SATTARI: Hidden under the earth for over two centuries, first to save them from the Portuguese and then from smugglers, over 10,000 antique idols of deities in two talukas of Goa have now begun to wither due to the vagaries of weather.
The treasured artefacts, each worth several lakhs of rupees, were hidden at various spots in Sattari in North Goa and Sanguem in South Goa talukas to save them from Portuguese rulers.
"A wild guess can peg the number of these idols to around 10,000. Each idol can fetch lakhs of rupees in the international market," heritage expert Rajendra Kerkar told.
The idols, which were once worshipped in different temples, were removed from there when Portuguese began capturing these talukas and were hidden in earth so that they were not smuggled by the invaders.
Sattari was the last conquest of Portuguese, which had not come under their control till 1912 due to strong resistance from locals.
"The idols are made of schist and granite stone, which carry great value as antique," Kerkar, who has around 30 idols in the area next to his house in Kerim village (Sattari), said.
Exposed to constant rain and sun, many of them have started withering.
Buried in earth for almost a century, the idols have gradually started degrading.
People in those times feared that the Portuguese rulers will desecrate the idols, therefore, they shifted them to a place called 'Devrai', he said.
"Devrai is a sacred place that exists in every village. No one dares to enter these spaces, so they (ancestors) found them as ideal spots," another Sattari resident Goapinath Gawas said.
"There are 150 devrais in Sattari taluka itself," Kerkar said.
The idols are mostly of Goddess Mahishasurmardini, Sateri (Shantadurga), Ravalnath and Betal, besides 'Shiv Linga'.
In most of the places these idols are covered by bushes, making it difficult to trace them. Only locals can pin point the place where they are lying, saving them from prying eyes of antique traders, he said.
Interestingly, in two villages - Pendral and Zandan in Sattari taluka, the human habitation is almost negligible, but the idols still remain half buried in soil.
A visit to Pendral, on the foot of Sahyadri hills, revealed remnants of three destroyed temples. There are 26 idols lying in state of neglect here which can be reached after walking for almost four kms from the main road, criss-crossing through forest.
In Zadani village, a 'Shiva linga' is what is left to suffice the claim that human habitation once existed here.
"It's a mystery how the human habitation disappeared," Kerkar, who intends to document the rich legacy in Sattari taluka, said.
Meanwhile, devout residents of Sattari and Sanguem feel that God himself has thwarted all attempts to smuggle these idols in the commercial markets.
"We don't want that these idols be taken to some place. But, the government should preserve them properly at the same place by shielding them from sun, rain and other harmful exposure," an elderly Sattari villager suggested.
