Alma khuris - chandor

Sheldon dias
Fybcom -B      C183216


This was just a cross in the olden days. In the 80s there were lot of desecration and vandalism of crosses and small chapels. In the year 1982 on the eve of ‘All souls Day’ a Hindu Krishna Gabo Bandodkar began building this cross and was joined by late Fidelis and other villagers in the dead of the night. Krishna’s effort is today proclaimed as the ‘true secular attempt to break the then trend of mischief perpetuated on this day’. These words are engraved on the stone on the compound of the cross.


Alma Khuris was initially constructed on the eve of All Souls Day in the year 1982 by Krishna alias Gabo Bandodkar along with his friend Fidelis D’Silva to provide solace to people who were frightened of reported spirits’ presence there. Subsequently the cross was shifted to its present location.Chapel at Cavorim was also vandalized. This cross  has a history of being built by a Hindu whose wife was claimed to be barren being blessed by children after constructing the cross. The person who built this cross is none other than the grandfather of Krishna Bandodkar who built the Alma Khuris.


The Iconic Alma Khuris at Cavorim was vandalized  on the intervening night of October 18 and 19 making this the third time when the cross has been desecrated. Residents of Cavorim who were trudging to the Chandor mount to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Piety were shocked to see the vandalized cross in the early morning.

This is the third time the cross has been vandalized. The last time it was vandalized was in 2010 where along with the Cross, the bandstand near the church and the cross at the altar at the cemetery was also vandalized.


Incidentally the concrete seal installed by Maria Menino Nunes near his general store at Mena Cavorim was also vandalized on the same night. Being a concrete structure the miscreants found it difficult to damage the seal and only its face was damaged. Significantly in 2010 the terra cotta dolphin installed by Mr. Nunes at the same spot was also vandalized.

At around 1 am former Sarpanch of Chandor Cavorim Derrick Braganza passed by Alma Khuris and it was intact. According to Mr. Nunes’s neighbor Joaquim alias Jack Mascarenhas, he heard a weird sound at around 3 pm which makes one conclude that the vandalism took place at that time.
Significantly, despite many protests those responsible for the vandalisation in 2010 have not been identified as yet and there is not much hope that even in the present case the police will make much headway.


Feast of Alma khuris is celebrated by people

Holy cross - baradi

Malaika Fernandes
Fybcom - B C183227

Our blog is on crosses of Goa and I would like to speak specifically about the holy cross popularly know as "baradi khuris". It is situated in velim Goa on a high hill surrounded with greenery all around and you get a magnificent view from the top.

A large number of people visit this place very often and believe that it is a miraculous cross. A lot of teens and old people come here to while away their  time as it is a very peaceful place. There are lots of cashew trees and coconuts trees all surrounded around the cross.

Talking about the cross it is a very huge cross founded on a white base. It has a staircase around It where people go up and kiss the cross. The feast of the holy cross is celebrated on 3rd may.  People gather in large numbers from different places of Goa to celebrate this feast . As I have said it is a miraculous cross it is well know for miracles such as childless couples, unhealing wounds and sick infant's.

After cross questioning my family and neighbour they told me some of the miracles that took place for example a husband prayed for his wife's sickness as she was in a very critical condition. She was suffering from cancer and her husband prayed with full faith for his wife . After few months the doctor was surprised and informed him that his wife was absolutely fine. And then as a Thanksgiving he offered flowers and donated cash in the chapel.

Another miracle that took place was a woman had no children for past 14 years and an old lady informed her about this cross. So she went there and prayed with full faith and after few months she came to know that she was pregnant and then she was blessed with twins. And because of this blessing the couple offered 5 benches in the chapel as a way to thank God.

There are many more miracles about the holy cross which I will never finish talking about them in my blog . Hence one should go and feel the magic of the cross.

Bambolim Miraculous Cross

Simran D'sa
Fybcom B

I had invited bambolim cross for a litany at the miraculous cross with my family. We had reached there an hour earlier and was very happy to spend some memorable moments there with the crowd/groups that come there for litany from all over Goa.

