{"id":1670,"date":"2023-04-06T19:55:11","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T14:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hinterscapes.com\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2023-06-23T12:11:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:41:46","slug":"gulal-at-zambaulim-a-festival-of-colors-in-goa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/gulal-at-zambaulim-a-festival-of-colors-in-goa\/","title":{"rendered":"Gulal at Zambaulim – A Festival of Colors in Goa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gulal <\/em><\/strong>festival of Goa is associated with the Shigmo <\/em>festival and is observed in the month of Phalgun<\/em>. This unique festival is celebrated at Shri Damodar Temple of Zambaulim<\/strong> in Goa. Although the exact origins of the festival are unknown, it has been celebrated for many years. During the Portuguese regime, Christianity was imposed on the people of Goa, and the Hindi <\/em>and Muslims <\/em>were forbidden from practicing their customs and rituals. Despite the ban, the Hindus <\/em>managed to keep their traditions alive and continued to observe their rituals in secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Story Behind Gulal Festival of Goa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the Portuguese rule, some temples, including the temple of Shri Damodar<\/strong> <\/em>in Margao, were destroyed. The devotees made an attempt to relocate the idol of Damodar<\/em>, but it was not feasible to move the entire linga. Therefore, they transported only a portion of the top to Zambaulim<\/em>, located in Sanguem<\/em>, where a new temple was constructed, and the linga was placed in the garbhakudd <\/em>(a sacred chamber) there. In the past, Gulal <\/strong><\/em>was organized by 10 families, but since 1927, a committee called the Mutt Gram Sanstha Hindu Sabha has been established, which is responsible for arranging this festival. As a result, the responsibility of commemorating Gulal <\/strong><\/em>was transferred to the people of Margao <\/em>with the establishment of this committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens at Gulal Festival of Goa, Jambaulim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mutt Gram Sanstha Hindu Sabha<\/em> owns a hall in Margao <\/em>called Shri Damodar Hall<\/strong>, which is the starting point of the festival. The festivities commence with the coconut pooja <\/em>at the residence of Mr. Purshottam Keni. This ritual is performed because it is believed that when the linga <\/em>was transported from Maddel for safety reasons, it was kept overnight at Mr. Keni’s house before being taken to Zambaulim <\/em>early in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the tradition, a coconut is placed at Keni’s house where devotees gather to recite prayers or garane<\/em>. The next day, devotees carry the coconut to Zambaulim<\/em>, singing and dancing to musical tunes. This marks the beginning of the Zambaulim Shigmo<\/em> festival, which lasts for seven days and attracts a large number of devotees. The festival is particularly significant on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gulal
Gulal Festival of Goa at Zambaulim<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Tuesday of the Zambaulim Shigmo <\/em>festival is the most important day, attracting devotees from neighboring areas. A huge crowd gathers at the temple to witness the grand procession of the palki <\/em>carrying the idol of Lord Damodar<\/em><\/strong>. As the procession proceeds, people shower gulal <\/em>on the idol. Those carrying the palki <\/em>as well as the devotees get covered in vibrant colors. Getting smeared with gulal <\/em>is considered an auspicious and joyous part of the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read: Sotreo \u2013 An Umbrella Festival of Goa<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Monday marks the arrival of the committee members who sing hymns and praise the Lord with chants of Govinda, jai, jai<\/em> while bringing the idol of Damodar <\/em>into the hall (Sabha Mandap<\/em>). On the next day, after applying gulal <\/em>and taking a bath in the pond called panto <\/em>that is formed by the water of Khushavati<\/em> River in the temple premises, they bring the idol back to the temple. The festival culminates on Wednesday afternoon after the final ceremony of dhulpet<\/em>, where gulal <\/em>is thrown on the idol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gulalotsav
Lord Damodar Palkhi at Gulal in Zambaulim, Goa<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The day of the main festival witnesses a complete shutdown of commercial activities in Margao<\/em>. Shop owners and devotees of Damodar <\/em>visit Zambaulim <\/em>to pay their respects to the Lord. This causes all shops they run to close down their shutters. The committee responsible for organizing the festival offers lunch to hundreds of devotees throughout the seven-day celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are planning to visit Goa, do plan such that you can witness this amazing Gulal <\/em>festival of Goa. It is worth experiencing this event once and you will see the cultural side of this tiny state as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit our Website to know more about Festivals of Goa?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We at Hinterscapes <\/a>take you to a Goa tour from a different angle. Goa is beyond beaches and night life. Visit our website<\/a> and book your most affordable package which will give you a Goan feel of anything you do. Experience the real magic of Hinterland tourism in Goa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggested Read: 14 Bizzare Festivals in Goa that will Leave You Thrilled<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow us on Instagram<\/a> to watch few amazing videos of unseen Goa. Stay tuned to our blog <\/a>to read more of such interesting articles about Goa. Please tell us in comments how you felt about this unique Goan festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most people would be surprised if told that the land of \u2018beaches, beer and buddies\u2019 Goa was at one point in time a land of hundreds of temples and that for the Konkani-speaking Saraswats it is still the most significant annual pilgrim destination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[86,44,94],"tags":[284,278,283,220,277,280,45,341,342,46,285,275,8,290,274,279,282,98,276,175,349,289,272],"yoast_head":"\nGulal Festival of Goa - Must Watch Holi Ritual in Tiny State of Goa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gulal Festival of Goa is celebrated with thousands of people dancing passionately chanting mantras of Shri Damodar and full of pink color...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/gulal-at-zambaulim-a-festival-of-colors-in-goa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Goa\u2019s Gulalotsav: How The \u2018Saib\u2019 Of Goa Shri Damodar Vacations And Plays Holi Every Summer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is a festival related to Shigmoutsav and one of the holi ritual where thousands of devotees color themselves with pink and dance whole heartedly in the procession of dev Shri Damodar in Zambaulim, Goa.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/gulal-at-zambaulim-a-festival-of-colors-in-goa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HinterScapes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hinterscapes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-06T14:25:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-23T06:41:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gulal-festival-in-goa-zambaulim.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team HinterScapes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"When Dambab plays Gulal with Madgaonkars in Goa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Goa\u2019s \u2018saib\u2019 Lord Damodar vacations every year at the onset of summer literally painting an entire suburb pink with his Gulalotsav, a tradition that goes back more than five centuries.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/gulal-festival-in-goa-zambaulim.png\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gulal Festival of Goa - 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