LOUTOLIM



COMPILED BY ARMSTRONG MONTEIRO

[LOUTOLIM CHURCH]


Loutolim, a lively village in Salcete lingering majestically in minds of the people and in maps, is hailed as one of the best village in Goa. Its beautiful,scenic surroundings, cool breeze, green hills and blue rivers is joy forever. The river Zuari flows along one side of Loutolim and it is surrounded by the villages of Verna, Raia, Camorlim, Borim and Quellossim-Cortalim. Loutolim village has produced great men in the form of doctors, advocates, artists, engineers, scientists, priests etc. some of whom have stepped out of their village to make a mark in life earning laurels for themselves and for their village.

Loutolim village consists of five wards namely Vanxem , Devotte, Orgao, Carvota and Rassaim with an overall population of around 10,000.

As in other parts of Goa,in Loutolim,both Hindus and Catholics live together in peace and harmony, mingling with each other during their religious festivals. The religious activities of the Catholics are centered around the Saviour of the World church while those of the Hindus are centered around the Sri Ramnath temple.

The Saviour of the World church is the main church in the village besides the following six chapels affiliated to the church.
Mae De Deus chapel, Devotte
The chapel of Our lady of Miracles, Vanxem
The chapel of St. Sebastian, Monte
The chapel of St. Joseph, Rassaim
The chapel of Our lady of Rosary,Carvota
The chapel of St. Sebastian and St. Benedict,Orgao

A temple of Sri Ramnath has been recently built on the site of the old temple from where the diety had been shifted to Ramnathi in Ponda taluka during the 15th century.

The educational needs of the village youth are provided for by the three schools in the village, namely :-
Saviour of the World High School
Govt. Middle School,Loutolim
Govt Primary School , Rassaim, Loutolim

There are a number of important social welfare and religious institutions in Loutolim besides the church,chapels and the temple.Some of them are :-

Shanti Avedna Ashram
The Shanti Avedna Ashram is run by the Holy Cross sisters who take a lot of pains to attend to the terminally ill cancer patients from all over Goa.
The Albergue or the Home for the Aged
The Goa Government's Institute of Public Assistance (Provedoria) manages the Albergue. A lot of people from all parts of Goa are cared for in this old age home.
Pilar sisters convent
The Pilar sisters have their headquarters based in Loutolim. They also organize some vocational courses like cooking , tailoring ,etc for the village girls.
Ursuline sisters convent
The Ursuline sisters run the St Francis Xavier Convent in Loutolim. Some of the nuns also teach in the Saviour of the World High school besides providing a helping hand in the day to day church activities.

"ANCESTRAL GOA", a model of a typical Goan village as it existed a hundred years ago is an unique project in Loutolim which has been implemented by a young "Lottlekar", Maendra J. Alvares.

Loutolim has some of the most beautiful and palatial houses in Goa, including Mario Miranda's residence, the Figueiredo's residence and the residence of Dr. Adelia Costa.

The excerpts from an article by Prof I. Gracias which appeared in the "Village voice" section of the GOA TODAY magazine provide a brief idea of the history of the village
Professor I. gracias was a retired academic. He had taught at the lyceum and in Angola and Portugal.
Loutolim is situated on the left bank of the river Zuari and is flanked on the north,west and south by the villages of Quelossim, Verna and Raia respectively. The village is easily accessible by tarred roads from Margao,Ponda across the Borim bridge and Cortalim along the riverside about 12 Kms from the Zuari bridge.

A rampart of verdant hills protects the village against the gusty monsoon winds while the rains are a boon to the fertile rice producing fields lying by the river.Brooks and springs flow down the hillslopes and add freshness to the environment protected by the shade of majestic evergreen trees.However, Loutolim,like other Goan villages, has its own ethos with nuances of a socio-cultural life influenced by both nature and man.

Within the boundaries of this nature gifted village there sprang up a human settlement whose remarkable importance was acknowledged well before portuguese domination.

Trying to trace the origin of Loutolim,based on an inscription dated 866 AD,the distinguished writer Varde Valaulicar opined that Loutuly is identified with Latalur, of Latarpur,the city of the Empire of the Rashtrakuttas. However,far from drawing on any event of long past whether true, doubtful or imaginary the stress here is laid on Lotlekars during a sufficiently long period of four and a half centuries.

It is learnt from historical records that the village was an important seat of Hinduism with 100 temples and an agrahar or university where Vedic studies and other subjects were taught. Such a religious and educational background must have contributed immensely to moulding the spirit of the Lottlekars who would not easily yield to pressures and violence.It was perhaps an attribute of their character tempered in the crucible of religious practice and educational training.

In 1567, at the height of the Christianization of Salcete,Loutolim suffered a terrible blow at the hands of the Captain of Fort Rachol who ordered the burning and destruction of all the temples in the village. Many gaunkars left with their idols for safer grounds,now known as novas conquistas (the New Conquests). Those who wished to remain in the land of their ancestors,though not shaken in their religious fervour,came to terms with the situation.Many of them embraced Christianity. They were soon followed by the sudras and the Kunbis (agriculturists) as these groups always looked to the brahmins as their leaders and protectors.

