This Goa village is visible only for a month every year

More like magic, there is an interesting spot in Goa that shows up only once every year. As for the remaining 11 months, it disappears under water. Residents of this place, a village, who are now settled somewhere, come together to celebrate when the water recedes. If you have been wondering to know when this disappearing act takes place, read on.

Far from the chaos of city life, this beautiful small hamlet, known as Kurdi, sits in the lap of scenic hills in the Western Ghats. It wakes up to the murmuring stream of Salaulim, which cuts through the village of Kurdi after breaking up with Goa’s largest river, i.e., Zuari. Once upon a time, Kurdi was a prosperous village in south-eastern Goa.
However, for the last few decades, the said village has been pulling off a disappearing act just like magic every year. During the month of May, this village comes to the fore and becomes visible to the people around.
It was in 1986 that the locals recall when the village ceased to exist. It was when Goa’s first dam was built, leaving the village completely submerged. Now, when in May, the water goes down, the village reveals itself almost magically.
Eroded remnants, cracked earth, tree stumps, broken remains of household items and religious structures, can be seen scattered on miles of barren land when the village emerges. During the early times, the villages land used to be fertile, in which around 3000 inhabitants used to live, their daily life involving ploughing paddy fields that are surrounded by cashew, jackfruit, coconut and mango trees. People of all religions dwelled here, and the place was graced with several temples, a mosque and a chapel.

However, things began to change dramatically after Goa was liberated in 1961 from the Portuguese.

Dayanand Bandodkar, the first Chief Minister of Goa, visited the village and told the residents about the government’s plan to build the state’s first dam, which was supposed to benefit the whole of southern Goa. Locals were forced to relocate to nearby villages and build their homes from scratch. Though they were provided land and compensation, the locals had to shift to other places where there was nothing.
The project was ambitious and proposed to provide water for irrigation, drinking and industrial purposes in most parts of southern Goa. However, the water from the dam never reached the villages, where the residents of Kurdi shifted. And now, when the water recedes during the month of May, the original dwellers visit their lost home and host feasts during this time.