Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple Narve Goa Virtual Tour | New Look of Saptakoteshwar Famous Temple of Goa
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 Published On Premiered Feb 13, 2023

Shree Saptakoteshwar Temple is a Lord Shiva Temple located at Narve Goa. It's been said that this temples is more than 350 years old which was destroyed by the Portuguese. The Saptakoteshwar Temple (सप्तकोटेश्वर मंदिर गोवा) is considered from one of the six great sites of the temples of Lord Shiva. This temple has been now renovated by the Department of Archaeology Government of Goa. The Inauguration of restored Temple of Shri Saptakoteshwar and its Precinct was done on 11th February 2023.

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. The Kadamba kings proudly used the title (Birudu) Shree Saptakotisha Ladbha Varaveera. 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: which means "with the grace of Lord Saptakotishwara", the family deity of Kadambas. These coins were often referred to as Saptakotisha-Gadyanakas. In 1352, when the Kadamba kingdom was conquered by the Bahmani Sultan Allauddin Hasan Gangu, Goa came under the rule of the Sultan for about 14 years. A number of temples were destroyed during this period and the linga (symbol of Lord Shiva) at the Saptakoteshwar temple was dug up by the troops. 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. When the temple was demolished in 1560 by the Portuguese (and a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora De Candelaria was erected in its place), the linga was used as a well shaft until some Hindus managed to rescue it. The idol was then smuggled across the river to Bicholim where it was installed in a brand new temple and revamped in 1668 by the Maratha Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The construction of the new site was carried out by Shri Shivaram Desai (president of the sansthan) on Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's blessings and guidance.

The Government of Goa began the restoration work of Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple in the Year 2019 on the occastion of its competion of 350 years. The Government of the conservation plan has taken into account the significant architectural featurs of Goan temples in general as well as the historical and archaelogical importance of Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple. While restoring the Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple and its surroundings the intrinsic value of the temple complex, its architectural elements such as Deepstambh, Tulsi Vrindavan and the tali has been considered.

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