Anthills require a cool environment which became a challenge. Around the 15th century the Garba grihas started sculptures of Santeri which had serpents in her hand. All Santeri became Santadurga. The original names were fixed with Santadurga like Santadurga Snakaleswari.
Shantadurga is Shakti – kalas, a pot representing a female womb, It contains water and a bud which signifies life. Male energy in female womb – fertility. Religion and culture Live closely with nature.
Conversions to Christianity caused a change in religion not in culture. The Goan catholic does not wear sindur, mangal sutra, anklet. Some customs like lighting lamps, wearing flowers or jewelley was not discarded. The Tulsi plant in homes was replaced by a cross. The vermillion was replaced by a tattoo of cross on the forehead.
Interesting trivia

• Significant in sartorial styles is the horizontal vermillion mark which was the dominant colour.
• The coconut mats have lent to the chequered pattern.
• The kalash, pilasters, santeris have been adopted on the sarees in the borders.
• The saree was knee length maybe because the Gaudas were farmers not fishermen and the paddy fields are marshy.
• The style of draping is to tie a knot (detli detuli gotti) on the right shoulder, only for married women. Young girls wear the ardha saree with a blouse. The Portuguese introduced shirts especially for spinsters.
• The term Adivasi is the right term for these sarees and not Kunbi. Kunbi was the term given by the Portuguese which is the corruption of the word Kulmi.
• They were traditionally worn by the Christian Adivasis only.
• Hindu Gaudas gave up checked sarees. The Nava hindu Gaudas started wearing multi-coloured sarees.
• There are no weaving communities. It was an inclusive culture and anyone could weave. This weave stopped around 1985s with the decline of the handlooms in Goa.
• There are no exact records of handlooms in any archive.
• A myth was that Manjishtha was used water was stored in iron containers. The truth is that only chemicals were used. Cotton was imported by Portuguese dyes from Macau.
• For mourning Christians wear black which was inauspicious, so it was substituted with blue, purple and plum.

Christian Gaudas doing the traditional dance           The Detli / saree tied in a knot

The Gauda ~ kaapad ~ Not Kunbhi