Do you know where India's sunny state is located? If not, welcome to little story about Goa. When most people think of Goa, they think of huge stretches of sandy beach, but the state also has a lot of forest. However, there is a beach close to Small Vagator called Ozran Beach, if you will arrived to that place, you might see beautiful face of Shiva God.
Vagator is a lovely resort located in northern Goa, just a few kilometers from Anjuna. This location is particularly popular with musicians, dancers, and other persons with a creative nature. There is one remarkable sight on this area of the island: Shiva's stone face. The biggest question is, from where it comes from? Here the story gets complicated, I tried to do a research, asking people, searching Internet, and there is not one and only story about this beautiful craft. When many travelers view the stone face of Shiva sculpted in Goa's coastal cliffs, they instantly think of old sanctuaries, ancient ruins or old stories of believers. All of these versions, however, are incorrect in respect to this artwork. The most probable version is the one about subculture of the life-loving hippies.
Hippies culture was extremely prominent throughout the 1960s. Antonio Caroli, a young sculptor from Italy, was one among many who traveled to Goa. He was the one who sculpted Shiva's stone face on Vagator/Ozran Beach in Goa, where he lived at the time. Caroli, by the way, used to live directly on the beach under the open sky, with a similar manner of life due to the favorable local environment. According to the sculptor's contemporaries, Antonio Caroli landed in sunny India on his own, and when he arrived, he threw his passport into the sea. After years of making a living as a sculptor, the artist found work at a local museum, where he settled after years of earning a living as a painter of Goan cafés and restaurants. Today, however the only the trace I found is his little profile on instagram. And note on the website "Police has lodged an FIR (First Information report) against an Italian national Antonio Giuseppe Caroli for overstaying in India". There is not much more information about the artist, if that was even him. Who knows if it is a real story, now is more likely to turn to the legend. Maybe Antonio was a sculptor, maybe it was someone else. The art has not signature nor picture while it was made. Maybe the secret will be known just between few, who had the change to spot the art crafting process. And you, what do you think could happen? Where could be the beginning of that story? I hope to know more one day, and If Ill, I might share this secret with you. :) If you want to know more about India please check out the rest of my post from the trip there. https://milesofsteps.wixsite.com/milesofsteps/blog or go to my Youtube!
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