Goa's Oldest Temple at Mardol

 Mhalasa Temple At Mardol

Ponda is the home to number of imaginative temples. Ponda has been considered as elegant place of religion’s and all sacred temples are positioned in this locality. The architecture of temples is unique and it is structured in both Indian and Mughal style. It attracts large numbers of tourists all around the world.

Start your trip by visiting the legendary temple of Mhalasa Narayani situated on NH4 at a distance of 2km from city centre Mardol, Ponda , North Goa. This temple is dedicated to the goddess Mhalasa Lakshmi the goddess of wealth and prosperity presiding as divine being of the temple. The goddess Mhalasa is accepted as Vishnu’s companion. There is another belief that Mhalasa is the female form of lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu took the ritual of Mohini i.e. an extremely beautiful woman and trapped the demons away from their sinful intent of destroying the world. Mhalasa temple is more prominent for the huge brass bell. The bell does not have the ringer. It is believed the ringer was attached only when somebody have to be testify. It was accepted as truth, if someone lied while ringing the bell, the person will die in three days. Since this belief is followed from Portuguese reign and now it is accepted in the court of law. The daily worship of the goddesses namely Grampurush, Bhagwati, Dadh, Simha Purush and Mhal Purush is carried before worshiping the main goddess.

It is also famous for the brass samai (ornamental lamp pillar) which is in the courtyard of temple. On the annual festival day or jatra, the brass samai is lit up with oil wicks and this scene is likely to be observed. 

Jaiyanchi puja in the month of august and the Kojagiri Pornima just after the monsoon on full moon day are two special festivals held inthis temple. In traditional ceremonies, large number of crowd gathers to participate and sing glories. There is facility for tourist to stay within the temple complex, vegetarian and goan foods are served for lunch and dinner.

There is an ancient water tank behind the temple and the atmosphere of this place is too calm.

“With splendid blessings make a visit to this sacred home”

Minutes of The Meeting

This is a small committe Meeting held for the following puspose:

Discussion about the previous blog posted regarding the improvement and matter requirement.
Deciding the next post title and places to write upon.
Shared some ideas about the topics.

Date: 15th September 2014
Time: Started at 1:35 pm
          Ended at 2:20 pm
Place: S.S.Dempo Collage
Meeting Leader: Suyesh
Secretary: Bhakti
Attendance:
Suyesh Pawse
Bhakti Naik
Pooja Latur
Shradha Nagvekar

Agenda:
1. Improvement of blog,
Decided to modify the information and content of the blog and deciding the theme to look attractive. 
(15 Minutes)
2. Next title for the blog
Decided the places of goa to post upon.
Decided abut places like 3 kings church, dona Paula jetty.
(8 Mins)
3. Main feature of selecting content of the Posts.
(6 Mins)
4. Collection sources through which we can get the information of further posts of blog.
(10 Mins)
5. Next Meeting
Decided a date and the timing for the next meeting.
(3 Mins)

Total 45 mins.

3 KINGS CHURCH

(CANSULIM MONTE)

Goa is visited by millions of tourist every year, there are so many places in Goa which are famous as tourist spot but there are some places which are worth to be visited by tourist.One of such place is 3 Kings Church in cansulim village about 15m from Velsao insouth Goa.

The 3 Kings Church is situated at Cuelim hill.The church is famous for the feast of 3 King celebrated every year on 16th January,This location is visited by locals and the odd tourists only

According to some people this church is a Haunted church.It is said that long time ago there were 3 Portuguese Kings living in Goa they often used to fight to gain power in the land but they were tied by the Portuguese Diplomacy between rules policy,one of the kings one day invited the other two kings in his place and Poisoned them to Death he himself fell out with he public and commited suicide by consuming poison king holgers places is the current 3 KINGS CHURCH in Goa where there have been reports of sightings and general unrest.

GOA

Goa is the smallest state of India in terms of geographical are , it is the major and famous most tourist attraction in India and thus commands almost a monopoly over the tourist inflow, Goa is perfect destination for fun lovers.    

DONA PAULA 

Several tourist as well as locals guided by this myth visit the beach for a glimpse of DONA PAULA , An ideal holiday spot for tourist and locals alike this beach is also known as the lovers Paradise

This idyllic rocky tourist attraction lies at the spot where the Mandovi and Zuari rivers meet the Arabian sea

Dudhsagar Falls, Goa

Dudhsagar Falls is located on the Karnataka & Goa boarder Mandovi/Mahadai River in the Indian state of Goa on Goa's border with Karnataka state.

It is 60 km from Panaji city by road and 46 km from Madgaon railway junction by train and 60 km from Belgaum, Hubli by 60km by train and 55 km from Belgaum by road.

There are 4 main drops of the fall. And many small drops. The height of the fall is 310 meters (1017feet). The water plummets hundreds of metres (over a thousand feet) in large volumes during the rainy monsoon season, forming one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in Goa.

During the monsoon season however, the falls are transformed into one of the most powerful falls in India. Dudhsagar Falls is listed as India's fifth tallest waterfall.

The falling water appears white like milk, the waterfall is called Dudhsagar, Doodh Being the Hindi or Marathi word for milk. There is also a story behind the formation of this beautiful waterfall like how we have stories behind any forts or palaces.People living in that area narrated the following story (which also available on google)A beautiful princess lived in the forest (near present day Dudhsagar Falls) in a palace. She loved and enjoyed bathing in a lake nearby and used to drink "sweetened milk" from her "golden jug" after finishing with her bath. One day while enjoying her jug of milk she found herself being watched by a prince, who was standing amongst the trees. Red with embarrassment at her inadequate bathing attire, she poured the jug of milk in front of him to form an improvised curtain to hide her body. And like this waterfall started to fall. There area around this waterfall is declared as a National Park(which isn't  known as Bhagwan Mahavir Wild Life Sanctuary) at Mollem in South Goa in the western ghats.

