-- Samir Umarye BICHOLIM: Residents in a remote village of Bicholim taluka have been opposing moves to convert a religious heritage site into a tourist spot.
They have, however, insisted that authorities should retain the religious sanctity of the place. According to local historians, it is believed that ismail adilshah had built several mosques in Goa in and around 1560 aD, of which only a few survive today. One of these mosques lies in Surla village and the area surrounding the mosque is called ‘ Surla Taar’. Close to this old ferry point is a mosque that reportedly dates back to the adilshahi period. The huge water tank in front of the mosque corroborates to its historical period. The rectangular water tank has a flight of steps on all four sides, with beautiful arches running all along its sides. “ even though the Department of archives and archaeology has demarcated it as a historical site, they have failed to maintain it. The mosque is similar to that of the Jama masjid at Ponda and has great historical importance, but except for displaying a board, the department has not done anything to protect it,” Suresh Baykar from Surla told Herald. “ Besides, the historic Siddheshwar caves in the village are now covered with weeds, but no one is bothered about it. at times, villagers clear the path leading to the cave, which is close to the Siddheshwar temple,” added Baykar. The caretaker of the neglected Surla mosque feels that authorities should maintain the mosque and other heritage places in the village. “ a long time ago, the archaeological department had cleaned and repaired the lake in front of the mosque after a portion of it had fallen and it was covered with weeds. But since then, nothing has happened,” said Harunshah mujawar, the caretaker. “ They tried to repair the roof, but the work was left halfway. we don’t want it to be converted into a tourist place, as it will only spoil the serenity of this holy site,” mujawar said. “ we had already expressed our feelings about this to the local mla. if the government and the archaeological department really want to preserve these historical sites, they should keep a close watch on them. These structures should be maintained and repair work should be undertaken at regular intervals,” added mujawar. when contacted, historian, Prajal Sakhardande, insisted that heritage sites like the Surla mosque should be conserved, not renovated. “ The weeds need to be cleared periodically and if the archaeology Department cannot maintain such sites, the GTDC or the art and Culture Department should ensure the maintenance of the site,” said Sakhardande. “ in the case of the Surla mosque, the villagers and the panchayat could be allocated funds by the government and both can jointly maintain this heritage site,” added Sakhardande. when contacted, Sanquelim mla Dr Pramod Sawant said he was in constant touch with the archaeology Department in this connection. “ i am very concerned about historical sites in Sanquelim and after writing a letter to the department, i had taken offi- cials to the Surla mosque and also the Siddheshwar caves some 2- 3 months ago. we have also urged them to clean the entire area and maintain this age- old mosque, which is our heritage,” said Dr Sawant. “ we have tried to seek special permission from the department so that the Sanquelim fort can be maintained and developed. Besides, we also want the archaeology department to protect some other historical sites in the constituency,” Dr Sawant added. The historic water tank in front of the Surla Masjid. Samir Umarye
