Damodar Temple Zambaulim

Getting there

• By train

  The nearest railway station is at Margao.

• By road

  The temple is near the village of Zambaulim, about 22 km from Margao city, on the border of Quepem region in South Goa.

Rules to know

• Rooms in the temple complex are for members of the GSB community.

Why devotees come here

Damodar Temple stands on the bank of the Kushavati River at Zambaulim, near the Quepem border in South Goa. Accounts differ on the deity: one calls Damodar a form of Krishna, another says Shiva incarnated as Damodar. The temple holds deities moved here from Madgaon after Portuguese temple destruction in 1567.

The Kushavati River flows past the temple, and Hindus believe it is sacred. According to a tradition, the temple was consecrated to the memory of Makaji Damodar, a native of Margao. He met a tragic death with his newly married wife, and then was revered as a deity.

In 1567 the Portuguese rulers started a campaign of temple destruction in Sasashti taluka. The Mahajans from Madgaon moved the local deities, including Ramnath, Damodar, Laxmi-Narayan and Mahakali, to Zambaulim. The temple stands in Zambaulim today. An old Portuguese chronicler described the earlier Margao Damodar temple as so large and strongly built that invaders who occupied Salcete used it as a military post.

The main festival is Shigmo, the Goan Hindu spring festival of colours, which lasts one week. The temple also celebrates Kartik Poornima, Ashwin Poornima and Mahashivratri. Its list of festivals includes the Magha Poornima Festival (Jatrotsav).

Festivals

• SpringShigmo

  Goa's Hindu spring festival of colours, lasting one week.

• Dates not foundMagha Poornima Festival (Jatrotsav)

  Listed among the temple's festivals, also called Jatrotsav.

Tips for your visit

• Use the postal address Zambaulim, Quepem, Goa 403705 when you set a cab or map destination.
• Shigmo, the spring festival of colours, lasts one week, so plan any festival visit within that week.

Questions people ask