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Goa is spoken of as a heaven on hearth. With the perfect merge of fun, amusement as well as religion, Goa often sets an example of brotherhood as people from different castes and religions. The Christians, Hindus and the Muslim stay together and welcome the tourist every year with open arms. The temples and churches stay as a perfect example of the Goan architecture which stands as an age old history. One of the old and the most popular temples of the Hindus is that of the goddess Shantadurga Prasanna, Goa. The temple is approximately 33 kilometers from the capital of Goa, Panjim, on the foothills of Kavelem in Ponda. However, the original temple was damaged by the Portuguese in 1564 which was at Salsette. To talk about the goddess, it is so said that the goddess Shantadurga also known as Santeri or Vijaya was the mediator between the Lord Vishnu and Shiva. Lord Brahma was a witness to this battle and folded hands to Parvati to interfere, who in turn took the form of Shantadurga. One close look at the deity shows Santeri holding two serpents in her hand, which are the Vishnu and the Shiva. She came to the rescue of the Brahmins. The connection with the Goans: Goans have been worshipping the Goddess for years together. There are a total of five Panchmi’s that take place in celebration of the Goddess’s presence. On the Maha Panchmi day or on the other Panchmi days, the goddess is given a pure gold face. The festivals such as Nagpanchmi and Vasant Panchmi have special importance. The Mahajans or the customary Brahmins such as the Rege’s, Mantris’ and Danait’s take the privilege of doing the Maha puja. The new temple of the Shantadurga Prasanna, Goa was built in 1738 AD during the reign of Shahu Maharaj. The goddess stands as a mark of faith and calmness. The lake that is situated right next to the Kavelem Temple symbolizes the calmness of the Shri Shantadurga Prasanna, Goa.
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