Where shrines are cut out of a single rock

Khandepar

is a unique village. The village not only shares its name with the river flowing from the Dudhsagar waterfalls, but is also home to three protected state monuments.


Khandepar has rock-cut caves, the Shri Saptkoteshwar Temple and a Shivling (representation of Lord Shiva) dating back eight centuries. In modern times, Khandepar’s Opa water supply works quenches the thirst of the talukas of Ponda and Tiswadi.

“Khandepar is a very distinct village of Goa because of its special attributes of geography and culture,” states Suresh Anant Satarkar of Panchami.

Village chroniclers like Suresh and Ganpat Shripad Gobre of Opa believe that “‘Khand is 20 and Par is dry land. Hence, there were 20 patches of dry land that used to appear in the Khandepar river to cross it from the village to Usgao. But, today no such dry lands are visible.”

On the other hand, Carlos Fernandes, of Campa, cites two writers on the etymology of the term ‘Khandepar’. Anant Ramakrishna Sinai Dhume, in his article ‘Gomantakachaya Vasahtichi Ruprasheha, published in the 1973-released book ‘Gomantakachi Pratima’ states that it is derived from the term ‘Kudanpar’ (a river flowing between two lands).

Pandurang Nagvekar, in his 2018-released book ‘Gomantakachi Matrabhasha’ says that the word ‘Khandepar’ is derived from Khategram or Khatgram.

The village, which has 20% of its land under forest area and houses a spice plantation and an amusement park, is home to around 5,000 persons. Khandepar is bordered by the four villages of Curti, Betora, Usgao and Vagurme on one hand and Khandepar river on the other.

Historically and traditionally, Khandepar has its own village comunidade/gaunkari called the Comunidade of Candeapar. After 1963, it was given a panchayat which it shares with Curti, which also has its own village comunidade/gaunkari. The traditional wards of Khandepar are Opa, Campa, Kadsal, Kerlem, Panchami, Nandan, Murdi, Bag, Nallakond, Mettar and Angdi.