Shantadurga
Encyclopedia
Shantadurga also known as Shanteri/Santeri is the form of the Goddess
Durga
, commonly worshipped in Goa
, India
.She is also called Saibini
in Konkani
as a mark of reverence.
Legend tells of a celestial battle between Shiva
and Vishnu
and Shanta ("Peacemaker") acting as the mediator and solving the problem. The Goddess' temples in Goa were traditionally built over anthills. While most villages in Goa had a Shantadurga temple or at a least a shrine dedicated to Shanteri, a famous Shanta Durga temple
was present at Quellossim in Salsette. This was destroyed by the Portuguese and Jesuit missionaries and the idol was shifted to Kavalem in Ponda across the Zuari river. The Goddess is typically depicted as holding a snake in each hand, each metaphors for demoniac tendencies which are kept in check by her. She also has fish on her crown, as she is the patron Goddess of fisherfolk. Shree Shantadurga is the kuldevta
of many Konkani Saraswats, Karhade Brahmins, Daivadnya
Brahmins, Bhandari
s and Maratha
s. Many Goan Catholic
families also continue to partake of worship in this temple due to their familial links with the temple and the Goddess.
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
, commonly worshipped in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.She is also called Saibini
Saibini
Saibini is the appellation for the mother Goddess in Goa, India. It is also used by the konkani speaking diaspora all along the west coast of India. The word can be translated as "Dame" in the English titular sense....
in Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
as a mark of reverence.
Legend tells of a celestial battle between Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and Shanta ("Peacemaker") acting as the mediator and solving the problem. The Goddess' temples in Goa were traditionally built over anthills. While most villages in Goa had a Shantadurga temple or at a least a shrine dedicated to Shanteri, a famous Shanta Durga temple
Shanta Durga temple
Shantadurga Temple is a large temple complex from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India.-Deity:The temple is dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess who mediates between Vishnu and Shiva...
was present at Quellossim in Salsette. This was destroyed by the Portuguese and Jesuit missionaries and the idol was shifted to Kavalem in Ponda across the Zuari river. The Goddess is typically depicted as holding a snake in each hand, each metaphors for demoniac tendencies which are kept in check by her. She also has fish on her crown, as she is the patron Goddess of fisherfolk. Shree Shantadurga is the kuldevta
Kuldevta
Kuladevata or Kuladevi, also known as Kuladev and Kŭladaiwat, stands for "family deity, that is either a god or a goddess" within Hinduism, as distinct from personal ishta-devata and village deities...
of many Konkani Saraswats, Karhade Brahmins, Daivadnya
Daivadnya
*दाते पंचांग,गोत्रावळी "Gotravali" published by "Date Panchang", Date's Almanac Pvt Ltd, Solapur,India **"Genetics of Castes and Tribes of India:Indian Population Milieu" by M. K. Bhasin, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India...
Brahmins, Bhandari
Bhandari
For other uses, see Bhandari .Bhandari caste is among the sea-faring warrior castes of ancient and medieval India. They migrated southward from Rajputana in early 1100 and subsequently spread over different parts of India...
s and Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s. Many Goan Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
families also continue to partake of worship in this temple due to their familial links with the temple and the Goddess.
Shantadurga temples in Goa
- Shanta Durga templeShanta Durga templeShantadurga Temple is a large temple complex from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India.-Deity:The temple is dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess who mediates between Vishnu and Shiva...
at KavaleKavaleKavale or Kavalem is a village in Ponda, Goa, India. Kavle/Kawale/Kawle are other variations for the same name..-Main Attraction:...
m (Mahapeeth of the Goddess) - Shantadurga Kunkalikarin at FatorpaFatorpa-External links:* *...
- Shantadurga Fatarpekarin at Fatorpa
- Shantadurga Chamundeshwari Kudtari Mahamaya at Avedem, Quepem
- Shantadurna Kunkaliekarin at Kunkolie Ponda
- Shatadurga Kumbharjuvekarin at MarcelaMashelMashel or Marcela is a census town in Ponda taluka, North Goa district in the state of Goa,India....
, Ponda - Shantadurga Verlekarin at Marcela Ponda
- Shantadurga Talaulikarin at Marcela
- Shantadurga Mhapsekarin at Dhargal
- Shantadurga Sangodkarin at SangoldaSangoldaSangolda is a village in Bardez sub-district, North Goa, India.-External links:*...
- Shantadurga at Veroda
- Shantadurga Shankhavaleshvari at Veling, Gothan
- Shantadurga Ballikarin at Balli
- Shantadurga Kalangutkarin TempleShantadurga Kalangutkarin templeShri Shantadurga Devasthan Nanora is a Hindu temple in Nanoda village in Bicholim taluka in Goa. The presiding deity is Shantadurga worshiped in the form of Vishweshwari; normally Shantadurga is worshipped in a Shanta form, but it is believed that after killing the demons the deity's anger was...
-[at Nanora,near Asnora]