St Inez sees rare spiritual overlap of All Souls’ Day & Tulsi Vivah rituals

In Goa, where the rhythm of life flows between church bells and temple chants, faith has always found a way to coexist. This year, that shared rhythm finds a remarkable echo as All Souls' Day and Tulsi Vivah fall on the same date, November 2.

- VEDA RAUT

At dawn, Catholic families across Goa will make their way to cemeteries, candles in hand, to pray for their departed loved ones. By dusk, Hindu homes will light up with diyas, flowers, and music to mark the sacred union of Tulsi and Vishnu, a symbolic wedding between the divine and the human. And right in the heart of Panaji, in St Inez, this harmony is not just symbolic. It is visible, tangible, and centuries old.

Outside the St Agnes Church Cemetery stands an ancient Tulsi Vrindavan, believed to date back to the Kadamba period. It is a quiet witness to time and perhaps the most eloquent monument to how Goa's faiths have long shared both space and spirit.

For locals like Santosh Borkar, who runs the wellknown Café Borkar near the cemetery, this connection is not new; it is part of life. “We live together in harmony,” says Borkar, smiling as he recalls past celebrations.