God Photos: December 2016

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Friday, December 16, 2016

Awesome Temple Of Lord Damodar, Goa




This famous Temple is dedicated to Damodar deity – the reincarnation of Shiva God. Here such Gods as Ramnath (the incarnation of Lord Shiva), Chamundeshwari (the fierce form of Shakti, a tutelary deity), Mahakali (the Hindu Goddess of time and death, considered to be the consort of Shiva the God of consciousness, and as the basis of Reality and existence) and Mahesha (one more incarnation of Lord Shiva) are also honored and hold in reverence. Originally the Temple was built in the City of Margao, but in 1565 during the Portuguese Inquisition it was destroyed and a Church of Holy Spirit was elevated on its place. Darmodar is a place of worship for both Hindus and Catholics.

The Shri Damodar Temple is one of the most beautiful and famous architecture constructions in Goa. It stands on the bank of Kushawati River near the Zambaulim Village, just 22 km from the City of Margao on the border of Quepem region (Quepem taluk) and Sanguem region (Sanguem taluk), in South Goa.

Hindus believe that the Kushawati River is a sacred one place and that its healing properties help to get rid of different skin diseases.

Goddess ShantDurga Temple, Goa




This temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga, one of the most powerful of all Hindu deities. The main idol has the idol of Lord Shiva on one side and Lord Vishnu on the other. Lores have it that while Goddess Durga brought a ceasefire between the two, bringing peace to the world. Owing to this, she was named as Shri Shantdurga, which means peace in Hindi. It was built over a course of years from 1713 AD to 1738 AD.

Shantadurga is the mother Goddess worshipped by our countrymen since times immemorial. She takes various forms and shapes. In Bengal, she is the Durga, in Gujrat she is the Amba. She is the Dravidian Goddess who was incorporated in the Aryan pantheon. In fact in Goa, she was worshipped as 'ant¬hill' (roinn) by the pre-historic Goan people. The Shantadurga deity was brought to Goa by the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins who are supposed to have migrated to Goa from especially the Gaud region of Bengal, Tirhut (Trihotrapur) in Bihar. Tirhut, being the original place from where the deity was brought to Goa in the ancient times by the Saraswat community. These 96 Gaud Saraswat families who settled in 66 villages that is Sashi (Salcete). They built a shrine dedicated to Goddess Shantadurga at Keloshi a village in the present day Marmagoa taluka (then in Salcete). Her devotees began to worship her with utmost dedication. The Portuguese under the leadership of Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa in 1510 and throughout the 16th centure, owing to the conversion zeal of the government as well as the missionaries a kind of fear psychosis developed amongst the Hindus. In the Keloshi village, the devotees of Shatadurga were gripped by this fear of religious persecution. Hence, they shifted the idol of Shatadurga across the river in a clandestine manner into the Antruz mahal which was under the tolerant Adilshahi rulers. This shifting of the idol took place in the year 1566 during the infamous inquisition period of Goan history. The original temple which was rebuilt by Anu Shenvi None was destroyed and the idol of Shatadurga was shifted to a beautiful hamlet of the Mahars (Maharwada) who gave shelter to the devotees and the deities.

Lord Vimleshwar Swayambhu Shivlinga, Goa




Vimaleshwar Temple is located in Rivona village of Sanguem taluka in the state of Goa, India. Vimaleshwar is a form of Lord Shiva and is worshiped in the form of a Shivalinga.It is a Swayambhu shivlinga. The Prabhu Dessai family of Rivona (GSBs) and the Daivajna Brahmins with surname 'Rivonkar' or 'Revankar' are Mahajans of the temple.

Sri Mahalsa Temple, Goa




The temple of Goddess Mahalasa had been on the plateau of Verna village in Salcette taluka from ancient times long before the advent of the Portuguese rule in this part of Goa. It is said that Parushuram brought 10 Saraswat families in Gomantak from their settlements in Trihotra in the North. These 10 families brought with them their following family deities: Mangueshi, Mahadeva, Mahalaxmi, Mahalasa, Shantadurga, Nagesh and Saptkoteshwar.

Later, more Saraswat families came to Goa and they too brought with them their own family deities. In all, there were 66 families which settled in Salcette taluka. Of them, six families settled in Varyenapur or Varunapur (old Mhaddol), commonly known as Vernem during Portuguese rule and Verna now.

Lord Saptkoteshwara Temple, Goa




This is one of the greatest Shaivite shrines of Goa which has a chequered and turbulent history of more than one thousand years. Saptakoteshwar was the family deity of the Kadambas of Goa, and they honoured it by featuring the legend and the Shikara on their gold coins. The gold coins of Jayakeshi I (1050-1080AD) and Jayakeshi II (1104-1147 AD) carry the inscription. The temple was destroyed several times by the marauding Muslims and later by the Portugese. The Lingam itself is one of the most sacred relic which has been equated with that of the Kedarnath in the Puranas and its presence endowed on Goa the designation of Konkan Kashi. This sacred relief, however, had to be buried inthe paddy fields to avoid desecration and had to face the ignominy of being turned into the step of a well so that people drawing water could commit the sacrilege of stepping on it. This same mukhalingam, however, had the privilege of being venerated by two very illustrious personalities in the Indian history. Madhav Mantri, the famous general of the Vijaynagar Empire and The Great Maratha Hero,Both of them, rebuilt, the Saptakoteshwar Shrine after its destruction. Though Saptakoteshwar is a Shaivite shrine, the Linga of Saptakoteshwar is considered not only the abode of Shiva but also of Vishnu, Brahma and Bhairava. Both Hari and Hara are present in the Linga. Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated on a grand scale in this temple. Taking bath on this occasion in the river near the shrine is considered meritorius. The belief is that the river becomes Pancha Ganga on the Gokulashtami day. Even in the 16th century large crowd of devotees estimated to be over thirty thousand would assemble and bathe in the sacred waters..

