Police vigil turned up a notch as Kurdi draws large crowds

Margao: The submerged village of Kurdi, which emerges from the waters of the Selaulim reservoir every summer, is once again drawing large crowds. Hindu devotees thronged the ancient Someshwar temple for the annual Shree Someshwar Utsav, while the Catholic community gathered at the Sacred Heart of Jesus chapel on the hillock to mark the annual feast.

In light of this, police have stepped up vigil and urged all visitors to exercise caution.

The Selaulim dam swallowed Kurdi whole over four decades ago. It took with it the houses, roads,river crossings and culverts. Every summer, as the reservoir recedes, Kurdi rises again — if only briefly. The swayambhu linga in the sanctum sanctorum of the Someshwar temple has endured nearly four decades of submergence and remains intact, a fact that deepens the devotion towards it.

Above the waterline, visitors encounter the remnants of a high school, a centuries-old Ganesh temple, and an RCC structure that once housed a police outpost, a grocery store, and a tea shop.

The surging footfalls, however, have become a growing concern for law enforcement. With no proper motorable roads leading into the village and no mobile network in the area, police have urged visitors to be careful. The absence of mobile coverage makes it difficult for any emergency to be communicated swiftly.. Compounding the risk is the fact that the nearest health centre and fire station are located nearly 20 km from Kurdi.

The roads and old culverts that re-emerge with the village are in various states of disrepair, and vehicles attempting to navigate them do so at considerable risk. Residents of surrounding villages have flagged the behaviour of some visitors who leave behind empty beer bottles and food waste, turning a place of memory and reverence into a dumping ground.

Kurdi’s annual resurrection is fleeting. Once the monsoon arrives and the reservoir swells again, the village will vanish beneath the surface until next summer, when the faithful will once again make their pilgrimage to a place that refuses to be forgotten.