Cortalim

"Formerly the Cortalés (the villagers of Cortalim) were greatly devoted to their idols as is seen from the fact that although Cortalim is not large it had many lands belonging to the temples. The reason of this was that they served the kings of the mainland in offices requiring penmanship; and as this caste of people always find those whom they can exploit, they returned to their village rich, bought lands and offered them to the temples, in order to preserve the memory of their names. All of them bear the title ‘‘ Xenens”’ (Shenvis), that is to say, teachers ; because in the region of Konkan they are the ones who teach the other Brah- mins the three R’s. There are other Brahmins in Salsete, who do not bel&ng to Cortalim and yet take pride in the appelation Xenens... The Church of Cortalim is erected in the same site, where formerly the idol of Mangesh was worshipped. Mangesh is nothing but a stone and the reason which led the people of Cortalim to worship this stone is the following: The first Cortalé Brahmin who came to Salsete from Kashi-Pandharpur in the territory of Bengal, was wandering in search of a convenient place in which to settle down with his family. He sought the advice of the Demon of this point who appeared before him and ordered him to build his home at the place where his cow would discharge her milk. The Brahmin kept his cow under observation while she left in the morning for grazing and saw that when she reached a certain stone, which adjoined the river, she poured her milk on it spontaneously. And here he built his home and adorned the stone as a precious treasure, in which had entered the god who had appeared before him and to whom the cow had made an offering of her milk... Cortalim is a place of Kashi-Pandharpur from which the Brahmin hailed and he gave the name to the new colony to conserve the memory of his land of birth."