{"id":103904,"date":"2025-07-06T16:15:48","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T10:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=103904"},"modified":"2025-07-06T16:15:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T10:45:48","slug":"chikhal-kalo-2025-kicks-off-with-a-celebration-of-goas-culture-devotion-and-culinary-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=103904","title":{"rendered":"Chikhal Kalo 2025 kicks off with a celebration of Goa\u2019s culture, devotion, and culinary heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Goa Khabar : The Department of Tourism, inaugurated the vibrant and deeply revered Chikhal Kalo 2025 on 5th July at the historic Devki Krishna Temple, Marcela, marking the beginning of a three-day celebration dedicated to Goa\u2019s timeless spiritual and cultural traditions. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The festival was officially inaugurated in the presence of esteemed dignitaries including Govind Gaude, MLA Priol constituency; Kedar Naik, Director Tourism; and Kuldeep Arolkar, Managing Director, GTDC; Tabla Maestro,\u00a0 Tulsidas Navelkar; Chairman of Devki Krishna Saunsthan committee, Vijay Dharwatkar along with Secretary of\u00a0 Devki Krishna Saunsthan committee\u00a0 Venkatesh Tamba and others.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Rohan Khaunte, Hon\u2019ble Minister for Tourism stated \u201cChikhal Kalo is a reaffirmation of who we are as Goans. It is through festivals like these that we honour our spiritual roots, promote community bonding, and create authentic experiences for visitors. Goa is about the spirit of its people, its culture, its values. Through this festival, we continue our commitment to Regenerative Tourism by bringing the spotlight to our traditions, our hinterlands, and our identity. Chikhal Kalo is a reminder that tourism can be both transformative and rooted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Kedar Naik, Director of Tourism, added \u201cChikhal Kalo is a testimony to the growing desire among locals and travellers alike to reconnect with traditions that are immersive, inclusive, and meaningful. We are proud to promote such festivals under the broader vision of \u2018Goa Beyond Beaches.\u2019 We will continue to encourage experiences that are environmentally responsible, culturally sensitive, and community-driven. The festival also complements our ongoing monsoon campaign, #GlowOnArrival,\u00a0 which showcases Goa\u2019s tranquil beauty and soulful offerings during the rains.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Held on the auspicious Dashami Tithi, the first day of festivities was packed with diverse cultural and devotional experiences that reflected the essence of Bhakti, tradition, and local creativity. The celebrations began with a Cooking Competition, where participants showcased an array of traditional Goan vegetarian dishes, celebrating Goa\u2019s rich culinary heritage and its seasonal, community-based food traditions.<\/p>\n

This was followed by \u201cNachu Kirtanache Rangi\u201d, a beautiful performance that brought together devotional Kirtan recital and music to set a spiritually vibrant tone for the evening. The Vitthalvaari segment featured heartfelt Bhakti performances by acclaimed artists including Mugdha Gaonkar, Hrishikesh Sane accompanied by Aany Ghate, Utpal Sainker, Kedar Dhamaskar, and Govind Gauthankar.<\/p>\n

The evening culminated in a soul-stirring Abhang and Bhakti Sangeet performance by renowned artist Dr. Bharat Balvalli, accompanied by a distinguished ensemble: Pandit Makrand Kundale, Prasad Karambelkar, Amar Oak, Dada Parab, and Govind Bhagat. The spiritual energy and musical brilliance enthralled attendees, uniting tourists and devotees in a shared experience of Goa\u2019s living heritage.<\/p>\n

The next two days of Chikhal Kalo 2025 promise to be equally engaging and spiritually uplifting. On 6th July, Ashadhi Ekadashi, the temple premises will resonate with the divine melodies of a traditional Bhajan recital, inviting all devotees and tourists to immerse themselves in sacred music and prayer. On 7th July, the final day of the festival, the much-anticipated Chikhal Kalo ritual will unfold\u2014a joyful and symbolic mud festival that reimagines the playful moments of Lord Krishna\u2019s childhood. This ritual, rooted deeply in community bonding and devotion, witnesses both locals and visitors coming together to celebrate Goa\u2019s unique cultural identity with fervour and joy.<\/p>\n

Deepak Narvekar, Dy. General Manager, GTDC, proposed the vote of thanks.<\/p>\n

The Department of Tourism warmly invites everyone to witness and partake in the remaining days of this rare and meaningful celebration. As Goa continues to promote tourism that is regenerative, inclusive, and rooted in tradition, Chikhal Kalo stands as a glowing example of how festivals can become a movement of cultural revival and collective pride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Goa Khabar : The Department of Tourism, inaugurated the vibrant and deeply revered Chikhal Kalo 2025 on 5th July at the historic Devki Krishna Temple, Marcela, marking the beginning of a three-day celebration dedicated to Goa\u2019s timeless spiritual and cultural traditions. The festival was officially inaugurated in the presence of esteemed dignitaries including Govind Gaude, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25169,"featured_media":103905,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3794],"class_list":["post-103904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-6","tag-featured"],"read":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/25169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=103904"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103906,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103904\/revisions\/103906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/103905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=103904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=103904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=103904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}