Thursday, May 28, 2020

Mallikarjuna Temple, Canacona, Goa

Mallikarjuna Temple, Canacona, Goa
Mallikarjuna Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the Sristhal Village in Canacona Taluk in the South Goa district of GoaIndia. The shrine is known to be one of the oldest in Goa and is situated amidst beautiful natural surroundings in a valley completely surrounded by mountains. The temple is also known as Adavat Sinhasanadhishwar Mahapati Canacona among the locals.


Legends
Mallikarjun:
As per legend, a demon named Malla was fighting with one of the Pandava brothers, Arjuna. Lord Shiva assumed the form of a hunter and killed Malla to save Arjuna. Hence he came to be called as Mallikarjun.
Lord Shiva united with his consort Parvati here:
As per legend, the temple was the place where Lord Shiva united with his consort Parvati after a long period of separation.
Swayambhu Lingam:
The Linga is believed to be Swayambhu lingam, unearthed by a member of the Kunbi community while clearing the forest and it is a phallic shaped uncut stone covered with a metallic mask.

History
The temple is believed to be constructed during the middle of the 16th century, as per the writing on a plaque near the temple dome, by ancestors of the Kshatriya Samaj, descended from the royal Surve family from Prachitgad near Shringarpur of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. It was refurbished in the year 1778. There are about 14 Mallikarjuna shrines spread over Goa. Two ancient shrines of Mallikarjun existed in Bardez at Assgao and Pomburpa were demolished by the Portuguese as per available records.


The Temple
The Temple is considered as one of the oldest Temples in Goa. The six pillars in the mandapa (hall) have scenes from the Puranas and Mahabharat carved on them. One of the wooden pillars in the mandapa is used as the oracle pillar in the temple. There are beautifully carved profiles of Dvarapalas (doorkeeper) on either side of the door leading to the inner sanctum. Presiding Deity is called as Mallikarjuna / Adavat Sinhasa Nadhishwar Mahapati. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam. The Linga is believed to be Swayambhu lingam.


It is a phallic shaped uncut stone covered with a metallic mask. His consort is referred to as Devati. There are about 14 Mallikarjuna shrines spread over Goa. The striking similarity in these shrines is that all idols are in phallic shape and covered with metallic masks accompanied by Trishula. These phallic shaped wooden idols are known as Nirakar(formless) by the local population. These idols probably point to the era when Natha Sampradaya was prominent in the Western Deccan region. The lingas are believed to be Swaymbhu lingas.


Festivals
For brief details, please refer below link;
Priests
The daily worship is performed by Brahmin priest only for a certain designated period and during the rest of the period, the Kunbi priests namely Velip and Zalmi perform the daily worship. The ritual of hunting is associated with some of the Mallikarjuna shrines.
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Canacona IDC Bus Stop, 5 Kms from Canacona Bus Station, 5 Kms from Chaudi, 6 Kms from Canacona Railway Station, 67 Kms from Goa Airport and 74 Kms from Panjim. The Temple is situated close to NH 66 near Chaudi.

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