Loutolim
Encyclopedia
Loutolim or Loutulim is a small town in Salcette
taluka of South Goa district in the state of Goa
, India
.
Legend has it that Goud Saraswat Brahmins founded the settlement of Loutolim when they came to Goa from northern India
. The word Loutolim arising from Lovótollem, is coined from a combination of the words Tollem (pond in Konkani
) and a grass, Lovó, found growing in plenty around the pond. The village community was based around the temple of Shree Ramnathi. There were other smaller temples dedicated to Shree Santeri (Shanta durga) in the village. The Jesuits undertook the task of Christianization of Salsette and in 1567 A.D. The captain of Fort Rachol Diogo Rodrigues
ordered the burning and destruction of all the temples in the village. Many gaunkars who wanted to preserve their culture and Hindu
religion fled to safer grounds in the Sonde Raja territories across the Zuari river with their idols
, most famously the Idol of shree Ramnathi
in what was later known as the novas conquistas (new conquests). Most of those who chose to remain behind had to become Christian. The Saviour of the world Church was built in Loutolim to look after the spiritual needs of the neo-Christians. Unlike other towns in Salcette
and Bardez
, where churches were built over the demolished temples, in Loutolim, the plot of land where the old Ramnathi temple stood remained vacant due to some opposition amongst the lotlikars. A new temple of Shree Ramnathi was built recently at this spot. The original idol of Shree Ramnathi (see picture) now stands in an 18th century temple of Indo-Portuguese
architecture in Bandivade, Ponda, Goa.
Today, Loutolim has a mixed population of Hindu
s and Christian
s, many of them of Saraswat lineage.
wealthy Portuguese family for several generations. The house contained many old home
furnishings.
Salcette
Salcette , is a taluka of South Goa District in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative and economic headquarters is Margao. It is largely coterminous with a region called Sashti , which comprised, by local tradition, sixty-six villages, hence the name. However, it also includes the taluka of...
taluka of South Goa district in the state of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Geography
Loutolim is located at 15.33°N 73.98°E. It has an average elevation of 32 metres (105 feet).History
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The word Loutolim arising from Lovótollem, is coined from a combination of the words Tollem (pond in Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
) and a grass, Lovó, found growing in plenty around the pond. The village community was based around the temple of Shree Ramnathi. There were other smaller temples dedicated to Shree Santeri (Shanta durga) in the village. The Jesuits undertook the task of Christianization of Salsette and in 1567 A.D. The captain of Fort Rachol Diogo Rodrigues
Diogo Rodrigues
Diogo Rodrigues was a Portuguese explorer of the Indian Ocean, after whom the island of Rodrigues is named. In 1528 he explored the islands of Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues, naming it the Mascarene or Mascarenhas Islands, after his countryman Pedro Mascarenhas, who had been there...
ordered the burning and destruction of all the temples in the village. Many gaunkars who wanted to preserve their culture and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religion fled to safer grounds in the Sonde Raja territories across the Zuari river with their idols
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
, most famously the Idol of shree Ramnathi
Ramnathi
The temple of Ramnathi is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa.-Legend :Shri Ramanath Deity was originally installed 3000 years B.C by Rama at Rameshwar. When Rama came back from Lanka along with Sita, after killing Ravana, in order to absolve him of killing a Brahmin he decided to pray to Shiva....
in what was later known as the novas conquistas (new conquests). Most of those who chose to remain behind had to become Christian. The Saviour of the world Church was built in Loutolim to look after the spiritual needs of the neo-Christians. Unlike other towns in Salcette
Salcette
Salcette , is a taluka of South Goa District in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative and economic headquarters is Margao. It is largely coterminous with a region called Sashti , which comprised, by local tradition, sixty-six villages, hence the name. However, it also includes the taluka of...
and Bardez
Bardez
Bardez is the name of a region and taluka in North Goa. The name is credited to the Brahmin immigrants who migrated to the Konkan via Magadha in Gangetic India from Aryavarta, in the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent. Bardez or more properly Bara desh means "twelve countries"...
, where churches were built over the demolished temples, in Loutolim, the plot of land where the old Ramnathi temple stood remained vacant due to some opposition amongst the lotlikars. A new temple of Shree Ramnathi was built recently at this spot. The original idol of Shree Ramnathi (see picture) now stands in an 18th century temple of Indo-Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
architecture in Bandivade, Ponda, Goa.
Today, Loutolim has a mixed population of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s, many of them of Saraswat lineage.
Attractions
- Ancestral Goa: A theme park called ancestral Goa has been built in Loutolim also called 'big foot'. The largest known lateriteLateriteLaterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
sculptureSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
of Mirabai is present in this theme parkParkA park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
. - Miranda Mansion: Old Goan Houses, owned by families such as the Mirandas are sometimes opened for public viewing.
- Casa Alvares: A large traditional Portuguese colonial house which had been the home of a
wealthy Portuguese family for several generations. The house contained many old home
furnishings.