Camurlim Tourist Information
Camurlly, Camorlly, Camara-halli or whatever the quaint village might have been called by people down the centuries, forlorn Camurlim is certainly worth a visit. Flowing placidly along the palm-lined banks, the Chapora river embosses the green grandeur with charm-filled nooks and crannies.
A seven-kilometre drive North distances us from the hurried pace of Mapusa town, through hilly Cunchelim, and lands us gently amidst the sheer, soothing sights which city folk envy. Here we are driving into some of the quieter hamlets of North Goa's Bardez taluka where mechanical, suburban sounds give way to nature's symphony - of barking, mooing, chukling, chirping, grunting, or a cajkar calling out someone in the village from the caju groves on the hill. In the background, the gentle breeze plays a continuous, soothing rustle on the palm fronds.
Besides Cunchelim, Camurlim's congenial neighbours are Colvale in the East, and Oxel and Siolim in the West. Historians recount that Camurlim was a bastion of blacksmiths and hence it was called Camara-halli. However, one neither sees any smith nor forge here anymore. However, hardy stone-cutters are people one sees here. They extract laterite stones from the bowels of the hillocks for construction purposes, not with traditional pickaxes but an electrical contraption. It resembles a lawn-mover equipped with a hacksaw, which raises a helluva noise and blows up a clouds of thick dust.
Camurlim is a 5-kilometre stretch of idyllic countryside somewhat isolated from the rest of Bardez. Probably people feared attacks from the Marathas and others from Pernem beyond the river which then didn't belong to the Portuguese. The secluded village would be often raided by the Ranes. Because of this reason, some houses like those of Mendonsa at Cruzvaddo have a secret room in the attic, where the old people would hide with their precious belongings when the invaders attacked. Peep holes, provided in the attic wall, would help to keep a watch on intruders.
The army of the Maratha warrior Shivaji had attacked Bardez on 19 November 1667. The attack was primarily to punish the intrepid Desais, who would cross over into the territory held by the Marathas and trouble the people there. The Desais had their sprawling headquarters in a well guarded house at Camurlim's Durbarvaddo. The late Yeshwantaji Jaiwantrao Desai, a judge of Visconde de Pernem, lived here. It has been pruned to a quarter of its original size now.
Right in front of their house lived the ancestors of Dr Santosh Laad, the famed Goan neuro-surgeon. The Laad residence has disappeared altogether. Near the road lived the family of Ms Kabade, a famous Indian danseuse and a pupil of the legendary Bal Gandharva.
Age is depicted in the derelict houses in which dwelt families of some honour and repute. In the course of conquest and conversion, the Hindu aristocracy seemed to have been obliterated. In the reordered list of aristocracy, one finds a generous mention of then renowned and powerful Inacio Caetano de Carvalho, on whom the Portuguese had bestowed the title "Visconde de Bardez", for certain services rendered to their government.
The house, which was furnished with regal splendour, played host to several Portuguese dignitaries and the cream of Goan aristocracy of those days. Though the Carvalhos don't really belong to Camurlim originally, they did bring fame and recognition to the isolated village a century ago. The Visconde was a man of letters and authored of "A Historia da Revolta das Soldados, Ranes Satarienses, 1895."
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