Mahadev Temple, Tambdi Surla

Main article: Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park

Mahadev Temple,
Tambdi Surla

Mahadev Temple, Tambdi Surla, is small but exquisite 12th century Shiva temple of the lord Mahadeva and an active place of Hindu worship. It notable as the oldest temple in Goa, South India.

Location

Map of Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, showing Tambi Surla

The temple is at a small village called Tambi Surla located Template:Km to mi east of Bolcornem village. Tambdi Surla is in the midst of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park. It is Template:Km to mi north from the border crossing post of Mollem, past the end of a single lane paved road, east off National Highway 4A in the northern region of the park.

It is approximately Template:Km to mi from the capital city of Panaji. It is accessible from the north via NH-4A Template:Km to mi south from the main town of Valpoi in Sattari Taluka. The temple is located at the foot of the Anmod Ghat, which connects Goa to the state of Karnataka. Location is 15°26′20″N 74°15′8″E.

History

The temple itself is built in Jain style in the twelfth century. There are some interesting details about the construction itself which has led to debates about the actual origins of the temple. The Kadamba Dynasty ruled Goa between the tenth and fourteenth centuries and built the temple from the finest weather-resistant grey-black basalt, carried across the mountains from the Deccan plateau and lavishly carved in situ by accomplished craftsmen.. It is considered to be the only specimen of Kadamba-Yadava architecture in basalt stone preserved and available in Goa. The temple has survived Muslim invasions and Portuguese persecution, in its almost perfect condition mainly due to its remote location in a clearing deep in the forest at the foot of the Western Ghats which surround the site in a sheer wall of impenetrable vegetation.

Religious significance

Mahadeva Temple sign, Archeological Survey of India

The small, beautifully carved and perfectly proportioned black basalt temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is reminiscent of the temples at Aihole in neighbouring Karnataka. There is a linga (symbol of Lord Shiva) mounted on a pedestal inside the inner sanctum and local legend has it that a huge King Cobra is in permanent residence in the dimly lit interior.

The temple consists of garbhagriha, antarala and a pillared Nandi mandapa built of basalt. The four pillars, embellished with intricate carvings of elephants and chains support a stone ceiling decorated with finely carved lotus flowers of the Ashtoken variety.

The intricate carvings created by skilled craftsmen adorn the interior and the sides of the building. Bas-relief figures of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma, with their respective consorts appear on panels at the sides of the temple. Surprisingly the mandap (pillared hall) is covered with a roof of plain grey sloping slabs. The temple faces east so that the first rays of the rising sun shine on the deity. There is a small mandap and the inner sanctum is surmounted by a three-tired tower whose top is incomplete or has been dismantled sometime in the distant past.

There is a headless Nandi (bull, Shiva's vehicle) in the centre of the mandap, surrounded by four matching columns. The symbol of the Kadamba kingdom, an elephant trampling a horse is carved on the base of one of the columns. The river Surla flows nearby and can be reached for ritual bathing by a flight of stone steps.

The festival of Mahashivratri is celebrated with pomp and gaiety at the temple by local people residing in surrounding villages. The temple is built in a place which is quite inaccessible and away from the main settlements of the time. The size of the temple is quite small as compared to the size of the average Goan temple.