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Mangueshi Temple
 The
Mangueshi temple or the Manguesh Devasthan is perhaps the
most famous of all Goan temples. It is located at Priol in
Ponda taluka, about 21 kms from the capital city of Panaji.
The surrounding area is known as Mangueshi.
In ancient times the temple was located
at Kushasthali (present day Cortalim). During the Portuguese
Inquisition, a number of Hindu temples were destroyed in Goa.
To avoid a similar fate, the devotees of
God Manguesh removed the linga (symbol of Lord Shiva) from
the original temple and transferred it in the middle of the
night to the present location at Priol which was under the
control of Adil Shah.
The shifting of the deity took place in
the year 1560. The area surrounding the temple was given to
the temple by Ramchandra Sukhtankar an important officer in
the Court of the Peshwas after obtaining it from the Raja
of Soundem.
Since the time of of the shifting, the temple
has been rebuilt and renovated twice during the reign of the
Marathas and yet another time in the year 1890. The final
renovation occurred in the year 1973 when a golden kalash
(holy vessel) was fitted atop the tall dome of the temple.
There is a fascinating legend attached to
the name of the Lord Manguesh, who is an incarnation of Lord
Shiva. The name Manguesh is not used for Lord Shiva anywhere
else in India. The ancient legend states that Lord Shiva once
lost everything he had in a game of dice with his wife Parvati.
He decided to go into self-imposed exile and arrived in Goa.
 Parvati,
unable to stay without Lord Shiva for long, came looking for
him in the jungles of Goa. Lord Shiva decided to play a prank
to frighten her and disguised himself as a tiger which attacked
her. Parvati cried out for help in terror, 'Trahi Mam Girisha'
(O Lord of Mountains Save Me).
Lord Shiva immediately turned himself back
into his normal form and the two were united. But the cry
for help, and the words 'mam girisha' became associated with
Lord Shiva. In the course of time the words abbreviated to
Manguirisha or Manguesh by which name he is known today.
A linga which was left to mark the place
where the legend occurred, was discovered by a local shepherd
and eventually a temple was built to house Lord Manguesh.
The temple architecture is a mix of Hindu,
Christian and Muslim influences and is lit up in magnificent
lights during the annual Jatra which is held in January. The
deity is taken out in a palanquin and paraded in huge chariots
during the festival which is attended by thousands of devotees.
See Also Other Temples:
| Anant
Narsinha Temple, Veling | Devkikrishna
Temple, Marcel |
| Mahalsa Temple, Mardol
| Mahalaxmi
Temple, Bandivade |
| Mahalaxmi
Temple, Panaji | Mallikarjun
Temple, Shristhal |
| Manguesh Temple,
Priol | Naguesh
Temple, Nagueshi |
| Ramnath Temple, Ramnathi
| Saptakoteshwar
Temple, Narwe |
| Mahadeva Temple,
Tambdi Surla |
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