StorImagination : Lord Shiva as Mangesh

Once Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati were playing a game of dice. As per the game rule, the loser had to surrender his/ her property to the one who wins. After few rounds, finally Parvati won and Lord Shiva had to surrender all his properties to her. Out of anger, he left mount Kailash, his home in the Himalayas. He wandered around and reached the southwest part of India. Dense forests lined by endless beaches made the place look beautiful and calm. Beaches and trees??? Yes… we now call this place as Goa. Lord Shiva who loved being in a meditative state and preferred not to be disturbed immediately decided to stay there. He meditated for days together.

Meanwhile, Goddess Parvati was heartbroken as he did not return. She decided to look out for him. She finally reached the dense forests of Goa. Shiva saw her approaching from a distance and immediately took the form of a tiger to play a prank. Parvati was frightened at the sight of a tiger and shouted “Trahi Mam Girisha” – which meant “Protect me, Oh Lord of the mountain.” On hearing this Lord Shiva appeared to her in his original form. He consoled the Goddess and both returned to their abode happily. Since that day, Lord Shiva adopted the name Mam Girish, the last two words of Parvati’s cry. With years passing by, slowly the name became as Mangauirisha or Mangesh.

As per the legends, it is believed that Lord Brahma consecrated the Mangesh Linga on the Mangireesh mountains on the banks of river Bhagmathi. Later the Saraswat Brahmins brought the Linga to Munger in Trihotra, now known as Bihar.

According to Skanda purana, Lord Parashurama, the 6^th avatar of Lord Vishnu, invited 66 families of Saraswat Brahmins belonging to 10 gotras to perform Yajna at Goa. Each of the brahmins brought with them their Kuladevata idol or the idol of their family deity. Lord Parashurama then prayed to the sea God to recede to make land for his people. This region came to be called as “Konkan” (Kon meaning corner and kana meaning a part of the earth. Lord Parashurama donated the villages from the land to the Saraswat’s and each of them installed their kuladevata in their respective village.

Those who worshipped Lord Mangesh, installed the Linga at Mormugoa, on the banks of Zuari river which soon fell prey to Portugal invasions. To save the temple from being demolished by the Portuguese, the Brahmins secretly kept the Linga in a temple priest’s house. Later it was safely shifted to Priol village in Ponda which was ruled by the Hindu kings. Ramchandra Sukhtankar a notable general of the Maratha Court revived the lingam and convinced Raja Sonda to donate the land for constructing the temple.

The temple had a simple structure which was rebuilt and renovated few times during the Maratha rule.

Mangesh temple is one of the oldest and most visited temples in Goa. It stands atop a hill surrounded by lush greenery. The temple constructed in Goan style of architecture consists of a sacred pond, which is believed to be the oldest part of the temple complex. At the entrance is a 7 storeyed deepastambha (the light tower) which is lighted in the evenings. The main temple is presently painted with shades of light and dark blue combined with white and golden colours. Probably the blue shades which is usually not seen in Hindu temples is used here to denote Lord Shiva’s colour. The main festival here is the annual Magha Purnima celebration in February when the Ratha yatra or the royal chariot procession happens. If you happen to visit Goa, do visit this beautiful temple. Jai Shankar!

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