The waterfall is on the border of Karnataka and Goa states. The roads leading to it are maintained by the Goa Forest Department. A small resthouse is maintained in the forest by the Karnataka Forest Department and is the only place to stay there. Roads are closed in the rainy season from June to September as fast flowing streams cross the roads and make them dangerous to drive. The roads are again opened in the month of October. At the base of the waterfall, there is a small pond. One can bathe in it only during non-rainy days, that too at one's own risk. However, such a risk is not advisable. There are fish in the pond, the water is very cold and the pond is slippery.

The surrounding area is surrounded by a deciduous forest and many species of birds, insects, plants and animal abound here.

How To Reach

The Waterfall can be reached both by road and rail. It can be reached by road from Panaji or Madgaon by National Highway NH4A and by train from Madgaon railway junction or Londa railway junction.

 There is a railway station called Dudhsagar (Station Code DDS) [dont get confused with dudhsagar waterfalls station(station code dwf).Trains do not stop at dwf] where trains stop for a minute or so for technical reason (to test brakes while going downhill) but no tickets are issued to or from this station and it is not a commercial halt for trains.

The next railway station is Collem (Kulem) on Madgaon-Castle Rock-Londa track, 13 km from the Falls. The railway route for reaching the falls from Goa is Madgaon-Collem- Dudhsagar Falls. One can reach the falls from Collem railway station by a much shorter 6 km long road.

The other route is from Carambolim (Karmali Railway Station of Konkan Railways. The route is Carambolim-Old Goa-Ponda-Tiska-Mollem (total 50 km) - Dudhsagar Falls.

Ordinary cars are not suitable for the drive to the Falls and within the forest sanctuary. One should use a four-wheel drive vehicle (SUV) as the road is a jungle track that has fast-flowing streams criss-crossing it at several points. The motorable track stops a kilometre before the Falls and one has to walk 1 km crossing over small paths carved through the rocks at the foot of the Falls.

The Falls can be reached by train from Karnataka state from Londa railway junction on Hubli-Madgaon-Vasco da Gama route. One can get down at Castle Rock station or Collem station and reach the Falls by road. However, one can get down at Dudhsagar Falls railway station itself (station code DWF or DDS) that lies between Castle Rock and Collem and walk the short distance to the falls. Then one can come back to the same station and take a freight train by requesting the guard and taking his permission. All the trains including freight (goods) trains stop at Dudhsagar Falls railway station while going towards Madgaon (but not while going in the reverse direction).

While returning(to Castle Rock or Londa), the 12779 Goa express halts at Dudhsagar Station at 5pm for 2mins to pick up the passengers/tourists. This is the only passenger train that halts at dudhsagar station while going towards Castle Rock.

Trekking in Dudhsagar is a famous tourist attraction. There are three abandoned shelters for the refuge of trekkers (left to the falls and right side beside the railway track). They are available on first-come-first-served basis. Medical and pure drinking water facilities are not available around Dudhsagar but one can approach the station master at Dudhsagar Falls railway station in emergency. There are 4 possible trek routes to reach Dudhsagar Falls, of which only two are accessible in monsoon.

-Route 1 (Castle Rock Route)

-Route 2 (Kulem Route)

-Route 3 (Transport + Hike)

-Route 4 (Kuveshi-Dudhsagar)

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika is located in Goa, India and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule.

 The Jesuit church is India’s first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.

Construction work on the church began in 1594 and the church was consecrated in May 1605 by the archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. This world heritage monument has emerged as a landmark in the history of Christianity.
It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier, a very close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus, the (Jesuits). Francis Xavier died on Sancian Island while en route to continental China on (December 2, 1552).

This is one of the oldest churches in Goa, as well as in India. The floor is of marble inlaid with precious stones. Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the interior of the church is simple.

The church also holds paintings of scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier.

The mausoleum, on the top of which is placed the silver casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier (1696), was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is more than 408 years old and is open to the public everyday.
The body of St. Francis Xavier is kept in a well-decorated casket, which can be seen in the photographs below. 

Solemn exhibitions of the 'body' are held every ten years. Some photos taken inside the church are attached for better understanding of the art work of that time. These art works are called "murals".


Information taken from google....

Church of St. Augustine, Old Goa

Church of St. Augustine, Old Goa

A solitary structure rises over the ruins, and stands out starkly. The monsoon is still on, but the clear skies encourage me to explore. And here I am, at the St. Augustine’s Complex in Old Goa.

Once upon a time, this was a sprawling complex, consisting of a church, a chapel, and also a convent, with dining rooms, infirmaries, guest houses, all built by the friars of the First Augustinian Order, who arrived in Goa in 1572. 

The complex was abandoned in 1835, and the church crumbled over time. Part of it was demolished, and its artefacts were either taken elsewhere or stolen, all over a period of time, leaving just these ruins to remind us of its existence. The tower standing today is the façade of the old church, and was once 5 stories tall. It is only recently that efforts are being made to protect what remains of it, and conserve the ruins.

The church is associated with the story of the relics of Ketevan the Martyr. She was the queen of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. After her husband’s death, she installed her underage son as the king, and took on the functions of a regent. Sent as an emissary to Iran, she volunteered to be a hostage to prevent Kakheti from being attacked. However, her efforts were futile, and eventually, she was killed at Shiraz, Iran, after prolonged tortures for refusing to give up the Christian faith andw convert to Islam.

Thank You Google...