Shantadurga Temple

       Shantadurga Temple

Goa's taluka of Ponda is home to some of the most popular temples in the state, including the Shantadurga temple located at Kavlem village. The temple is one of the most visited Hindu places of worship in the state and is an essential part of the religious tourism circuit as for as Goa is concerned.

Everyday busloads of tourists and well as locals throng to this temple for a darshan of the deity Shantadurga. Lore has it that the deity was brought to Goa by the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins all the way from Eastern India, centuries ago.

The story of the origins of the temple is interesting. The original temple was located in Quellossim in the Salcete region, before it was destroyed by the colonists in the 1500s, after which the deity was re-located to Kavlem. What is known to have been built as a smallish laterite structure at the time of its origin has now evolved into a stunning temple, thanks to the generosity of Maratha ruler Chattrapati Shahu of Satara, who in the 1700s, who helped in the construction of the temple as we see it now.

Goddess Shantadurga to whom the stunning temple is dedicated to, is known as a mediator between Vishnu and Shiva and referred to as Sateri in local parlance.

Shri Damodar Temple

              Shri Damodar Temple

For thousands of devotees in South Goa, the Shri Damodar Temple located on the picturesque bank of the Kushavati river, in Zambaulim, represents a fervent sense of hope and expectation. The gulal festival at the Shri Damodar Temple is one of the most looked forward to events in the month of Phalgun, with devotees thronging the temple premises with gulal or pink coloured powder which is used in religious and social celebration in Goa.


The temple itself is located in Zambaulim village which is located around 22 km from Margao city in the heart of the Quepem sub district. The extremely popular temple is home to the deity which is a reincarnation of Lord Shiva. It was originally located in Margao, but was relocated during the Portuguese Inquisition. The new temple was relocated sometime in the 1800s and also has an idol of Lakshmi Narayan and shrines of goddesses Chamundeshwari.

Interestingly, the Shri Damodar Temple has both Hindus as well as Christians in its long list of devotees. Getting to the temple is not difficult at all, just follow the National Highway 66 to the destination. The closest railway station to Shri Damodar Temple is at Balli.

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                       Arambol Beach

Arambol beach forms a part of the village located in the Pernem taluka 40 kms away from the state capital, Panaji. The long sandy Arambol beach has scintillating beauty and stretches several kilometres to the south. To the north there is a rocky headland with numerous restaurants.

There are few hundred local inhabitants in the village and a majority of them work with either tourism or fishing. There aren't any big hotels in Arambol but mostly smaller budget accommodations. As you take a short walk on the main beach to the north you will find a smaller beach with a fresh water lake close by.

The main tourist season begins in November and goes on till March. During this season strong winds blow across the state which makes the beach a significant location for leisure sports like paragliding, kite surfing and boat excusions.Along the beach you will even come across a variety of practitioners offering courses in yoga, meditation and even sitar and tabla sessions. Buses go to Arambol from Mapusa every hour and it is a 2 km walk from the nearest bus stand to the beach.

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

         

Visiting Bondla zoo located in Ponda, around 50kms from Panaji, is a rite of passage for hundreds of student in Goa who invariably visit the zoo as participants of the annual school picnic. Bondla may be a smaller wildlife sanctuary as compared to the others in the state, but with a zoo, rose and botanical gardens and deep park in its jurisdiction, it certainly makes the place an attraction option especially if there are children involved.

The animals you can see here in the enclosures are the Gaur or the Great Indian Bison, a massive herbivore which is not only Goa's state animal, but also the mascot of football team FC Goa, the Sambhar deer, a variety of snakes, leopards, porcupines, the mighty lion, panther, crocodiles, reptiles, etc. The wildlife sanctuary itself which is around eight square kms in area has a thick cover of moist deciduous forests in which along with spotted deer, wild hogs, barking mouse, porcupines, scaly ant eaters, Malabar giant squirrels, even flying lizards are commonly spotted.