Hidden Gems Of Veling

Taking your soul to discover

- Pantaleao Fernandes

HIDDEN gems of Veling, a walk curated by Soul Travelling, sounded like a treasure hunt and I found myself driving from my village of Benaulim early one morning. I wanted to catch the host, Bhavesh Velinkar of Soul Travelling before he set off on his walk with a group of heritage lovers. We were in time to catch the morning sun roll along the gleaming copper roof tiles of a temple as we were led into the first gem, precincts of the Shree Laxmi Narsimha Devasthan.

The enthusiastic walkers were then led in front of the temple, to the temple tank. The entire layout of the tank and its abutting structures were as awe inspiring as the temple itself. We were lucky to catch a young bhatji bathe and perform puja of the idols in the tiny shrines. Smeared with sandalwood paste and clad in a white dhoti, the bhatji went about his sacred duties very religiously.

A spout sculptured from stone in the shape of the face of a cow released spring water from its mouth and replenished the tank. One of the walkers gingerly stepped forward and after splashing her face, drank the water. Enriched with minerals and medicinal properties of different roots, the water is supposed to have curative properties.