Goa Diary 2023 - 2 Trail of Faith

Goa Diary 2.   Trail of Faith

My visit to Goa this time turned into a trail of faith .

Normally for a tourist visiting Goa means taking stroll on the silver sand  beaches,  enjoying more affordable booze , spending nights at disco or Casino. But in this short trip to Goa  I realized that Goa has many sacred pilgrimage places to explore to  fine tune the spirit and soul. I also feel that five days are not enough to explore all important places of worship. 

A temple in Goa was once always the centre of a village and continued to do so , the lives of people were related to these temples and its festivities . The village property was divided amongst the villagers according to certain rules. The patrons of the temples were known as Mahajana and for the most part hail from Brahmin communities with a few from Kshatriya communities. This Mahajani system kept the temple finances floating. 

With the advent of Portuguese many Hindu temples in Goa were destroyed, the priests fled with their deities in the dense forest areas. That is why what I saw during the visit modern structures with a lot of Portuguese architectural influene marinated with Nagara style of architecture in the temples. 

The  most common feature in the temples is the Sanctum Sanctorum, Garbagriha and Shikhara which rises from the main shrine , sharp and vibrant color paint applied, essentially a large building for the use of Mahajana ,  a tal or pond on the left side of entrance which distincts them with North Indian temples.

I started my temple trail from Mahalakshmi Temple in Panaji. The temple is situated in the heart of the city at Dada Vaidya Road , it’s premise is very big. The presiding deity is Goddess Mahalakshmi has  four hands, chiseled out of the  black stone it is placed in a silver canopy. The deity originally from Mayem in Bicholim taluka was transferred to the present site. It was the first Hindu temple allowed to be built by the Portuguese in Goa after 300 years after bitter opposition. It was approved by the Portuguese authorities in 1818 . It is  renovated most recently so looks like very new and contemporary . The presiding deity of the temple originally came from the village of Taleigao , thereafter  moved to Bicholim in the 16th century to escape Portuguese destruction and finally to the present site.

Next on our list was Maruti temple in Panaji. I walked from my Guest house passing through Fontainhas and Sao Tome which are predominantly Christian areas in Panaji , Mala is next to it, l noticed the differences in colours and architectural styles in the two localities coexist. Hindu houses can be identified from an angan (courtyard) and tulsi planted in a traditional pot. 

I  could hear the pealing of bells of temple from a distance while walking towards the Altinho Hill. The bells start to peal early morning and on some days keep going relentlessly throughout the day. I could see  red color stairs , painted red , leading to the temple on the hill . The building of the temple is  beautiful orange and white. Once reached on the main platform of the temple, I enjoyed  unrestricted 180 degree view of the river, newly constructed bridge connecting both ends of Mandovi and dense forest.

Our next stop was Shanta Durga temple , it is at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka. A small laterite mud shrine was built and the deity was installed, it is the true epitome of peace and harmony. Goddess Shantadurga , the presiding deity of the temple believed to settle the fierce fight between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. That is why Goddess Shantadurga is  worshipped as the epitome of peace.

Not very far away from Shanta Durga temple Mangueshi temple is located in Mangeshi village Mardol. It was originally in Cortalim and it was shifted to present site after the Portuguese persecutions in 1560. Pandit Dina Nath , father of Famous singer Lata Mangeshkar was born in this village, the lane connecting main road to the temple is named after him. Presiding deity of temple is the Kuldeva of Goud Saraswat Brahmins. The high storeyed snow white Deepstambha is classical and elegant in its own style and on its bottom storey are panels carved figures of deities. There are various domes over the entrance hall with a repeat of the octagonal type of dome and the two side entrances creating the cruciform ground plan are also domed. The entrance hall is linked with the tower over the sanctum by a steep tiled roof over the mandapa. An octagonal drum supports the dome of the tower which is extended for height purposes. The dome in turn supports a cylindrical lantern with a gleaming golden finial elegantly built and linked by balustrades appearing at each level. The design of a flattened globe or 'amalaka' symbolizing fruit and fertility is vertically grooved all round except the main dome. 

It is believed that that  Lord Shiva after losing a game of dice with his consort Parvati, lost all his possessions including his heavenly abode atop Mt. Kailasa and wandered away before resting at Kushastali for meditation in South Goa. Parvati went in search of Shiva and was confronted by a fierce tiger. She cried to Lord Shiva for help only to find the tiger none other than the Lord himself who had taken the form of a tiger to test her courage. The reunion of the two was indeed joyful and to celebrate this, Lord Shiva adopted the last 2 words, "Mam Girisha" of the cry for help from Parvati as one of his abundant names. Lord Shiva left a linga before departing for his abode, and this was discovered by a cowherd whose cow used to sprinkle milk on the same spot regularly and that was how the temple of Mangesh at Kushastali came into existence. The name Mam Girish was abbreviated to Mangesh and so it has remained till today. 

Wherever I was traveling in Goa I  could see churches. During the Portuguese rule , lot of small, medium and big churches came up to cater spiritual need of the new converts, these churches also became cultural and social center for the people living in the vicinity. We finally landed in Old Goa which is home to Se Cathedral, dedicated to St Catherine who was a saint and a patroness of Christian philosophy. It took 100 years to build this church. The Interiors of the Church is based on a Corinthian architecture. The peaceful vibes, fabulous mosaic work, gilded carvings and fascinating Iberian facade are an absolute piece of wonder. Also, the convent adjoined the cathedral is now an archaeological museum which gives a useful insight on Goa’s bygone era. It is one of the most visited places of Worship in Goa.

My final  stop in Old Goa was Basilica of Bom Jesus , just across the roa, it is also one of the most visited churches in Goa. UNESCOhas declared it as the  world heritage site. It is rich in art , architecture and history, Plastered exterior of this church looks very inferior at first site but it's a masterpiece of baroque architecture. The facade of the church is also very beautiful. The floor is laid with marbles and inlaid with precious stones. The modern art gallery of Basilica depicts the scenes from the bible. The Basilica also houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier that  lies in an airtight glass coffin positioned in a silver casket. St Xavier  was patron saint of Goa who died in 1552. These  mortal remains of the saint were gifted to the church by Cosimo de Medici III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The body — now seen only as relics — is lowered and placed on a podium at an interval of ten years to allow pilgrims to come near and seek the saint's intercession. The next decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, will commence on Nov 21, 2024. 

This visit entices me to come back and explore more spiritual places in Goa.

02.04.2024.