In general, before visiting a temple, we make it a point to be physically clean; taking a proper bath and wearing fresh clothes. Yet one tradition followed at GSB Kuldevata temples stands apart. It is called Dhulī Bheṭa—Dhulī meaning dust and bheṭa meaning meeting—symbolizing a meeting with the deity while one is still unclean from a long journey.
According to this tradition, when a kulavi(devotee of the Kuldevata) travels from afar to visit their Kuldevata, they may enter the temple immediately after removing their footwear, offer prayers, and only then proceed to their accommodation to rest and settle in. This ritual is rooted in history. Centuries ago, during the Goan Inquisition, GSB families were forced to disperse and migrate far from their ancestral homes and Kuldevatas. When they eventually returned, often after long and arduous journeys, their eagerness to meet their deity was overwhelming. Like a child running into a parent’s arms without caring about being dirty from play, these families approached their Kuldevata with the same uninhibited devotion. This spontaneous, heartfelt reunion came to be accepted and sanctified as Dhulī Bheṭa.
In Journey of a Konkani Family, an autobiography by Mulki R. Bhat, an earlier form of this practice at the Mahalasa temple is described. During the migration to escape the inquisition, the stone idol of the goddess was saved by her followers and entrusted to a gorovu (cowherd) for safekeeping. The descendants of this caretaker would welcome newly arrived pilgrims, ask about their gotra (clan), paika (family name), family lineage, and place of residence, and then formally announce to the goddess that a particular family had returned from exile for a visit.
Today, while most kulavis may have visited their Kuldevata temples at least once, the ritual of Dhulī Bheṭa remains.