Colva

Colva (Portuguese: Colvá) is a coastal village situated in the Salcete taluka, in South Goa district, of Goa state on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent. Colva Beach (Portuguese: Praia de Colvá) spans about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) along a sandy coastline of approximately 25 km (16 mi) extending from Bogmalo in the north to Cabo de Rama in the south. The village had significant importance to the Portuguese, local (Gancars) noble chardó (Kshatriya) Feudal Lords and was the retreat for Goa's high, elite and aristocratic society, who would come to Colvá for their mudança (change of air), to enjoy the private beach of the then Roiz family. Today the Portuguese area is dotted with the past elite houses and modern villas, including many ruins from more than 300 years. On weekends, huge crowds of tourists, visitors from around the world as well as local Indians, enjoy the sunset and various activities. The beach is particularly busy in October, when hordes of religious pilgrims come and visit Colvá Church, called Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Mercês (Church of Our Lady of Mercy), that was founded in AD 1630 by the Roiz family and the crown of the statue of our Lady has their family initials. The church was later modified in the eighteenth century which is located at the village square. The 1630 church construction was funded by the Roiz family, the Jesuits and the Gancars of Colluá. The local people (now called: native Colvakars) brought to Colvá by their then ruling Lords and masters (called Bhatkars). These working class local people (called Mundkars lived on the land of their respected Bhatkars) have mainly been fisherfolk in majority since the mid-16th century. Other working class (curumbins, jornaleiros) were carpenters, massons, coconut pluckers (render/padekar), field/rice cultivation labourers, bakers (poder), etc... These included gentile converts as well as migrants from various Portuguese territories in the Indian subcontinent, overseas territories such as Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, etc. as well as Portugal itself that mixed and created the diversity of today.