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Introduction to Majorda
Majorda is a beautiful little village situated in south Goa. It is the place where the Jesuits discovered the best toddy of Goa and used it to leaven the bread. Even today the people of Majorda are known to be the best bakers in Goa as they were the first to know the art of baking European bread.
There is a church in Majorda which was built about four centuries ago. It is believed that on 5th May 1588, the foundation stone of the church was laid wherein an image of ‘Our Lady’ was placed in a wooden box in an opening. By the time the church was built, four villages namely Calata, Dongorim, Majorda and Uttorda had become almost entirely Christian.
It is said that earlier a famous Hindu temple existed in Majorda which was dedicated to Mamay i.e ‘Great Mother’. When the Majorda church was built, it was therefore a happy coincidence that both the church and the village were dedicated to Mother of God. Later devotional worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Boa Morte or Happy Death became very popular. Thus there are two feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated in Majorda – one in the name of Mother of God on 5th May and the second one titled Boa Morte on the first Sunday of October.
Places to visit
There are a number of chapels in Majorda. The chapel of Our Lady of Piety built in 1691 is the oldest one. In 1738, when Venkata raos troops invaded Salcete and burnt the Majorda church amongst others, this chapel functioned temporarily as the Parish Church. In 1836, the chapel of St. Rock of Calata was built which was extended in 1849. In 1844, the chapel of Our Lady of Miracles was built. The chapel of St. Sebastian situated in Dongorim is known to have been built in 1850. However it was opened for use by the public only in 1915. In 1893, another chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was built which was designated as the Parish Church of Uttorda in 1978, independent of the church of Majorda.
Majorda is also famous for the Majorda beach located there. It is a beautiful beach that has a lot of palm groves. Some of the most famous hotels and resorts of Goa are found here and thus it is quite a popular place for a holiday. This south Goa beach also has a number of restaurants and beach shacks that serve up tasty dishes from the cuisine of Goa, Europe and India. There are plenty of buses plying regularly to and from Majorda. From the Dabolim airport, one can get into transfer buses that take you there. A number of taxis are also available to get to Majorda.
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