Explore yesteryear

Mangueshi temple is located at Mangueshi village in Priol,Ponda Taluka.It is at a distance of 1 km from Mardol close to Nagueshi. These temple existing for centuries at Kushasthali (kuthal) in Goa until 1560 A.D A magnificent temple known for its wealth and glory and established and managed by 24 families of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of "Vasta" and "Kaundinya" Gotras the shivlinga of shree Manguesh and its parivar devtas were shifted by them for safety to this land Priol sometime during oct-nov1560A.D. when Hindu temples in Goa were being destroyed by Christian Missionories. Every Monday the idol of Manguesh is taken out for a procession in the Palakhi accompanied by music before the evening Aarti. The temple is one of the largest and most frequently visited temples in Goa.

 The Aguada fort was constructed in 1602 CE, is one of the few intact Portuguese forts in the sub continent and a great example of military architecture, Aguada means watering place.This site is on the northern shore of the river Mandovi, has many natural springs that provide water to the passing ships. The Dutch were the early competitors of the Portuguese in the sea trade. In 1604 they blockaded the mouth of Mandovi with seven ships for one month. The Portuguese could not Dialoge them, as this spot was beyond the range of the cannons of forts of Reis Magos and Gasper Dias, which were further island. The Portuguese shocked at this in their defence took to building two forts the Mormugao at the mouth of the river Zuari and Aguada at the mouth of the river Mandovi. The fort has a lighthouse chapel and a huge underground water storage tank due to use of cannons design change in construction of forts became necessary.

Goa is a rich and unique with many tangible and intangible features in the history, but they are anonymous to its own populance. Many of the Goans of today may not be aware that there once existed a fort in the  North East area of Goa identified as the fort of Nanuz or Nanus. Today this spot is marked with flattened ruins and a lonely pillar with a marble plaque which reads "Locale de Forte de Nanuz . It is said that this pillar was constructed on January 16, 1933 to commemorate the spot where once stood the majestic Nanuz fort. The village of Nanus in Sattari is about 48-50 km from Panjim via Sanqulim Valpoi town. These fort has a beautiful intangible heritage in the form of a konkani song " Farar far zatai ranatu Rane marta Paklyaku, Pakle marta Ranaku. Which conveys the shots ringing out in the forest during the battle enduring between the Portuguese and the Rane.

The Tamdi Surla temple is 12th century temple build by Kadamba dynasty. The temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and it is active place of hindu worship. The temple consists of mandapas and garbhagriha where linga is worship. The temple have four pillars and every pillar there are some stone carvings on it. There is a headless Nandi in mandap. The temple is surrounded by evergreen forest and beautiful garden. The festival of Mahashivratri is celebrated by the local people from nearby village. The temple is bulid in such a way that most of the tourist gets attracted and it became a tourist destination. Everyone must visit these place.

These is a 7th century cave.The Harvalem caves are popularly known as Pandava caves. People believed that the Pandavas came to Goa and build these cave.There are five compartment in the cave and the middle compartment enshrines the linga held in great reverence by devotees. The shafts of the four crafted lingas are very similar to those that can found in Elephanta,Ajanta and Ellora cavesin Maharashtra. The Harvalem caves are very much patterned in the Buddhist cave style. The architecture of the caves is simple yet appealing. The walls are plain with no paintings on them. The rock structure has been cut into laterite stone with the sanctuary at the northern end and the vihara at the southern end. The mysterious look of the caves has been attracting the tourists over long years. The presence of the famous Rudreshwar temple and a waterfall in its vicinity makes this palce a must visit in Goa.