Temples of goa

Lairai temple, shirgao:-

In the  village of Shirgao in Bicholim taluk lies the temple of Goddess Lairai. The  temple of  shri lairai is located at a distance of 2kms from the  village  Assonora. The  deity lairai  is famous  all over  Goa for the  Shirgao Zatra. Every year  thousands of  devotees  attend  annual  feast of  deity to  witness the  walking  of devotees  of deity,  known as" Dhond" barefooted through the sacred fire known as Homkunda. A mud Road leads to  the temple and passes through many iron ore mines along the way.

The  Shirgao Zatra takes place in  early part of may. The  festival  begins early in the  morning and  continues throughout  till down. The  devotees Dhond take a bath and  walk all the way uphill to the  temple to  worship the Goddess. Late into the night, as midnight approaches, the devotees perform a frantic dance inside the temple, which is all lit up for the occasion. Next a fire is made using a huge pile  of  wood  kept in  a large  clearing near the temple.

The  final and most spectacular part of the  Zatra then be gains. In the  early hours of the morning when the  fire has died down, the raking of the  coals begins. The devotees await their turn to  walk on the  holy path of  hot coal. A round 4am,the actual  ritual starts, with the devotees  running  through the hot coals carrying  their sticks  with the name of Devi Lairai. It is said that the  fire does no harm to just devotees who walk calmly through the  embers. The unjust are said to  hurry through running through the burning coals.

Mangueshi temple:-

Mangueshi temple is located about 21km from  Panaji, the Mangueshi temple stands tall amidst the  Hindu temple of Goa. The  Mangueshi  temple was originally  located at  just as kushasthali {present day cortalim } with the  threat of  persecution looming, the  linear was transferred from the  original  temple to the  present location  at prior. Mangueshi  is an incarnation of  Lord  Shiva and the shivering inside the  fluorite designed  sanctum is flanked by dwarf alas guards.

The temple is mordan piece of  architecture  blended with traditional  Hindu patter. The  entrance to the temple  bears an image, which  words off everything  impure from the inner  precincts of the  temple and  maintain its sanctity. Festival  and  periodical devotional activities are conducted  with   great  zeal. Monday  is the  weekly  festival. On this  day the Lord.Murti is taken out,  before  traditional  at night , in a procession in palatial accompanied by  music. The  annual  festival  are Navratilova,  megha Purnima festival  Jatrotsav and  Mahashivratri.