Saptakoteshwar Temple
| Saptakoteshwar Temple | |
|---|---|
 Temple complex (at present). | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | North Goa |
| Deity | Shiva |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| State | Goa |
| Country |  India |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Kadamba |
The Saptakoteshwar temple at
History
Saptakoteshwar, a form of Shiva, was one of the chief deities of the Kings of the Kadamba dynasty around the twelfth century. The temple was built by the King for his wife Kamaldevi who was a staunch devotee of this god.[1] The Kadamba kings proudly used the title (Birudu) Shree Saptakotisha Ladbha Varaveera.[2]
The gold coins discovered at Chandor, Goa (old name: Chandraura, Chandrapura), Gopikapatna and other places of the kings Jayakeshi I, Jayakeshi II, Jayakeshi III, Shivachitta Paramadideva, Soideva, etc., have inscriptions reading:
Saptakotishvaralabdha – Varaprasada
which means "with the grace of Lord Saptakotishwara", the family deity of Kadambas. These coins were often referred to as Saptakotisha-Gadyanakas.[3]
In 1352, when the
In 1367, the army of Vijayanagar King Harihararaya defeated the Bahmani Sultan's troops in Goa and managed to restore most of the temples to their former glory including that of Saptakoteshwar. According to the records, the temple was reconstructed by Madhava Mantri by the end of the 14th century.[4]
When the temple was demolished in 1560 by the
Architecture
With its shallow
Deities
In front of the temple towards the right side of the Deepastamba is a shrine of Kalbhairav and outside it are seen the padukas of Dattatraya carved on the stone. A little ahead of the Deepastamba are seen two huge laterite pillar-like structures buried deep. They may be stone henges. Behind the temple are carved stone walls with niches. It may have been an ancient Agrashala. Similarly, close to the temple there is a man-made tunnel-like structure which is presently silted. Near the temple site there is a sacred tank known as Panchaganga Tirtha which is used for ablutions by devotees on the birthday of Lord Shiva.
Location
The village of Narve is about 35 km (22 mi) from Panaji and can be reached by an interesting route that requires a ferryboat from the island of Divar.[citation needed]
Footnotes
- ^ a b Goa (India : State). Directorate of Archives and Archaeology, Goa, Daman and Diu (India) (1984). Purabhilekh-puratatva. Vol. 2. Directorate of Archives, Archaeology, and Museum, Daman and Diu (India) Goa. p. 109 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gune, Vithal Trimbak (1979). Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu. Vol. I. Goa, Daman and Diu (India) Gazetteer Dept. p. 794.
- ISBN 978-81-7022-259-0– via Google Books.
- ^ Gune, Vithal Trimbak (1979). Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu. Vol. I. Goa, Daman and Diu (India). Gazetteer Dept. p. 64.
- ^ Gune, Vithal Trimbak (1979). Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu. Vol. I. Goa, Daman and Diu (India). Gazetteer Dept. p. 64.
- ^ Esteves, Sarto; Vatsala de Sousa (1983). This is Goa. p. 19.
- ^ This is mentioned on an information epitaph carved at the temple.
References
- Goa: Hindu temples and deities by Rui Gomes Pereira, Antonio Victor Couto, v. 1, 1978.