The traditional social organization consisted of a vertical stratification of the three castes mentioned above. The rigidity of the social system made vertical mobility taboo. However there has been a considerable assimilation at the lower rungs of the social ladder.

Following the destruction of the temples and simultaneous evangelization and conversion,the missionaries were eager to protect and consolidate what was achieved in the religious sector, resorting to the building of majestic churches in place of the destroyed temples.Attention was also paid to education and in this regard the pilot experiment was the College of the Holy faith followed by seminaries,parochial and private schools which helped in the creation of priests and in the education of secular students.

The church in Loutolim was built in 1581, under the Patronage of St. Bartholomeu whose feast is celebrated on the 24th August with great eclat,being the day on which the solemn blessing of the new harvest takes place.Since the old church could not accomodate the growing number of Christians,it was decided to build a new one on the site of the destroyed temple of Ramnath. This attempt failed as a result of some opposition working on the sly. Finally the choice fell on the site where the church now stands. To the great disappointment of the missionaries and the converts , here too some unhappy incidents portended disaster. When the foundations were laid, a multitude of ants invaded them. This was thought to be a bad omen and a signal to abandon the project.Faced with a predicament,one of the priests placed a picture of the Saviour of the World on the site , and tradition has it that miraculously the ants disappeared. The Saviour of the World was then proclaimed the Patron of the church in place of St. Bartolomeu. Adjoining the church ,there is a Portaria which traditionally was the meeting place of the villagers after Sunday mass. Here they would talk, discuss, and part. One can take it as a habit rooted in the ancient past. Very close to the Portaria is the sundial standing on a circular pedestal which provides sitting accomodation. Here the village elders would spend the evening,exchanging views and opinions on various topics of interest. It was for them a well spent evening.

Besides the church there are in Loutolim six chapels with provision for resident chaplains. In fact they can be considered as a means of decentralization of religious activities for the benefit of the people scattered far and wide. The chapel of Our Lady of Miracles at Vanxem ward is supposed to be the oldest in Salcete. It was built by Fr. Monteiro, a son of Loutolim. It stands on the site of a destroyed Hindu temple called Careachi Santery .

In Loutolim,the pioneering work in education was conducted by two priests. Two well-known colleges with boarding arrangements were opened by Fr. Fillipe Miguel de Quadros and Fr. Evaristo de Figueiredo. Both colleges attracted students from different parts of Goa and even from far off Macau. Priesthood had a tremendous influence on the Goan way of life. A priest in the family was a factor to count upon. On no occasion was his opinion and counsel ignored and no decision was taken without his assent. It is quite probable that the success of many a family was due to the presence of the priest as a stabilizing factor.

ROLL OF HONOUR
Late Filip Nery Xavier; scholar,writer and historian
Late Dr. Isidoro Emilio Batista; doctorate in Medicine,Paris. Professor,mathematician and author.
Late Rev Dr. Constancio Floriano Faria; Professor of Theology at Coimbra University. Superior of the college of Foreign missions.
Late Dr. Antonio Salvador De Miranda; physician,journalist.
Late Dr. Antonio F. De Noronha; first Goan Chief Justice of Goa.
Late Dr. Adeodata Barreto; Professor,writer and poet; started a paper 'India Nova'. Died young in 1937.
Late Jose Antonio Ismael Gracias; high govt official and writer; acted as secretary to two Portuguese Governors and was Professor of Economics at the Lyceum.
Late Maestro Antonio Figueiredo; graduated from the National Conservatory of music, Portugal; Diploma from Italian Academy and of the Conservatory of Paris; Professor at Lyceum.
Late Dr. Joao Manuel Pacheco De Figueiredo; physician,Director of Medical School.
Late Dr. Bernardino Gracias;well-versed in oriental languages, translated Kalidasa's works into Portuguese. Member of the Academy of Sciences,Portugal.
Late Dr. Paulo Miranda; pharmaceutical researcher, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Bonifacio Miranda;Professor of English,diplomat,represented Portugal at the United Nations.
Dr. Jose Antonio Ismael Gracias; Judge, last Chief Justice of Goa;
Dr. Jose Maria De Quadros E Costa;graduated from the Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon,Rector , Open University,Lisbon.
Dr. Renato Sebastiao Gracias; distinguised physician,Poona; Papal Knight,great promoter of Goan culture.
Mario Miranda; well known cartoonist, Padmashree winner.
Dr Hipolito Antonio Mascarenhas; researcher in soya beans; an authority on the subject in North and South America and Japan.


For about 250 years, Loutolim has had a galaxy of learned priests and a good number of eminent men who shone in the fields of science, literature,law,music and art not only in the homeland but in other parts of India,Europe,Africa and America. If one casts a glance at its recorded past,one may wonder why so many sons of this village were so successful to the degree of becoming towering figures in various fields of intellectual pursuits. The secret perhaps is not too far to seek. Gifted with intelligence and ruled by a disciplined mind they were pushed forward by the force of rich tradition. Thus from the 18th century to this date there have been a number of talented men who have earned for themselves and us a name and whom we would like to honour,calling forth their names and their achievements. But lack of space has compelled us to an inadequate short list, and no offence is meant to the many names which have perforce, to be left out.

Compiled by : Armstrong Monteiro
email :a_monteiro@hotmail.com