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Although the central, inland
town of Ponda is of no great interest, it does boast an old mosque
and, in the surrounding areas, numerous
unique Hindu temples. There are regular buses from Panaji and Margoa, but to get to the temples it's to have own vehicle or own
transport. When Portuguese arrived in Goa, they destroyed every
temples and mosques they
could lay their hands on. As result, temples in Goa are generally
set back from the coast and comparatively new, although some date
back about 400 years. The temples near Ponda have been rebuilt from
originals destroyed by the Portuguese, and their lamp towers are a
distinctive Goan feature.
Five most important Hindu temples
are close to the Ponda, on the inland route between Panaji and
Margoa. The Siva temple of Shri Mangesh is at Priol-Ponda
Taluka about 22kms from Panaji. This tiny 18th century hilltop
temple with white tower, is local landmark. Less than 2kms further
down the road is Shri Mahalsa, a Vishnu temple
About five Km from Ponda are
Shri
Ramnath and Shri
Naguesh, and nearby is the Shri Shantadurga Temple.
Dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess of peace, this temple sports
an unusual, almost pagoda-like, structure with roof made from long
slabs of stone. Further south are the temples of Shri
Chandreshwar, west of Quepem; Shantadurga, east of Betul; and
Shri
Mallikarjuna east of Chauri.
The oldest mosque remaining in Goa
is the Safa
Shahouri Masjid at Ponda built by Adilshah in
1560.
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