Saptheshwar Temple

The Sapteshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Goa, India. People approach the temple with prayers for knowledge. Mandrem village has undertaken a week long observation of a 161 years old 'saptah', which will conclude with a grand celebration on Sunday at the Bhagavati Sapteshwar temple at Devulwada Mandrem.

For a week (from October 31 to November 6) seven village Madhalamaj Askawada, Devulwada, Naikwada, Ashvem, Salgaokarwada and Junaswada have been conducting poojas and uninterrupted bhajan sessions at the Bhagavati Sapteshwar temple.Locally called 'paar' or 'saptah' (seven day bhajan session), the deities Bhagavati and Sapteshwar are taken through the village in a procession and 'prasad' is offered to all after the poojas are conducted. Village elders Shantaram Shetmandrekar and Gopi Naik say the temple's priests along with the heads of the various communities Chari, Sutar, Kumbhars, Naiks and Junaskars perform the abhangs and poojas during paar. While the bhajans are on, the devotees collect leaves of the 'apta' tree and place them before the idols of the deities. The 'nandadeep' ceremonial lamp, locally called as 'samai', is kept burning throughout the 'saptah'.

The tradition of saptah dates back around 160 years, when according to a legend, a drought left the village fields parched. The temple priests asked the locals to pray to the deities Bhagavati and Sapteshwar, and after a week of constant prayers it began to rain. Sri Bhagavati and Sri Sapteshwar Temples are actually part of a temple compound. The complex has five temples, main temples being of Shri Sapteshwar and Bhagavati. Other temples are Narayan, Ravalnath and Satpurush.The temples were renovated some years ago. Sapteshwar Bhagvati Temple is not far from Morjim where two temples namely, Bhagavati and Parshem and Sapteshwar Bhagamati are located at Mandrem in Pernem Taluka.