5 Famous Temples to Visit in Ponda, Goa (2024)
Ponda is the social heart of Goa and is home to a staggering cluster of sanctuaries and a variety of other creations of nature as well as man.
It is entirely satisfactory to spend a majority of the length of your Goa vacation, unwinding by the pool of your extravagant lodging or sunning yourself on the sands of one of the state’s many shocking sea shores However, for the individuals who need to find the ‘genuine Goa’, there could be no more excellent spot than Ponda. One of the most important destinations that differentiate Ponda from the rest of Goa is its mind-blowing temples holding great religious importance.
Let us know about some of these temples in detail:
- Kapileshwar Temple: Kapileshwar Temple in Ponda is the first as you begin to drive west towards the greatest bunch of six sanctuaries. Devoted to Lord Shiva, this peaceful sanctuary offers an enormous open space when you cross its curved door from the primary street. Old women, sitting on the little stairway at the entrance of the temple sell blossoms, incense, and coconut that is to be offered to the divinities inside. A little special stepped area with Tulsi or heavenly basil embellishes the yard. While adoring trees is normal in Hinduism, Tulsi is at the highest point of that chain of command, and accordingly, you are probably going to see Tulsi in sanctuary patios as well as inside private homes. This eighteenth-century sanctuary is relatively straightforward. The trademark red laterite-rock development of Goa exposes and adds to its rural appeal. While the mandapa has a rich peak style rooftop, the garbagriha or the sanctum is housed inside an excellent vault that is molded. The other thing you would see is that this is a generally calm sanctuary when contrasted with others nearby. Mondays are exceptional supplication days for Lord Shiva and anticipate more individuals on this day of the week.
- Shantadurga Vijayate Temple: Without a doubt perhaps the most well-known gods in Goa, Goddess Shantadurga, or all the more normally Goddess Sateri, is the benefactor divinity or Kuldevi of numerous families. The legend goes that once when Vishnu and Shiva were occupied in a wild fight, Lord Brahma mentioned Goddess Parvati to intervene. She is accepted to have taken on the Adishakti (early-stage power) symbol of Shantadurga to do this work. This is a one-of-a-kind portrayal whose exceptional name is an association of Shanta (tranquil) and Durga (an enraged type of the Goddess). Along these lines, her admirers trust her to be the person who settles squabbles, and moves individuals towards harmony. In the sixteenth century, the Portuguese obliterated the first spot of Santeri’s love in Kardavilan, presently known as Quelossim, arranged in the Salcete taluka of Goa. Its adherents ran away to Kavalem and constructed a little holy place committed to Santeri. At the point when the territory later turned into a piece of the Marathas, Chatrapati Shahuji Bhosle developed this sanctuary here in 1738 CE. Today, a dark stone plaque at the passage from the roadshows this noteworthy data. Subsequent to an intersection, a pathway close to a little lake contains an immense open space that isolates the fundamental structure alongside a wonderful deep stambha or a light pinnacle in front. Shri Shantadurga Vijayate sanctuary stays open throughout the days and shuts its way to guests at 10 pm.
- Mahalaxmi Temple: Mahalaxmi is the Goddess of riches, thriving, and magnificence. She is the primary god venerated on one of the greatest Hindu celebrations of Deepawali. In Indian folklore, she is the spouse of Lord Vishnu. It is said that when Lord Vishnu plummeted on earth assuming the symbols of Rama and Krishna, Goddess Laxmi embodied Sita and Rukmini individually. Socially talking, all newly conceived young ladies are seen as manifestations of this notable Goddess. This is a remarkable sanctuary with two symbols of Goddess Mahalaxmi. This temple in Ponda is known to exist since the twelfth century CE. The other icon however has a recognizable story of salvage and restoration from the Portuguese abuse. It was moved in the corner of the evening and pirated from Colva in Sal site taluka and introduced here to one side of the existing symbol in the sixteenth century. The other intriguing reality about this sanctuary is that it likewise commends the two individuals liable for the salvage demonstration. The site has a little arch introduced in their memory as an indication of adoration, regard, and mental fortitude appeared by the pair notwithstanding misfortune. A couple of years prior, the sanctuary introduced a 15-feet tall sculpture of the Goddess fabricated using a mix of five metals or panch dhatu. This 1936 CE creation by grant-winning stone worker Late Mr. Ramchandra Kamat can be seen close to the passage entryway.
