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.