This cross is also know as 'Fulamcho khuris' it is atleast 50 years old and very famous and people come from all religions and paying respect miraculous cross. It is a tiny cross at the side of the road its is easy to miss if one wasn't looking. It also has visitors day and night  throught the year, no matter what the weather is like.

While i was walking around i saw motor vehicles slow down, some stop offer candles and flower to the cross, and i also heard from the ladies who sit there and sells flowers and candles that regular travelers horn as a sign of respect and most interesting i felt that some passengers are even throwing (currency) coin from their moving vehicles.

Its also know that as fulancho khuris, the cross of flower it has earned this name thanks to numerous garland of orange and yellow marigolds which placed as on it gratitude and in reverence.

 And the most nice i felt about the litany was that their song were traditinally  litanies were sung in latin lanuguage, like kyrle eleision, ora pro nobis , salve regina, alma redemptoris etc. Now most sing song in their mother tongue " konkani"

On sunday, it is very busy there so busy that the group who come to sing litany have to take token from the shrines office for their turn. Latinies are sung one after with group size, each litany is above 20mintues durations.

I also saw people take a vow saying that if their wish is fullfilled like recovery from illness hospitals, school /colleges examination, employment promotions, marriage babies etc. They could come here and offer flowers and candles and litany. Besides, it is a tradition at every village ward level cross, at of wedding, baptism , frist communion, birthday, anniversaries etc.

The story of miraculous cross hav evolved over years, from just a small white stone cross it now has a conopy cover. The holy cross church stand tall and proud behind it, now considered a shrine.

Now the chruch stands behind it sometimes in 1995, the foundation stome for the chruch was laid. The shrin of the holy cross was eventually built in 1996, as a protective barrier for the miraclous cross.

Handi Khuris at Maina Curtorim

Froyla Castanha 

FYBCOM B - C183207 

Goa is known as a spiritual place with churches, temples and other religious structures abounding the whole state. Centuries ago, a small cross was built near the Handi in Curtorim to invoke it's blessings and to ward off the evil spirit and prayers were held at the cross when the handi was banned. As years passed the cross was replaced by a literite stone which was recently replaced by a newer and bigger structure like a small chapel. 

Many people from different parts of Goa come to seek blessings of the Handi andi handi Khuris. People come to pray and have litanies at this cross by lighting candles and putting flower garlands. Many miracles take place and devotees have strong faith on the Handi Khuris. It is said and believed that whatever you ask and pray with faith you will get. Childless couples were blessed with a gift of a child through the intercession of the cross ,sick people got healed ,jobless got jobs and many were blessed .

The Handi Khuris feast is celebrated on 20th August every year. Handi Khuris means cross near the sluice gate. Devotees gather on the feast day in a large queue lining up the narrow road leading to the cross to seek blessings of the 'Handi Khuris '. The Handi Khuris feast is also associated with the harvest by the farmers and  has been celebrated for centuries in Curtorim . It is believed that the Khandi Khuris has the power to grant miracles . Therefore devotees are specifically from the 'xetkar'(farmers) community.  As a committee member of the Handi Khuris once said, "Devotees throng to venerate this miraculous 'khuris' with their deep faith and make their respective 'angvonn'(vows) seeking that they may be cured of their various ailments,  while some seek favours such as employment ,children etc. When their requests are fulfilled, the grateful beneficiaries offer free food to the thousands of other devotees who come for the feast from various parts of Goa.

I visited the Handi Khuris with my friend as we were passing that way.  When we reached there it was a calm and cool place. We entered the Kandi Khuris, prayed for some time and took the blessings of the Holy cross by kissing the statue of the cross. The Khandi Khuris looked beautiful with surrounding lake, lotus flowers in it, birds, coconut trees and paddy and rice fields. The greenery of this surrounding makes the view of the cross beautiful .We enjoyed the cool breeze and the green fields. It was a great experience going there and exploring the beauty of nature. 

Miraculous cross in Anjuna

C183209
FYB.COM: b

Miraculous cross in Anjuna which is in north Goa is located on a hill. There are 400 steps to climb, this place is eventful during the season of lent, particulary good friday and easter .To climb to the cross is marked by the 14 station of the cross ,which each cross station pillared at regular intervals. The poularity of this cross seems to be in its infancy stage as it is visited belivers in miracles.

