Tambdi Surla Swayambhu Sri Mahadev Mandir, Goa

Address

Tambdi Surla Swayambhu Sri Mahadev Mandir, Tambdi Surla, Goa 403406

Diety

Sri Mahadev

Introduction

Mahadeva Temple, Tambdi Surla is a 12th-century Shaivite temple in the Kadamba style dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is an ASI protected Monument of National Importance in Goa. The most ancient temple in the whole of Goa is Mahadev temple located at a place called Tambi Surla at Mollem. The temple itself was built in Jain style in the Twelfth century.

Puranic Significance

The temple is built in the Kadamba style from basalt, carried across the mountains from the Deccan plateau and carved by craftsmen. It is considered to be the only specimen of Kadamba architecture in basalt stone. The temple survived untouched due to its remote location in a clearing deep in the forest at the foot of the Western Ghats which surround the site. The temple faces east so that the rays of the rising sun fall on the deity at the crack of dawn. Bas-relief figures of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma, with their respective consorts appear on panels at the sides of the temple. Surprisingly the mandap is covered with a roof of plain grey sloping slabs. The river Surla flows nearby and can be reached via a flight of stone steps. There is a headless Nandi (bull, Shiva’s vehicle) in the centre of the mandap, surrounded by four matching columns. The symbol of the Kadamba kingdom, an elephant trampling a horse is carved on the base of one of the columns. There is a linga (symbol of Lord Shiva) mounted on a pedestal inside the inner sanctum and local legend has it that a huge King Cobra is in permanent residence in the dimly lit interior.