Temples of Goa

When the Portuguese enforced Christian conversion around Old Goa from the 16th century onward, many Hindu deities and their temples were moved inland to safer ground, mostly into what's now Ponda taluka. That's why so many of Goa's best-known temples today sit clustered in the hills around Ponda, rebuilt over the following centuries in a distinctive Goan style that blends Hindu temple planning with Portuguese-influenced roofs, balconies and domes.

Mahadev Temple, Tambdi Surla

Goa's oldest surviving temple by far, this 13th-century shrine to Shiva was built in the Kadamba-Yadava style using black basalt stone carried in from outside the region, since it isn't found locally. Tucked into forest at the edge of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, it survived the temple relocations of the Portuguese era simply because it was remote enough to be left alone. It's a protected Monument of National Importance today.

Shri Mangeshi Temple

One of Goa's largest and most visited temples, dedicated to Shiva as Mangesh and serving as the family deity (kuldev) for many Goan Saraswat Brahmin households. It sits in Priol, close to Mardol and Nagueshi, and has kept a formal dress code for visitors since 2011.

Shri Shantadurga Temple

Dedicated to Shantadurga, a peaceable form of Durga, this is the kuldevi (family goddess) for many Goud Saraswat Brahmin families and one of the grandest temple complexes in the Ponda hills, at the foot of Kavlem village. In 2016 the temple marked 450 years since it was founded.

More Temples Around Ponda

Shri Nagesh Temple (Nagueshi) — a Shiva shrine near Bandode that, unlike most Ponda-area temples, still stands on its original site rather than having been relocated; its water tank reflects the inner sanctum's lamps at certain angles.

Shri Mahalasa Narayani Temple, Mardol — dedicated to Mohini, an incarnation of Vishnu, and one of the temples that gave the Ponda area its reputation as a refuge for relocated deities.

Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple, Narve — a Shiva temple regarded as one of six major Shiva shrines of the wider Konkan coast.

Text summarised from Wikipedia, including the article List of Hindu temples in Goa, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.