http://travelzunlimited.blogspot.com/2011/03/basilica-of-bom-jesus-se-cathedral-goa.html

Mangueshi Temple Goa Revisited : A Photo Travelogue

Mangeshi Temple :
Location: Priol village in Ponda Taluka,Goa
Date: 23rd Dec 2010

It was my cousin sisters marraige in the Mangeushi temple that propelled me for a re visit to the temple.This visit was more lengthy than the flighty visits we were accustomed to, as we were to spend a couple of days in the temple premises to participate in the marraige festivities . The lodging was within the temple itself , in rooms located around the main temple.

We arrived from Belgaum,Karnataka which was our first halt. It took us around three hours to reach Ponda. The curvy road through the Anmod Ghat was better prepared than the last time around (except for the rough patches after Khanapur). The road through Usgaon was somewhat congested with truck traffic that ferried manganese ore out of the state.

We finally made it to Mangueshi. It was almost Christmas time and the place was swelling with tourists , including some admiring firangis. There was a time when firangs (foreign travellers) werent allowed inside the temple premises. But this was a testimony to the changing times.

Mangueshi is essentially a temple that hosts the kuladaivat (family deity) idols of a section of the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins a.k.a GSBs. Saraswats claim their origins from the Punjab region which was where the mythical Saraswati river (which probably dried up) existed . They were brahmins who incidently consumed fish (so uncommon in other brahmins of the regiion) probably because of their river bank inhabitation.

When the river Saraswati began to dry up they migrated towards greener pastures like Kashmir, UP, Rajasthan. Some of their branches migrated eastwards viz towards Bengal (which was then known as Gauda). Hence they came to be known as Gauda Saraswat Brahmins. Later due to Islamic persecution, they again shifted location towards Bihar and eventually moved southwards, towards Goa. However due to Portuguese persecution, some of the Saraswats again shifted base to adjoining regions of coastal Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Mythology states that the land of Goa was created by Sage Parshuram. It was he who performed a yagna and invited the Saraswat brahmins to participate in the rituas. In return he gave them portions of Goa. Each tribe of different 'gotras' received different regions as 'gram daan'.

The Kaundinya and Vatsa gotras that arrived from Trihotra (believed to be Tirhut in Bihar) received Kushasthal (Kuthal in Goa) as a gift. The tribe installed their deity idols (Shiva idol was earlier estabished at Monghir,Trihotra and was known as Mangereesh or Mangesh) here and constructed a simple shack like temple around it. Later after the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century and the religious persecution that followed, the idols were shifted to Priol. In the mid 18th century (1739), the Marathas captured the adjoining regions of Goa including Ponda. The hamlet of Mangeshi was gifted to its people by the Maratha Peshwa and they constructed a decent wooden structure there (1744). Regions of Goa continued to shift hands from the Marathas to the Portuguese.

The Portuguese inquisition was an anti blasphemy law which dissuaded non catholics from practising their religions freely, as a result no renovations were made towards the temple. However a progressive legislation enacted in 1866 permitted religious freedom to some extent and the present structure came into existance in 1890. Since then Mangueshi again underwent major renovation work in 1973 and is today acclaimed as one of the largest and most beautiful temples in Goa.

The Mangueshi temple has adequate parking space in the rear and we parked our car and made up to the temple stairs with our luggage. There is accomodation available in the guest rooms of Mangueshi temple, provided one is a GSB. Our booking was done in advance and we wasted little time in occupying our rooms.

Pic: Mangueshi rear by Sachin Dinde

The rooms were quite clean and spacious, albeit without amenities like the television and the telephone.

The guest rooms have been constructed along the temple wall and are connected to the main nagarkhana. The temple has its own canteen which provides food and refreshments.

Pic: Mangueshi math by Sachin Dinde

The temple walls are thick and high and are joined by a huge temple door which is closed sharply at 10 pm.

A huge kunda (water tank) lies just next to the temple and can be accessed by stairs. In the centre of the kunda lies a elegant 'tulsivrindavan' (stone pot with the sacred basil plant).

The temple premise has a huge courtyard with the main temple in the centre. There are further minor temples belonging to Moolkeshwar (a revered & saintly person amongst the Vatsa/Kaundinya Saraswats) , Shiv Sharma (patriarch of the Kaundinya Saraswats), Kaalbhairav etc.

The main temple is ofcourse dedicated to Lord Shiva (aka Manguesh), with idols of Parvati (consort of Shiva), Deva Sharma (Gram Purush and patriarch of the Vatsa gotra saraswats), Nandimaharaj (the bodyguard of lord Shiva, worshipped as a bull),Lord Ganesh (son of Shiva-Parvati) etc.

The temple is divided into a sabhagriha (courtyard) adorned with some 19th century chandeliers, the antarala (vestibule) and the garbhagriha (sanctum).

A high deepamala (light column) also faces the temple.

Pic: Mangueshi at night by Nitin Pai

The temple premises are very well maintained and appear particularly beautiful in the night time as the entire temple is illuminated with light effects.

