Though just five km from Panjim and nine from Mapusa has been a neglected
village lacking even the basic necessities. Surrounded by the progressive
villages of Porvorim, Sangolda, Saligaum, Candolim, Verem, and Betim. This
village in previous generations had contributed immensely to Goan society. A
few Muslims lived in the ward Maina, where there is a fountain. Here the
horses of Adil shah, the sultan of Bijapur, who had his sovereignty over
goa, were brought to bathe and drink water. This was via Betim, climbing the
slope called ghodde gahnt (ghodde means horses), near the present bamboo
motels and getting down in Pilerne at manxer at the sluice gate between the
branch of the river Sinkerim and the rivulet Rio dos Ribeiros which
irrigates the fields of Pilerne.
Formerly there were no rice fields in Pilerne. The bed of the river was
converted into cultivating fields by the Gaunkars of Carambolim. They were
brought by the Pilernkars to do this work that took some decades. Since they
stayed in Pilerne for long, they did not render any service to the
communidade of Carambolim, the pilernkars enrolled them in their communidade
as the fourth vangod. Giving them the name of furtadores or furtados which
in Portuguese means thieves. The patron saint of Carambolim was St. john de
baptist. The furtados had great faith him. So they decided to rob his
statue from Carambolim and brought it to to Pilerne.
