When Olive Ridleys swam to the land of goddess Morjai

GOA: Peacock-shaped Morjim village in Pernem taluka, whose beach is famous as an Olive Ridley turtle nestling site, is a very special coastal village of Goa due to its

geographic features

.



Morjim, also spelt as Morgim, is surrounded by two

water bodies

, the Arabian Sea and the Chapora river on one hand, and the Chapora hill on the other.

“Morjim evokes in me the imagery of an enchanted place - the land of my ancestors, the meeting point of a tri-junction. Where land meets a river and a sea under the watchful eye of the Chapora hill on which the lies the Chapora fort,” says retired captain Geraldo Fernandes of Temb Vaddo.

Centuries ago, like the neighbouring village of Mandrem, Morjim, too, was home to many Muslims who left the village when Pernem was added as a new conquest by the Portuguese in the 18th century. “A number of properties still carry names that denote a Muslim connection such as ‘Piranchem Khazan’. Legend has it that Morjim was a trading post for bringing in Arabian horses,” says Fernandes.

According to mythology, the term ‘Morjim’ owes its origin to the name of a girl who was transformed into a village goddess after she wasrescued from drowning and given shelter in the village by a local deity. “Morjim is derived from ‘Morjai’ who was one of the eight siblings (7 sisters and 1 brother) of a poor family hailing from Shirgao, Bicholim. Morjai’s parents had passed away and she was punished by her elder sister Lairai, for disobeying her, by throwing her into the river/sea.

Morjai

was saved by the deity, Satpurush, who brought her to a hill in the village, locally known as ‘Khind’. Even Our Lady of Milagres is one of the six sisters of Morjai,” says Ramnath Pawar of Modhlovaddo.

Like other Goan villages, Morjim is also facing an onslaught of concretization. “Morjimkars (residents of Morjim) should leave a lasting legacy for posterity and should not sell the land to outsiders,” says Cyril Fernandes, a resident of Temb Vaddo.

The village traditionally has its own gaunkari/village comunidade. It also has a nine-ward panchayat. Its traditional wards are Vitthaldas Vaddo, Gaude Wada, Munang Wada, Mardi Wada, Neu Wada, Dhabolkar Wada, Molekar Wada, Urmalbag, Warcha Wada, Bhati, Watha Wada, Deul Wada, Poke Wada, Naroji Wada, Bhattir, Varna Wada, Bhag Wada, Shirodkar Wada, Kannaik Wada, Temb Vaddo, Modhlo Vaddo, Kanchole Vaddo, Katte Wada, Bandekar and Pandir Wada.



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