We spent good three days in the temple premises . The mornings were reserved either for rituals or visiting the nearby temples (which are a plenty in Goa) while the evenings were spent visiting relatives.

On the fourth day after the marraige, we shifted bags and baggage to a hotel in Panjim . Thereafter we spent time in Goa as tourists enjoying its scenic beaches and historical monuments.

Text and Photographs (except the ones credited) : Abhijit Rajadhyaksha

Basilica of Bom Jesus & Se Cathedral, Goa

Basilica of Bom Jesus is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in old Goa.

A 17th century church (consecrated in 1605 by the Archbishop Dom Father Alexio Menezes, after eleven years of tireless construction), it is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Its main point of distinction is also the fact that it holds the mummified mortal remains of St Francis Xaviers, a priest from Spain who did major part of his missionary work in Goa.

Besides the main altar which is spectacular to say the least, there lies the masauleum of St Francis Xaviers with his remains protected in a silver casket which was apparently gifted by the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The mausoleum was designed by the seventeenth Florentine sculptor Giovanni Batista Foggini .The walls are elaborated with paintings depicting the life of the saint.

The upper floor holds a museum displaying missionary art.and paintings by Dom Martin.

The Se Cathedral is located right opposite the Basilca church and is separated by a tar road connecting Panaji with old Goa.

The cathedral is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. It is also the cathedral of Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of East Indies.

The Se Cathedral was built in 1619 (and consecrated in 1640) to commemorate the victory of Alfonso de Alburqueque over the Bijapur army.

The architecture is Portuguese Manueline (exterior is Tuscan and interior is Corinthian)
It is said that the cathedral had two towers out of which one collapsed and was never rebuilt. The tower holds the largest bell in Goa called the Golden bell.

The main altar is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and is beautified by several smaller altars and paintings depicting the life of Catherine of Alexandria. On the right is the Chapel of the cross of miracles.

Se Cathedral is said to be one of the largest churches in Asia.

Text by Abhijit Rajadhyaksha. Photographs by Sachin Dinde.

Fort Aguada: Goa

Fort Aguada is a seventeenth century Portuguese fort facing the Sinquerim beach and the Mandovi river, south of Candolim, Goa.

The word ‘aguada ‘ in Portuguese means water and the fort seems to have got its name from the freshwater tank (capacity 23,76,000 gallons) inside the fort.

The fort was constructed in 1612 in order to keep a watch over the Marathas and the Dutch and provide a base for the Portuguese ships.

The fort was said to have seventy nine cannons defending it.

The fort has a moat surrounding its periphery, besides a four storey ‘lighthouse’ (emits light every thirty econds) that was built in 1864 to look after the sea traffic.

Pic:source Nitin Pai

During the Salazar administration, fort Aguada served as a prison for political detainees. A prison still stands in its vicinity and mainly guards the western convicts caught for drug trafficking.

The Taj group of hotels have also constructed a beach resort and a grand five star hotel in its vicinity. The beach also offers several water sports that are a added attraction for the tourists.

Miramar beach, Panaji : Goa

Pic:Nitin Pai

Miramar beach is situated in Panaji the capital of Goa state.

It is located near the confluence of the Arabian sea and the Mandovi river.

The Portuguese word Miramar itself means sea view. The beach is also known as Gasper Dias.

The beach itself stretches around 2 kms but continues further overlooking the sea.

Pic:Nitin Pai

The beach comprises mainly of palm and coconut trees planted amidst it golden sand.

The Miramar beach starts in the gulf and ends in the Emerald coast parkway.

Several boats, ships, launches, catamarans,speed boats, barges etc ply over the vast coast of Miramar .

There are also some sea hotels (made on boats) and casinoes catering to the tourists thronging Goa.

Across the Miraramar beach are several offices, residences and commercial complexes.

A few kilometers away from the Miramar beach lies the famous Dona Paula village which holds the statue of Dona Paula which has many stories associated with it . The foremost being of Dona being a Portuguese woman and Paula a local Goan fisherman who fell in love with each other but had to face social ire because of their different cultures and so they decided to jump off the cliff and commited suicide.However it has ince been proved to be a apocryphal story.

Actually the village was named after Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior who was the daughter of the viceroy of Jafnapatnam in present day Sri Lanka and the wife of a Spanish Fidalgo, after she visited the place in 1644. She was a philanthropist who later contributed to the village and the grateful villagers named their village (previously known as Oddavel) after her. The famous statues at the jetty near the village however do not belong to Paula but were sculpted by Dutch sculptress Baroness Leistner in likeness to the philosopher Robert Knox and his wife.

Text and Photographs (except the ones credited) by Abhijit Rajadhyaksha

Miscellaneous sights of Panaji, Goa

Pic: Mangueshi , Nitin Pai

Pics above: Sachin Dinde

Photographs: Abhijit Rajadhyaksha (except the ones credited)