(Some) Temples of Goa: A Photo blog

Goa is not just about beaches, churches & the famous temples of Mangeshi and Shantadurga. There is lots more to explore in this small, yet beautiful state. In our recent trip we had an opportunity to visit some of these places. In this photo blog, I would be showcasing some of the temples of Goa. This is by no means a comprehensive & all inclusive blog. There could be many more such temples. Also at the very outset, let me be clear that I am not a good photographer. In fact, all these photos have been taken from my mobile camera. And last but not the least, I am no authority on architecture. So whatever I comment need not have that authenticity. So with all the disclaimers in place, here we begin with the Temples of Goa...

A common thread that runs in most of the temples is the history. Many temples have been relocated. Due to the Portuguese aggression & inquisition, the Hindus had to flee  from the areas of Portuguese dominance to safer places, carrying with them the deities. This was done to prevent the destruction of the idols at the hands of ruthless Portuguese rulers who showed no mercy & persecuted many a Hindu temple.
This history has been displayed at the entrance of the Ganesh Temple at Khandola, just ahead of Mashel.

 

There are a few essential features of a typical Goan temple. Most of them are seen the Khandola temple. One of those features is a huge 'Sabha Mandap' or a corridor that leads to the main shrine. The second feature is that the dome is at the end of the Mandap & covers only the main shrine & not the entire Mandap. The Mandap therefore needs to have pillars. Just to give an analogy to help you visualize,the entire structure appears like a cruise ship.

    

 

The Sabha Mandaps are so large that they could easily accommodate hundreds of people. They are used not just for the annual festivals or yatras, but also for marriage ceremonies. When we visited Khandola, indeed one such marriage ceremony was going on. 

The idol of Lord Ganesh at Khandola is different than what is usually seen....

 

After the Devki krishna temple (about which I have written in earlier blog) complex at Mashel & Ganesh Temple at Khandola, we went ahead on the Fonda (or Ponda) road. All the vehicles were lining up to visit the famous Mangeshi temple at Priyol. We had seen it earlier & by then it was already 1 pm . We thought the temple might be closed for the afternoon. So we decided to skip it & went ahead. Just about a kilometre behind Mangeshi, there is another beautiful temple- the Mahalasa Narayani temple at Mhardol. . It was worth the visit as we found another few characteristics of typical Goan temples over there. At the entrance there is a tall, tower-like structure called- 'Deep-mal' or 'Deep-sthambha'. This is meant for lighting lamps on special occasions. Lighting the lamps placed in the notches in the tower must be a task by itself. They would obviously start lighting it from top to bottom.

 

This Deep-sthambh is a common phenomenon at the temples. But in this temple, just next to it, we saw a tall Samai, again a traditional lamp. This was made of brass & almost was of he same height as the sthambh. 

 

The Mhardol temple is beautiful & according to me, it looks  somewhat like a Pagoda.

 


We stayed at Arpora. From there, on the way to Anjuna beach, we found a temple at Hadfade. The Deep stambha was lighted with electric lamps. But it gave an idea how the above tower would look like when lit...

 

In a small village Bori, we found another temple with all the essential features. I don't know if this is an essential feature-but most of the temples are painted yellow or pinkish red or shades of red from the outside.Have a look at this-

This is the Navdurga temple at Bori.

But the temple that is simply breathtaking is the Mahadev Temple at Tambdi Surla- which is not far from the Goa- Karnataka border, almost 65 km from Panaji. Not just the temple, but the road that takes you there is also very refreshing-lined on both sides by lush green trees & at times you get a feeling that you are passing through a dense forest. It is indeed situated in the north east part of Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary & Mollem National Park. Its location in the forest was the main reason that it survived Portuguese attack. It has remained intact & is indeed a sight to behold.

It is said to be the oldest temple of Goa. There are conflicting opinions as to who built the temple. The local people would tell you that it was build by the Pandavas when they stayed here during their exile. When you search for the information, you get a different information- that this is built in Hemadpanthi style (between tenth to fourteenth century) & is considered to be the only specimen of Kadamba-Yadava architecture in basalt stone preserved and available in Goa.

 There are intricate carvings on the pillars, ceilings & also the main structure from outside...

 

 

                              


This is a temple of Lord Shiva & a large number of devotees throng this place during the annual Mahashivratri festival. But at least when we were there, this place was so calm & serene...
Hardly any tourists... No rush... No standing in queue... In fact is good that not many people know of this temple or even if they do, they don't take the pains of reaching here...Or else by now this splendid work of architecture would have been spoiled  by all sorts of tourists coming there....