Tambdi Surla Mahadev Temple

Getting there

• By road

  About 65 km from Panaji. It is 22 km south of Valpoi, the main town of Sattari taluka, on minor roads.

Why devotees come here

The Mahadev Temple at Tambdi Surla, in Sattari taluka of Goa, is dedicated to Shiva. The Goa government calls it the most ancient temple in the state. It is built of black basalt and stands in a clearing deep in the forest.

The Goa government calls this the most ancient temple in Goa. It is dedicated to Shiva, and it is a protected Monument of National Importance. Local legend says a huge king cobra lives permanently in the dimly lit interior. Villagers from the surrounding villages celebrate Mahashivratri here with pomp and gaiety.

One account dates the temple to the 13th century and calls its style Kadamba. The Goa government page dates it to the twelfth century and calls the style Jain. Its basalt was carried across the mountains from the Deccan Plateau. The Kadamba dynasty ruled Goa between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. The temple survived the Islamic invasions and the Goa Inquisition. Its remote location in a clearing deep in the forest helped it survive.

The sanctum, an antechamber and a pillared Nandi hall are all built of basalt. A headless Nandi sits in the centre of the hall, surrounded by four matching columns. The top part of the temple has never been completed. It lies in the north east region of Mollem National Park. The temple stands in Tambdi Surla village, in Sattari taluka.

Festivals

• Mahashivratri dayMahashivratri

  Villagers from the surrounding villages celebrate it at the temple with pomp and gaiety.

Tips for your visit

• The temple faces east, so the first rays of the rising sun fall on the deity.
• The Surla river flows nearby and can be reached by a flight of stone steps.

Questions people ask