Tourism
of Goa
Places
of Worship in Goa ::
Temples
in Goa
Shri
RamnathThe
second temple in the small village of Bandode or Bandivade as it is also
known, is that of Lord Ramnath. Located about 22 kms from the capital city
of Panaji, the temple is just a few minutes away from Farmagudi, off the
main road to Ponda.
Legend has it that the name of Lord Ramnath
comes from the place Rameshwar. It is said that Lord Rama, after slaying
Ravana in the battle was filled with remorse at the killing. In order to
seek redemption for his act, he installed a shivalinga (symbol of Lord
Shiva), on the shores and hence came to be known as Rameshwar or Ramnath.
The
idol of Lord Ramnath was initially housed in a temple at a settlement called
Lotli (present-day Loutolim) which was set up by Gaud Saraswat Brahmins who
had migrated from Rameshwar on the southern shores of India.
Lord
Ramnath, like many other deities in Goa, was removed from the original
temple at Loutolim and smuggled away to its present day abode of Bandivade,
to avoid persecution by the Portuguese regime. Bandivade was under the
control of Bijapur at the time.
The temple also houses other
deities viz. Shri LaxmiNarayan, Shri Kamakshi, Shri Santeri and Shri
Sidhanath. Unlike most temples in Goa, the sabhamandap (grand hall) of the
temple has no pillars and yet has a special gallery for the ladies. There is
a five-storied deepstambha (lamp tower) in the courtyard with images of
Hindu saints carved on its base.
The door to the inner sanctum has
some exceptionally beautiful scenes depicted on it in silver metal. Once
scene depicts devotees worshipping a linga, and the other shows Lord Vishnu
with his consort Lakshmi sitting on his couch of a coiled snake.
The
annual festival or Jatra of the temple is celebrated with pomp and gaiety by
the devotees with the traditional palakhi (palanquin) parading around the
temple carrying the idol of the deity.
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