Shri Mangesh Devasthan

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Overview

The Shri Mangesh Devasthan is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Goa, India. People approach this temple with prayers for knowledge.

About the temple

On the site of the temple now stands a church.The temple is a blend of modern and ancient Hindu architecture. The entrance to the temple bears an image, which wards off all things impure from the inner precincts of the temple and maintains its sanctity.In front of the entrance but slightly to the north stands the Deepa Stambha, the column of lights. History does not record when it was built, but judging by the pattern of its construction, it might have been built during the first half of the eighteenth century. It is the tallest and most imposing column in Goa and looks most beautiful on festival nights when illuminated with traditional oil lamps.Shri Mangeshi temple is located at Mangeshi Village in Priol, Ponda taluk, Goa. It is at a distance of 1 Km from Mardol close to Nagueshi, 22 Km from Panaji the capital of Goa and 26 Km from Margao.

This temple is one of the largest and most frequently visited temples in Goa. The temple has recently banned entry to foreign nationals citing objectionable dressing and conduct as the reason.The temple is dedicated to Bhagavan Manguesh, an incarnation of Shiva. He is also referred to as Saib (The Bhagavan of Goa) by Hindus.Bhagavan Mangesh is worshipped here as Shiva linga. According to the legends Lord Shiva had manifested in to a tiger to scare Parvati. Paravati who was paranoid at the sight of the tiger went in search of Lord Shiva. Parvati was supposed to say "Trahi maam Gireesh" but instead out of nervousness she said: "Trahimangeesh".He is the kuldevta of many Hindus in Goa specially of Saraswat Brahmins and Bhandaris. The Mangesh Linga is said to have been consecrated on the mountain of Mangireesh (Mongir) on the banks of river Bhagirathi by Lord Brahma, from where the Saraswat Brahmins brought it to Trihotrapuri in Bihar. They carried the linga to Gomantaka and settled at Kushasthali, the present day Cortalim, establishing their most sacred and ancient temple of Mangesh on the banks of the river Gomati or Zuari as it is called today.

About the Deity

Main Deity

The main temple is dedicated to Bhagavan Manguesh, an incarnation of Shiva. Bhagavan Mangesh is worshipped here as Shiva linga. According to the legend, Lord Shiva had manifested into a tiger to scare his wife Parvati. Paravati, who was frightened at the sight of the tiger, went in search of Lord Shiva and cried out, "Trahi Mam girisha!" (Oh Lord of Mountains, save me!). Upon hearing the words, Lord Shiva turned himself back to his normal form. The words "mam girisha" became associated with Lord Shiva and over time the words got abbreviated to Manguirisha or Manguesh. He is the kuldevta of many Goud Saraswat Brahmins.

Other deities

The complex also has shrines of Goddess Parvati and God Ganesha. The other deities in the temple are Nandikeshvar, Gajana, Bhagavati and the Gramapurusha Deva Sharma of the Kaudanya gotra. The subsidiary shrines to the rear of the main building house house Devatas like Mulakeshwsar, Virabhadra, Saanteri, Lakshminarayana, Suryanarayan, Garuda and Kala Bhairav.

Legend and stories

It is stated that when Parvati was in search of Shiva, she was frightened by the a tiger that was Shiva himself and shouted for help from him.However, instead of saying "Trahiman Gireesh" she said: "Trahimangeesh!!" out of fear and nervousness. The Purana explains that Bramha had established the Shivalinga at Monghir in Trihotra and it came to be known as Mangireesh or Mangeesh. This Shiva Linga was worshipped in the Sactum Sanctorum of the temple at Kushasthal for thousands of years prior to 1560, and then shifted to Mangeshi in 1560.The history of Shri Mangireesh or Shri Mangesh dates back to the Puranas. The Sahyadri Khand of Skand Purana says that Parshuram invited 66 Panch Gaud Brahmins belonging to 10 gotras from Trihotra to Kushasthal (now known as Kutthal, Goa) to perform the Yajnya after wiping out the Kshatriyas. Each group had brought the idols that they worshipped and installed it in the villages donated by Parshuram out of the land that he had reclaimed from the sea.

The Brahmins belonging to the Vatsa and Kaundinya gotras received Kushasthal as "Graam Daan" and installed their family deity, Shri Mangireesh in the village. Lord Shiva settled down in Kushasthal and Parvati in a neighboring village. His temple at Kushasthal was a place of pilgrimage till the Portuguese took over this part of the territory in Goa in 1560.

Festivals

The annual festivals include Rama Navami, Akshaya Tritiya, Anant Vritotsava, Navaratri, Dussera, Diwali, Magha Poornima Festival (Jatrotsav) and Mahashivratri. Magha Poornima Festival begins on Magha Shukla Saptami and ends on Magha Poornima

Aarti/Pooja/seva

Like most temples in Goa, Mangueshi Temple has a large number of pujas being performed daily. Every morning, Shodshopchar pujas, namely Abhisheka, Laghurudra and Maharudra, are performed. This is followed by Maha-Aarti at noon and Panchopchar pooja at night.

Every Monday, the idol of Manguesh is taken out for a precession in the Palakhi accompanied by music before the evening Aarti.

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