PANAJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked Goa people for appreciating history with India and Georgia through the Holy Heritan of St Ketevan.
In the Mann Ki Balaat program, Modi mentioned the fact that India was recently handed over to Georgia heritage from the 17th century Queen in the country, St Ketevan, found in the Ruins of the St Augustine complex at Old Goa.
“At this event, India gave her heritage to the Georgia government and its people, and the Minister of India’s external affairs traveled there to participate in the event,” he said.
“This ceremony not only strengthened Georgia’s relationship with India, but also with Goa, because St Queen Ketevan’s relics was found in 2005 at St Augustine Church.” Modi said that Goa has become a great spiritual heritage land.
The Church of St Augustine, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Old Goa, is part of it, he said.
“The award words used at this ceremony for India will be remembered lovingly,” he said, adding that President Georgia, PM, the head of religion and a large number of people participated in the event.
Explaining the importance of the relics, Modi said that about 500 years ago, Queen Ketevan was the daughter of the Georgian royal family.
“After 10 years in prison, in 1624, he was martyr (ed).
According to ancient Portuguese documents, the remnants of St Queen Ketevan are stored in St Augustine’s monastery at Old Goa, but for a long time, it is considered that the remnants buried It has disappeared in the earthquake that has hit the cave in 1930, “he said.
While one part of the Queen of Georgia – long-sleeved long-sleeved bones – has talented Georgia, another part is still with the Museum of ASI in Old Goa.
This relic was found in 2005 after decades of research and efforts by the ASI Authority and Georgia.
The relics of Martyred Queen landed in the old cave because the two Augustinian monks said to have witnessed the last years their lives took them to Goa.