The Temples of Goa form an important part of the socio-cultural life of the native people of Goa, where a majority of population is of Hindus with a minority of Muslim community. Being under the rule of the Portuguese for a long time, many temples in Goa were destructed, especially temples in the areas of the old conquests in the early years. Ponda Taluka is the region where you can find the majority of Hindu Temples of Goa.

The oldest temples in Goa were the ones built by the Saraswat Brahmins of Bihar. These included the Mangeshi Temple of Priol, the Shanta Durga Temple at Kavele, the Ganapati Temple at Khandole, the Mahalaxmi Temple at Bhandiwade and the Sri Nagesh Maharudra Temple at Bandora. The origination of these Goa temples are very much related to the migration of the Saraswats from the banks of the legendary Saraswati river, on to the Gangetic plains, and then on to Gomantaka on the invitation of the sage Parasurama.

Sri Mangeshi Temple

One of the most popular temples of Goa is the Sri Mangeshi Temple. It is said that the Mangesh Linga was consecrated on the mountain of Mangireesh (Mongir) on the banks of river Bhagirathi by Lord Brahma himself, from where the Saraswat Brahmins brought it to Trihotrapuri in Bihar. When, in the year 1560, the Portuguese started Christian conversions in Salsette taluka, the Saraswats of Vatsa Gotra felt insecure and shifted the Mangesh Linga from the original site at the Kushasthali to Priol Ponda Taluka in Atrunja Taluka, which at that time was ruled by the Hindu kings of Sonde. After remaining in the house of a temple priest for sometime, the Sri Mangesh deity was finally installed in its present site at Priol.

Shanta Durga Temple

The Shanta Durga or Shanteri Temple is at Kapilpura or Kavele, also in Atrunja taluka. This deity is believed to have been carried by Loma Sharma of Kaushik Gotra when the Saraswats came to Goa from Trihotrapuri in the Mithila region of Bihar. A story in the Skandapurana speaks of how Lord Shiva, when defeated by his spouse Parvati in a game of dice, had left mount Kailash and gone to Gomanchala near Kushasthali for tapasya (penance). It is here that he heard the cries of the Saraswat Brahmin, Loma Sharma, caught by a crocodile in the river Aghanashini.

Mahalaxmi Temple

Mahalaxmi is the Goddess of power and strength. She is believed to be an incarnation of Adishakti -the supreme power and energy. The Shaktas, among the Saraswats, worshipped Adishakti in the form of the linga. Many accept her as Pallavi, their supporting deity, believing that this Goddess of tremendous strength and power was released when the devas and rakshasas were churning the ocean for amrita (nectar). On their arrival in Goa, the Saraswats, who had brought the Mahalaxmi idol with them, built a temple at Bhanda-Vatika or Bhandiwade village in the Atrunja taluka. Most of the Saraswats, however, were then living at Tiswadi and Sasasti talukas and had to cross a river and travel a long distance to worship the deity. So they established at Kolva, just 6 km from Madgaon, another Mahalaxmi temple, on the banks of the Arabian Sea.