A Twist In The Story

Here we let our imagination fly to connect to the other Kuśasthaḷī (Kuṭṭhāḷæ or Cortalim), at the mouth of river Zuari in Goa. I propose that a group of kshatriya, fleeing from the rising sea, travelled by sea to Goa coast, and found a place that not only looked very much like the homeland they had left behind, but was promising – fertile land, lush vegetation and plenty of water; and a safe harbour. In keeping with the nostalgic practice we find common in history, they named the place Kuśasthaḷī. They occupied several villages around – Sāṁkhavāḷæ (Sancoale), naming it after Shankhodhar (also called Bet Dwarka) that they had left behind; Kēḷaśī (Quelossim); Loṭli (Loutulim); etc. This contradicts what we have come to believe up to now : that the brāhman fleeing from the drying Sarasvatī settled Kuśasthaḷī (along with the neighbouring villages) naming it after their homeland. But that would be inconsistent with history : Kuśasthaḷī in Kāṭhīyāvāḍa was never a brāhman settlement, being the capital of kshatriya king Revata; the folk history that Arcamone reports to his superiors in Rome, categorically states that fifteen villages in Salcete were yielded by the kshatriya to the incoming brāhman, meaning thereby that they were already occupied by the kshatriya before the brāhman reached there. [Who Are Chadd’ddi, 01 Jan 17] There is one hitch, however : the submergence of Kuśasthaḷī seems to have occurred around 7,500 BCE; but the upliftment of the Konkan coast could have happened much later; it is difficult to take a call either way. [Tying The Knots, 09 Apr 17]