Chandor village at Salcete
At the steps of the Chapel of St. Tiago in Chandor, lay a stone believed to have the footprints of the last Kadamba Queen. King Harihar of Chandrapur (now Chandor), died fighting the Portuguese invaders (1510 A.D.).Folklore has it that his wife who was away at that time, was furious on learning that the villagers failed to defend their King. In retaliation, just before committing suicide, she stomped her foot on the stone at the temple while cursing that every young married woman in the village, would become a widow like her.
Chandrapur was the capital from where the last dynasty of that period, the Kadambas ruled (11th century AD), was renamed Chandor, by the Portuguese. The stone with the Queen’s foot print near the St. Tiago Chapel has been there for the last few years.
It is quite possible that a temple stood there, which was destroyed to build a church, a common practice during the Inquisition by the Portuguese. For many years, the local Goan parent would fear marrying of their daughters to this village due to the curse and as a result, young eligible bachelors were forced to relocate. Of course, this no longer holds true.
Close by, discovered by Fr. Henry Heras in 1929,is an excavated site, believed to be an ancient Shiva temple, called Isvorachem, which translates to ‘belonging to God’. A stone carved headless Nandi, Shiva’s bull, was found in subsequent excavations from a shrine, is placed here. It is believed to be from the 11th century AD. It is believed that the Nandi, was destroyed in an attempt to find any hidden treasures within it.
At Chandor one can visit the famous heritage Bragança House, built in the 17th Century. A recommended time to visit Chandor would be around Carnival to witness the Mussoll dance, that has been passed on from generations and is still practiced. It encapsulates through song the Glory and tradegy of the past Chandrapur.
