 Although
the central, inland town of Ponda is of no great interest, it does boast
an old mosque and, in the surrounding areas, numerous unique Hindu
temples. There are regular buses from Panaji and Margoa, but to get to
the temples it's to have own vehicle or own transport. When Portuguese
arrived in Goa, they destroyed every temples and mosques
they could lay their hands on. As result, temples in Goa are generally
set back from the coast and comparatively new, although some date back
about 400 years. The temples near Ponda have been rebuilt from originals
destroyed by the Portuguese, and their lamp towers are a distinctive
Goan feature.
Five
most important Hindu temples are close to the Ponda, on the inland route
between Panaji and Margoa. The Siva temple of
Shri Mangesh is at
Priol-Ponda Taluka about 22kms from Panaji. This tiny 18th century
hilltop temple with white tower, is local landmark. Less than 2kms
further down the road is Shri Mahalsa, a Vishnu temple
About
five Km from Ponda are
Shri Ramnath and
Shri Naguesh, and nearby is the
Shri Shantadurga Temple. Dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess of peace,
this temple sports an unusual, almost pagoda-like, structure with roof
made from long slabs of stone. Further south are the temples of
Shri
Chandreshwar, west of Quepem; Shantadurga, east of Betul; and
Shri
Mallikarjuna east of Chauri.
The
oldest mosque remaining in Goa is the
Safa
Shahouri Masjid at Ponda built by Adilshah in 1560. |
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