Team Herald
CUNCOLIM: The annual Sotrio festival of Shri Shantadurga Kukallikarin Sansthan was celebrated on Tuesday with zeal and religious fervour.
A puja was performed in the temple of Shree Shantadurga in Fatorpa by the 12 vangdis and the deity was put in a silver palanquin to bring her back to Cuncolim to her original place accompanied by large number of devotees dancing on the traditional music of drums.
Twelve colourful umbrellas danced to the beats of drum as the procession of the deity Shree Shantadurga Kunkalikarin wended its way to the different wards in Cuncolim.
The festival was held with restrictions for the last two years. This year devotees attended the festival in large numbers. They sprinkled gulal on each other during the procession which wended its way through Bhuinsa, Culwaddo, Maddicatto, Demani, Cotta, Mallagini, Juzengal, Siddhanagar and Naigilo and reached the original place at Mulsthan, Taleabhat. The deity returned to the Fatorpa Temple in the evening.
Police were also in place to control the crowd. The devotees took darshan of deity during the procession.
This festival has a unique history of Christian-Hindu Unity. Christian devotees also take part in this festival with great enthusiasm.
This festival is an example of Hindu-Christian religious harmony in the village.