Benaulim Tourist Information
Where does one begin while describing a village as vast and as blissful as Benaulim, which enjoys a pride of place in the coastal, beach-belt of Salcete? Tiny Goa's villages are birthplaces of men with lofty ideals, of distinguished clerics and several bishops, with India's first Cardinal thrown in for good measure. But Benaulim surely stands apart because on its sacred soil was born on April 21, 1651, Goa's only Saint - Blessed Jose Vaz, the Apostle of Sri Lanka.
Benaulim is indeed an enchanting place, sandwiched between the golden sands that lace the Arabian azure in the West and the meandering Sal river, which sprays its East with green grace and grandeur. The balmy coastal air interacts with the riverine charm and tranquillity, to work up a totally exotic ambience, which has added Benaulim to Goa's burgeoning tourist map.
Seraulim and Colva closeup on Benaulim in the West and North respectively, while Varca keeps watch on its southern extremity. Urbanised Margao and Navelim too share borders with Benaulim. Fortunately, the extensive stretch of soggy fields halts the march of Margao's building brigade. Hence the handsomely large population of nearly 17,000 is well removed from the din and dust of urbanity, content to bask in its sunny, rural lifestyle beneath the benign shade of the swaying palms.
Geologically, the uphill portion is made up of red laterite while basalt rocks exist near Bhirond. Overall, the diverse elements merge into a magical concoction, which inspired maestros like Conego Antonio Joao Dias (1914), Mestre Joao Antonio (Jantu), Mestre Manuelinho, Dr Roque Correia Afonso, Antonio Francisco Sardinha, Sebastiao Barreto and others to compose passionate and highly lyrical manddos. Manddo-dulpod combinations like Bannaleantu muzo gaum-um, Danddea Caetan Butiqueiru and dulpods like Aitra' Sonta' Missa' Otam, Monti Sokolo Ghor Bannale and others are sung with gusto by Bannalekars till today.
Bannalekars, of course, are a rare breed. Render (toddy- tappers), who produce coconut feni, and ramponnkars (fishermen), who live by fishing, make up the bulk of the coastal population. In the good ole days when cold storages were unheard of, the excessive catch had to be dumped at the coconut groves. The grateful palms responded with a bountiful yield to make Benaulim the prime nursery of excellent coconuts. The Bannaulecho narl naturally rocks and rules the State's coconut index with some of Goa's major wholesalers like Hegde, Vithal Shet and Menino Bakar buffering the Benaulim subyard in Margao. They collect coconut not only from Benaulim but places right out to Canacona and export lakhs of nuts.
The rustic coastal rhythm is attuned to the full-throathed sounds of Hei-re-hei, Hei-re-hei as the ramponnkars (group of traditional fishermen) haul up their fish-filled boats and nets ashore. The ramponn groups of yesteryears had typical names like Paulistanchi, Manageli, Xapaigeli, Chonekarageli, Funteageli, Pozzdeangeli and Baranvgeli.
The harmonious lilt of Hei-re-hei flows in their bloodstream and thus Bannalekars emerge into entertaining dramatists. Incidentally, Benaulim, they say, is the Moira of Salcete. They don't mind being laughed at while having others in splits. And who could be the best laugh-getter of the Konkani khelltiatr than Rosario Rodrigues, the pioneering writer-director and lovable comedian?
Rosario helped popularise the once lowly Konkani khelltiatr (folk-theatre). He shifted it from the street corners of Salcete to the conventional stage and the rest of Goa. The khelltiatr, however, was introduced to the Goan masses in Bombay by ace trumpeter A. Moraes from Benaulim. The late Christopher Leitao was the toast of the tiatr audiences as he emoted magnificently in feminine roles, honed his talents here. Christopher's wife Meena still carries on with the Konkani stage. The drama forge has been fired by the imagination of the celebrated "century kings" like writer-actor-directors Roseferns and Menino de Bandar. Popular playwrights like Patrick Dourado, Ligorio Fernandes and Peter de Benaulim helped mould the khelltiatr into a viable profession. Benaulim is the sole village in entire Goa where there is at least one show every week. These people have made a rewarding career out of khelltiatr, which, ironically, has spelt the doom of mainstream tiatr in Goa.
Many good tailors hail from the coastal areas of Goa, probably because they wield the needle to mend their nets in the foul season. So, by stretching the analogy a bit, why Margao's best tailors and outfitters come from Benaulim, could probably be answered. Of course, I won't stretch it so far as to claim that Bannalekars turn out to be excellent carpenters because they are also preoccupied with making or mending fishing boats.
Benaulim Destination Reviews
Have you visited Benaulim or do you leave in Benaulim? If so, please share your thoughts and knowledge about Benaulim with our community. Tell us about your experience. About these special places that make Benaulim a place worth a visit. Tell us about places that shouldn't be visited in Benaulim. Place your personal destination review about Benaulim and let others benefit from your review.
Want to know more about Benaulim? Want to find out what others experienced in Benaulim? Read what others reported about Benaulim and benefit from our tourist reviews about Benaulim.
Invalid query on hotels