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Vacations in Goa take you on a tour through the temples of Goa. These temples in Goa have been witness to the harsh Portugal rule when diktats were passed to abolish all the temples. The deities were uprooted from place to place and even worshipped at homes during that period, until they were finally ensconced at their present abodes.
During your vacations in Goa, you will discover that Saraswat temples hold much significance among the people of Goa. This temple of Goa attracts not only the Hindu crowd but Christians too pour into these temples in good numbers. This may be due to the fact that though many of them have embraced Christianity, they still hold on to their pre-conversion surnames and still sponsor and support the deities of their Hindu brethren.
Among the oldest Saraswat Temples in Goa are the Mangeshi temple of Priol in Goa, the Shanta Durga Temple at Kavele in Goa, the Ganapati temple at Khandole in Goa, the Maha Laxmi temple at Bandewade in Goa and the Sri Nagesh Maharudra Temple at Bandora in Goa. Of these, unlike all other ancient deities of Goa, the Sri Nagesh Maharudra did not move from Bandora (Bandiwade) even during the period of the Portuguese acquisition.
Atrunja Taluka in Goa is now called 'Ponda'. It is a land of valleys and mountains. An ideal abode for the Gods amid coconut and arecanut groves, Phonda is full of Hindu temples, the Sri Ganapati temple at Khandole village being one of the most prominent and oldest of them here.
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