 mosques constructed in Ponda during the Adil Shah period. It was reconstructed in 1992 and can accommodate around 1,200 devotees at a time.

Hazrat Abdulla Khan Shaheed Dargah
The 16th century revered spot at Cottwada was constructed during the Adil Shah era. It is believed that in 1683, Sambhaji (second ruler of the Maratha empire) had granted land to the pir.

Holy Cross chapel
Although the chapel was constructed in 1997, the original cross at this spot can be dated back to the early 1970s. Since it is built at the entrance of Goa Dairy, every year on January 9 the staff get together to celebrate the chapel feast.

Ancestral house of Dr Dada Vaidya
The over 110-year-old house at Haveli vaddo was home to the famous ayurvedic doctor, Dr Dada Vaidya. Today it serves as an integrated child development services centre.

Curti canal/Nagzari Whal
The fresh water of this canal originates in Bethora and flows through major areas of the village before it drains into the Madkai main canal and reaches the Zuari.

Nagzari bridge
Constructed over the Curti canal, it links parts of the village like Nagzari vaddo, Housing Board, and Goa Dairy.

Haveli Vaddo water tank
An important spot for Ganesh Visarjan, this water body lies in ruins due to the septic tank discharge from surrounding areas.

Dada Vaidya High School
The oldest school of Curti was established at Salembhat in the mid-1980s. It caters to 600 students enrolled from classes I to X. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fatima High School, Kamaxi High School are the other schools in the village.

Key Village Scheme
In close proximity to the Goa Dairy, this centre is run by the department of animal husbandry and veterinary services. Its officials visit farmers and offer services and assistance for artificial insemination, vaccination and nutritional intake of animals.

Piggery
Another venture of the department of animal husbandry and veterinary services, it works as a demonstration centre for modern piggery management practices. It motivates farmers to take up rearing and breeding of large white Yorkshire Landrace.

SARPANCH'S TAKE
The need of the hour is to protect groundwater from contamination. Desilting of polluted water bodies will be taken up with the water resources department and the same water will be supplied through tankers during breakdown of water pipelines. Along with the commercial vehicle parking terminus, I would like to increase the revenue of the panchayat by imposing garbage tax
Santan Fernandes

RESIDENTS' SPEAK
Today, Curti is one of the populous villages of Goa, but in 1965 it was least inhabited. Fifty years ago, the price of one sqm land was just Rs 9, whereas today one sqm costs more than Rs 20,000
Gurudas Khedekar | Resident, Havli Vaddo

Curti has a sensitive ecosystem and rich biodiversity. The existence of temples, mosques and a chapel indicates that people of different religions live in peace and harmony
Firoz Badesab | Resident, Amrai Vaddo

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