According to the legend, Our Lady of Rosary Church originated from the 1590's where it was built by the Jesuits. Constructed with mud similar to the structure of other churches across Salcette from 1594-1598. The Jesuits were financed by the villagers but as time passed the church proved to not have enough space to house the growing population.
It was later reconstructed by a rich Goan merchant who was rumoured to be known as “Barreto”. The merchant was passing by the main road in front of Rosary Church when he received a message that he would undergo a loss of a substantial amount of money in his business. As soon as he came to know about his future losses he rushed into the church and began praying to Our Lady of Rosary requesting her to relieve him of this catastrophe. He promised to reconstruct the original church on a larger scale if his prayers were heard. Not only were his original losses recovered but he gained double the amount. Keeping his promise he reconstructed the entire church and also renewed the statue of our Lady of Rosary.
The best time to witness the festivities that take place at the church is in November. The celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Rosary begins every third Wednesday in November. The entire church is beautifully decorated and the outside is covered with fairy lights. Every four years you even get to witness children enacting scenes from the Bible.
Many devotees come to receive blessings from Our Lady of Rosary and receive it abundantly. The church is hard to miss if you follow National Highway 17. It is on the way to Karwar and the closest railway station is barely 2 minutes away.
Much before the Churches, mosques and the mammoth temples sprung up in Goa, the state also had a flourishing Buddhist presence. Goa’s Buddhist footprint is evident thanks to heritage structures like the Buddhist caves at Rivona in South Goa. A visit to these sixth century AD caves can be a real nice experience, especially because of the other allied activities which you can simultaneously indulge in along the way.
The caves are carved and hollowed spaces in a laterite pocket of a largish hillock. What remains today is the pitha, from where Buddhist monks of the time would have used to preach to followers of the religion about the beauty of concepts like dharma, non-violence and renunciation.
You can also see the remnants of what appears to be a water tank with steps leading to the bottom as well as a several-centuries old carved relief sculpture of Lord Hanuman.
There is also a widely held belief that the mythical Pandava brothers stayed at this cave during exile which is one of the reasons why it is still called Pandava caves.
And finally, what’s wonderful about a trip to Rivona is the natural beauty which this rural pocket abounds in. There is also a hot water spring nearby available to rest your weary legs.
A visit to Buddhist caves
Rivona, around 30 kms from Margao.
