The villages of Sangolda and Guirim in the districts of Bardez in Goa have one church situated between the two. It is called Igreja de Guirim, which the people of Guirim interpret as Church of Guirim. But the people of Sangolda have their own interpretation. The term Guirim in this context has no reference to the village. After all, it is their church as much as that of the people of Guirim. The particular spot where the church has been erected was in times gone by, known as Guir, they say, and popular usage has given the appellation to the church.
Be that as it may, there has been from time immemorial a rivalry between the two villages. This rivalry is based on caste differences. Sangolda has a population composed predominantly of Brahmins. Guirim is made up of a majority of Gauddes. The Brahmins have always believed that they are the chosen people of Goa, and, in any case, superior to the Gauddes. The former are certainly shrewder and have always got the better of the latter. The following legend illustrates this.
Soon after the church was built, a serious problem arose regarding the position of the bell. As is common in church architecture in Goa, the Church of Guirim was constructed with two towers, one on either side, and therefore with two belfries. The one on the right was towards Guirim, and the one on the left was towards Sangolda. The people of Guirim naturally wanted to hoist the bell on the right, and the people of Sangolda wanted it on the left.
The problem defied a satisfactory solution, for each side marshalled arguments in its own favour. The morning wore on to noon, and the pangs of hunger were forgotten in the heated debate. At last, an elderly spokesman from Sangolda suggested a truce. “This discussion will not end so soon,” he said, “at least not till cow-dust. In the meantime our wives are waiting for us patiently at home. They have cooked the mid-day meal of rice and curry, and we are hungry. It is but common sense that we should go home and have our meal with our wives and children. We can come back at three in the afternoon and carry on with the discussion. A full stomach will help us in arriving at a common decision.” He spoke with such persuasion that the people of Guirim shook their heads in approval. Then, turning to his own people, he gave a sly wink, which seemed to be perfectly understood by them.
“Yes, let us go home and have our meal, and then return,” said the spokesman of the people of Guirim, and he led his people homewards, without more ado. They hurried home in haste, impelled by hunger, without once looking back. The people of Sangolda also turned homewards, led by their spokesman. But it was like the Greeks in the Trojan war, and when they had gone some distance they lay low in the fields. Hunger seemed to have sharpened their wits, while it had definitely dulled the wits of their rivals.
When all was clear, their spokesman gave the signal, and they rushed back stealthily to the church, put the ropes to the bell and heaved it into its position in the belfry on the left. When they had fixed it properly, they began to ring it with all their might.
There were peals of victory which resounded on all sides. The people of Guirim who had just sat down to the plate-full of rice, heard the sounds and flinging the plate on the kitchen floor rushed back to the church. But it was too late to do anything. The people of Sangolda were marching homewards. The bell was swinging on the left tower, and the boom was in the air. And that is why the bell of the Church of Guirim is in the belfry towards Sangolda.
At one time the dispute regarding the rival claims of Guirim and Sangolda to the church was referred to the patron Saint Diogo. The people of Sangolda claimed it to be their church, while the people of Guirim said that it was theirs. The elders of both the villages finally decided to abide by the decision of their patron saint. There was no doubt that he would be impartial, and solve the vexed problem with holy justice.
The elders and their followers stationed themselves in the nave of the church. The Guirim group stood on the right side, while the Sangolda group stood on the left side. It was an anxious moment when the question was put to Saint Diogo, whose image stood on the main altar. They prayed for a sign from him.
Suddenly, the head of the saint turned to his left. It was the side on which the people of Guirim stood. They breathed an unanimous cry of thanks to the saint, while the people of Sangolda stood dumb with disappointment. And since that moment, they say, the church has been called Igreja de Guirim, the Church of Guirim.
A folktale sourced from The Wise Fools of Moira and Other Goan Folk Tales collected by Prof. Lucio Rodrigues.
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