Curtorim

Curtorim is a town in the Salcette taluka of South Goa district in Goa, India.

Geography

Curtorim is located at . It has an average elevation of 38 metres (125 feet).

History

A copper-plate inscription was issued by Kadamba king Viramarmadeva in A.D 1049 concerning a grant of a piece of land called Tudukapura in Kudtarika agrahara of Chhat sathi desha.This inscription suggests that Kudatari or modern Curtorim was known as Kudatarika then.Chhat sathi refers to modern Salcete,known as Sashti or Sasashti in local languages. It had an Agrahara,which means an education centre or an university in the modern sense and was started most probably by the said monarch Viramarmadeva of or by Sasthadeva II or Guhalladeva II Goa kadamba dynasty.

Religion

Curtorim has a predominantly Catholic population. The Church of St Alex is the main feature of the village. It is one of the oldest churches in Goa. It was built in 1597 amidst a scenic natural backdrop of a lake Angoddi Tollem across woods on the site of an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Ravalnath (a form of Lord Shiva). The remains of the ancient temple of Ravalnath are still visible today. The church of St Alex was first a chapel church; in 1808 it was converted to a church. This church once housed the Kudtari/Kundodari Mahamaya temple deities, now currently located Ghudo Avadem.