- Navdurga Temple: Tiwsadi, the taluka of Panaji, was the first area of this divinity before mutual brutality and oppression by the Portuguese saw that sanctuary annihilated. It had various symbols. The salvage demonstration saw a couple of symbols going to adjoining Vengurla Redi in Maharashtra while others to Kundaim and Madkai in Ponda, Goa. Navdurga or Mahishasuramardini is a furious symbol of Goddess Durga. She is a well-known divinity in Goa and, like Goddess Shantadurga, you may go over Navdurga sanctuaries somewhere else in the state as well. Notwithstanding, the Navdurgas at these two areas in Goa (alongside the Navdurga at Vengurla in Maharashtra) is considered as the benefactor divinities of a huge local area of individuals. This site in Madkai is especially considered as the greatest in Goa and orders a generally enormous after. The interesting icon of the directing god has a shifted head. The legend goes that when an affluent enthusiast offered a costly bloom to the Goddess, her head shifted. This Goan sanctuary was implicit during the mid-seventeenth century and has been redesigned a couple of times since and has a blend of old and new icons. A portion of the icons here have been supplanted a couple of times. In any case, the most recent icon substitution arranged in 2016 experiences ran into difficulty. A couple of aficionados have contradicted the substitution of the conventional icon and the contention is currently sub-judice. At the point when you visit, don’t hesitate to check the status. Travel a couple of kilometers from Mahalaxmi Temple (or from the lakeside passageway of Nagesh Temple) towards Madkai to arrive at this site.
- Chandreshwar Bhootnath Temple: This site is a fun and dynamic approach to begin your day visiting the bunch of sanctuaries that are south of Ponda, in the adjoining taluka of Queen. Ruler of the Moon, Chandra Nath or Chandrashekar is another name for Lord Shiva. You may have noticed an image of him with a sickle moon on his head as an adornment. As indicated by Indian folklore, during the occasion of Samudramanthan or beating of the sea by divine beings and evil presences, numerous ratnas or diamonds arose other than poison and they initially looked for the nectar of eternality. These ratnas were circulated between the different sides. One of these diamonds was Chandra or the moon, who acknowledged Lord Shiva as his ruler and embellished his head in a bow structure. From that point forward Shiva is likewise alluded to by this special name. Unexpectedly, Chandrashekar was the benefactor divinity of the antiquated Bhoja tradition of Goa. The ruler even named his capital city after him as Chandrapur. This city in Salcete taluka after the Portuguese guideline came to be known as Chandor and is around 10 km from this site in Paroda, Queen. Accordingly, the Chandreshwar Bhootnath temple’s age is believed to be 1500 years or so during the rule of Bhoja lords. The old and notable temple, with an etched work of art portraying the Manthan on its advanced passageway, is situated on a slope and includes climbing a couple of steps. The internal sanctum has a Shiva Linga that is probably enlightened by the moon’s beams on a full moon night. A nearby special stepped area to this fundamental sanctuary is dedicated to Bhootnath, plainly deciphered as the Lord of the Ghosts, one more name for Lord Shiva, who is seen with a festoon of skulls in a few structures.
FAQ’s for Tourists Planning to Visit Temples in Ponda
Q1. Are The Temples In Ponda Free To Visit?
Ans: Yes, the temples in Ponda are free to visit and there are no entry tickets to be bought for the same.
Q2. Are The Temples In Ponda Easy To Reach And Explore?
Ans: The majority of the temples in Ponda lie on a smooth stretch of land and are therefore easy to visit and explore but there are a few which lie on top of a hill or mountain but they too are not difficult to explore or visit.
Q3. Do The Temples In Ponda Contain Shops Or Stalls To Buy Items Used During Pooja?
Ans: Yes, most of the temples have stalls located outside their premises that sell stuff needed during pooja such as incense sticks, kumkum, flowers, etc.