Rohit R Phalgaonkar
The village of Chandor situated in Salcete is a vista worth seeing. It was the first ancient capital of Goa. King Devraj of the Bhoj dynasty ruled from this capital during the 4th Century AD. The epigraphs of this king were found in Shiroda. These copper plates mention the ancient name of Chandor as ’Chandraur’.
Subsequently the Kadambs shifted and took over ’Gove’, today’s Goa. They initially ruled form Chandrapur and later shifted their capital to Gopakpattan i.e. today’s Goa Velha.
Dr. V. T. Gune mentions in an epigraphical description of Chandrapur, "The city had white plastered houses, alleys, horse stables, flower gardens, agreeably connected bazaars and parlour quarters which were charming to the eyes." The glory of ancient Chandor can be concluded from the above inscription.
My keen interests in Goa’s temple history led me to explore Chandor. I wanted to trace the remains of such a beautifully described ancient city. Sadly, not much of this beauty can be seen in Chandor today.
Today’s Chandor comprises of 3 villages, Girdoli, Kott and Cavorim. The area of Kott is a site of historic importance. Kott in Kannada literally means a fort or fortress. Remnants of this fort are still visible today. The Kott was protected by a moat which has almost disappeared today, but Fr. Henry Heras in 1930 mentions pieces of golden rings and coins found in this area.
The fortification is till seen standing today. It is built of river pebbles rammed together with mud mortar. This fortification closely resembles the one found at Banvasi in Karnataka. Banvasi was also the capital of the Kadambs for a long period of time. Therefore the Kott of Chandor can be easily assigned to the Kadamb period.
The area outside the Kott is called Koudi in Konkani. Koudi is corrupted Cavorim during the Portuguese period. ’Koudi’ appears to be a corruption of the Kannada word ’Kavad’ to mean a gate or a door.
Ranjiv Fernandes, a local, showed the site of a water tank called Guha-Tolloi in Kott. However, only a well remains in its place today. The well is also called Guha-Tolloi Baain. The tank is supposedly named after the Kadamb King Guhalldev.
Another huge water tank called ’Go-Talli’ exists in Koudi. As the name suggests, Go-Talli means tank of the cows. The walls of the tank are built of huge stones resting one on top of the other. Fr. Henry Heras in 1930 found vestiges of an old temple here.
The Kadamb king Shasthdev II established himself as a monarch of Chandrapur and made the Shilahars his feudatories. King Mammuri of the Shilahar dynasty realising the increasing power of the Kadambs, offered his daughter’s hand to Shasthdev.
After Shasthdev II’s death, king Mammuri rebelled against his son Jaikeshi I. Finally, Mammuri was killed at the hands of King Jaikeshi I.
In Chandor, the village elders show a place called as ’Mamleadchi Tembi’ or ’Mammurichi Tembi’. It is said that King Mammuri was killed here.
Awareness about these ancient remnants should be made amongst the younger generations, especially students so that they are aware of Goa’s glorious past.
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