Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Saptah at Vasco : Worshipping Lord Damodar


The festivities and religious celebrations of the traditional Shree Damodar Bhajani Saptah in the port town of Vasco started on August 12 2013 and lasted for a week. The word Saptah which literally means a week begins a day after Nag Panchami at the Damodar temple in the month of Shravan of the Hindu lunar calender which comes before the festival of Raksha Bandan. The Shree Damodar temple is situated along the main road of Vasco city which is known as the Swatantra Path. One of the largest fairs in the state of Goa is for the Saptah and so the Swatantra path is closed for traffic during which time the traffic is diverted to the F.L. Gomes road.

Lord Damodar at Vasco


The Saptah is a community celebration but people from various parts of Goa throng to Vasco to offer their prayers in the temple, visit the fair and watch the glittering ceremonies. The ceremonies consist of a richly decorated tableaux known as pars, cultural program with singing of devotional songs by well known artists. Various troupes from Vasco and surrounding areas participate in the non-stop chain of Bhajans which are sung continuously for every 24 hours every day.

The festival starts by placing a coconut at the feet of the deity in the Shree Damodar temple. This is done by Vasnatrao Joshi, the senior most member of the Joshi family. The Vasco Saptah has a intering history.Way back in 1898 the city of Vasco which had few residents fell victim to a plague. It is said that the villagers to Zambaulim to Shree Damodar temple in order to seek blessings. After accepting a prasad in the form of a coconut, the villagers installed the same in the house of Vasantrao Joshi. No sooner was the coconut installed the people in Vasco witnessed a miracle. The dreaded plague left them. Since then the people in Vasco hold
 the Bhajani Saptah.

The big fair consists of stalls selling anything from clothes to toys and  trinkets and furniture to sweets. A giant wheel which is installed in the Municipal garden attracts the young and the old alike. Even though in the past the fair would go on for more than ten days, this year the authorities and the organizers have decided to restrict the fair to seven days only as the fair does obstructs the daily life of the residents living along the Swatanta path. The Mormugao Municipal  Council monitors the allotment of the stalls, the various arrangements as well as garbage disposal.

People visit the fair all through the night. The private buses run extra trips late into the night so that people from the surrounding areas of Baina, Sada and Mangor hill can be a part of the festivities. It must be said that Vasco Saptah is the only festival in the Port Town which attracts such a large crowd on all days of the festivities. As the festivities take  place during the rainy season, adequate arrangements are also made to shelter the devotees from a downpour.

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