Shri Mangeshi Temple, Goa




The Shri Mangeshi Temple is a Beautiful Temple Dedicated To Lord Shiva. It is considered to be the Most Important Temple In Goa, it belongs to the typical Goan Hindu temple style of architecture. It is very distinctive with its white towers, welcoming at the entrance even though it is small and exquisite. It is located on a Hillock at Proil which is in the Ponda Taluka, surrounded with lush greenery which creates a separate place in the hearts of the onlookers. It is 22 kms from Panjim and 26 kms from Margao. It is one of the largest, wealthiest and most frequently visited temples in Goa.

Legend has said that once Lord Shiva And Mata Parvati were playing dice in their abode at Mount Kailas. Shiva kept losing, and in the last roll of the dice staked his heaven. Having lost that too, he had to leave the Himalayas. He wandered southwards and presently crossed the Sahyadri mountains and came to Kushasthali, now Cortalim, where Lopesh, his faithful devotee, entreated him to remain. Forlorn Parvati, now heartbroken without Shiva, left heaven and went in search of him. In the midst of a dense forest she came face to face with a huge tiger. Shiva had taught her an incantation, “He Girisha mamtrahi” – O Lord of the Mountains protect me – but she was so frightened that she lost her coherence and uttered the jumbled incantation, “Trahi mam Girisha”. Shiva, who had assumed the form of a tiger, instantly returned to his normal form. And then at a much relieved Parvati’s behest, he added Mam-Girisha to the many appellations he is known by. Which is also how the village where the temple is situated came to be eventually known as Mangeshi, an abbreviation of Mam-Girisha.

Shri Ramnath Temple, Goa



Ramnath is a Divine Symbol of the unity of Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva). Ramnath is a compound word formed by the unity of two words Rama and Natha. So, Ramnath means the Lord of Rama. In another way Ramnath also means the one whose Lord is Rama. So, the Lord of Rama is Shiva and the Lord of Shiva is Rama. Shivshankar drank the poison (Halahal) which came out during the churning of the ocean. His throat became blue and he started getting burning sensation. That sensation was soothed by the recital of Rama Nama. So, our Ramnath is a symbol of unity of Hari and Hara and we should be proud of being Kullavis of such Daivat.

Must Read - Story Of Samudramanthan

The temple of Ramnathi is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa. This temple belongs to the Goan Brahmin community (Saraswat and Daivadnya Brahmins). Similar to other Goan Brahmin temples, Ramnathi too incorporates the system of Panchayasthan, therefore this temple house 5 main deities namely - Shri Ramanath (chief deity), Shanteri, Kamakshi, Laxmi Narayan, Ganapati, Betal and Kalbhairav, along with other family purushas.

Shri Mahadeva Temple, Goa




The Tambdi Surla Temple Dedicated To Lord Shiva has a pillared porch and three stepped entrances and the shrine surmounted by a tower. It is quite small with a small passageway and has Shiva's vehicle, a headless Nandi bull in the center of the main porch.

A solid piece of stone work is the lotus shape carved out of the porch's ceiling. The pierced stone screen carrying the figures of deities that surrounds the door of the vestibule is another notable feature.
The small Shiva (Mahadev) temple of Tambdi Surla situated at about 18 km from the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary gate is the only surviving structure of the Kadamba Yadava dynasty. Thus it is the oldest temple of Goa, that survived from the Portuguese as it was set next to a stream in the middle of the small clearing, hidden in the dense jungle.

Top Temples In Goa You Must Visit


Goa is a state in west India within the coastal region known as the Konkan. Bounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. It is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Goa is one of India's richest states with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country. Goa is known for its striking landscape, famous beaches in India, astounding monuments and churches and bustling Goa nightlife. Goa is one of the most visited tourist places in India.Below are the some awesome temples that are situated in Goa that are most visited.

Lord Kamleshwara Temple,Goa
Shri Mahadeva Temple, Goa
Shri ramnath Temple, Goa
Lord Saptkoteshwara Temple, Goa
Sri Mahalsa Temple, Goa
Lord Vimleshwara Swayambhu Shivlinga, Goa
Goddess Shant Durga Temple, Goa
Lord Damodar Temple, Goa
Shri Mangeshi Temple, Goa

Lord Kamleshwar Temple, Goa



Lord Kamleshwar the beautiful Lord Shiva Temple situated at Korgao in Pernem which is the north most taluka of Goa. It is known to be built by a queen named Kamala who ruled Goa from Revatidvip (today's Redi).
The temple is about 200 years old and is the only temple in Goa that has a pair of stone images of Shiva's carrier, Nandi. These stone images can be seen directly opposite the shrine containing the deity. Near the Kamleshwar temple one can also see a beautiful image of Shri Vishnu and a beautiful life-sized image of a deity named Kuvaleshwar. The Bhumika temple that is situated nearby can also be visited.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Ghorwadeshwar Lord Shiva Temple


“Ghorwadeshwar” Lord Shiva Temple situated near Ghorawadi. This is a “Shivlinga” temple at the hill top with beautiful nature view. Pretty clam and quite place with wind breezing which you can feel while sitting at the table top land in between the climb to the temple. The Ghorwadeshwartemple look from outside, it is engraved in huge rock, the small dark orange colour small temple is Hanuman / Maruti temple & the other two arches are entrance to the main Shivalinga darshan.

Ghorwadeshwar Temple Gallery

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Famouse Murudeshwara Statue, Karnataka


Murudeshwara temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva lies in the holy beach town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India.

It is the second tallest statue of Shiva in the world. The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Mr R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately 50 million rupees. The idol is designed such that it gets the sun light directly and thus appears sparkling.