Shri Mangueshi Temple

Shri Mangueshi Temple in Ponda is one of the most important temples to visit in Goa, with a seven-storey lamp tower and centuries of history. Here are its timings, dress code and festivals.

The Shri Mangueshi (Manguesh) Temple at Mangeshi village in Priol, Ponda taluka, about 21 km from Panaji, is one of the most visited Hindu temples in Goa. Its deity, Manguesh, is a form of Shiva worshipped as a lingam, and the temple is the family deity (kuladevata) of many Goud Saraswat Brahmin families.

According to Goa Tourism and Wikipedia, the lingam was originally at Kushasthali (Cortalim) in Salcete and was moved to Priol in 1560, when Portuguese authorities began destroying temples and converting people in Salcete. The present complex developed under Maratha rule, was rebuilt in 1890 and renovated in 1973, when a golden kalasha was placed on the dome.

Architectural features include domes, pilasters and balustrades, a seven-storeyed lamp tower (deepastambha) in the courtyard and a temple tank, while the Sabha Griha hall seats more than 500 people under 19th-century chandeliers. Daily rituals include morning pujas, a noon Maha Aarti and evening prayers, and every Monday the deity is carried in procession in a palakhi.

Major festivals include Maha Shivaratri, Rama Navami, Navaratri, Dussehra, Diwali and the Jatra on Magha Poornima. There is no entry fee. Visitors are expected to dress conservatively and remove footwear, and photography inside the shrine is reportedly not allowed. Mangueshi is easily combined with the nearby Mahalsa and Shanta Durga temples in Ponda.