In past , the people were celebrating only one feast in Anjuna in the month of January , the feast of our lady the Advocate of sinners , which was aslo known and as still known as Boramchem feast( feast of wild berries )  because Anjuna is full of wild berry trees and they bear the fruit during this month . from 1999 it was began to celebrate the feast of the holy cross on hill , which is known as " Milagrincho khuris ( The Miraculous cross ) . The feast is always celebrated on the second Monday of January at 4:30 pm .

long back my family and i visited the miraculous cross in Anjuna at 9:30  once we reached that holy place first we got 400 steps in that we have climb so we can reach to the cross , for me it was excited and good experience but for my  mom it was difficult as to climb but she didn't give up by keeping hope on Goa she climbed to the top . As we are proceeding to the cross we saw one note below

After we reached to the top ,it was beautiful to see the cross .Near the cross there was an alter and crurifix which is manificant and is quite peaceful. all our family members prayed little while and thank the God for this wonderful day after praying we had some snaks and water to refesh our body . My grandmother told me that if we pray to the cross our wishes will come true and this hope brought me to visit this place . This place they have a beautiful procession for the station of the cross or the way of cross alslo know as way of sorrrows or via cross . when we visited that place many people came to pray . we enjoyed lot by clicking photos and taking a fresh air which bring cool and peaceful thought in my mind that without God nothing is possible in this world . Then afternoon  we had launch and after launch at 3:00 pm we again went to pray and after praying we moved back to our home.

The Cross of Miraculous - Old Goa

Darren Fernandes
F.Y.BCOM B     C183223

On February 23 hundreds of faithful will be descending at Cruz dos Milagres church at old Goa to celebrate the feast of miraculous cross.

Located on the south bank of the river Mandovi, upstream from the capital Panaji, Old Goa is today a site of tourist consumption for the best part of the year. From a sea of palms rise a few majestic buildings, set on the lawns that typically denote a site protected by the Archaeological Survey of India . Mostly churches and convents, these monuments are usually thronged by tourists and those catering to them. The only relief is during festive occasions on the Catholic calendar, when Worshippers may outnumber the tourists. But even this worship gets sold as a tourist attraction.

This is of course not all that remains of the Cidade de Goa, reputedly one of the biggest global entrepôts of 500 years ago, and the heart of the Estado da Índia, the Portuguese maritime empire that stretched from the African coast to Japan. There are many ignored remains of the old city getting weathered away in the groves (Wilson 2015), and crying out for excavation before they disappear. There is also much that is scattered all around Goa and even beyond. The capital of the Estado was a huge place, in terms of space, wealth and importance, and it is no exaggeration to say that it continues to exert its influence over the Goa of today.

History

The  miraculous cross and it's church in old city of Goa has an interesting history behind it.The old city of Goa was called the "Rome of the East". In this city there existed as many as 38 churches,chapels & convents. It was the capital city of the Portuguese Empire and the centre of christianity in the east. It is understood that today only 13 churches and chapels are standing in the old city of Goa. The city of old Goa is valley in between 3 hills. The third hill which is called 'Boa Vista' (Hill of the good view) Houses the church of the cross of miracles (Cruz dos Milagres)

According to the history in the year 1619 a miracle took place on the third hill. Some shepherds who used to graze the cattle on the hill made the cross and planted it on the hill. Red flags were miraculously seen flying about Boa Vista hill. At night rays of bright light were seen emanating from the sky and falling on the cross. Later on a crucified human being  was also seen on the cross by the locals which was unwrapped in dazzling light and the body covered with wounds. At that point of time the cross which was 3 yard tall grew to 5 yard. The news of the miraculous happening grew like wild fire. Many sick people who came to the the phenomenon were healed of their sickness.

From 1961 Goans began to celebrate the mass on 23 of every month in the church of the Holy cross on Boa Vista hill. The dilapidated church was rebuilt and the devotion on the miraculous cross was renewed. "Canjie" was served to the pilgrims in the remembrance of Blessed Joseph Vaz who has been cananized.