Mahalasa Narayani Temple - Verna

MAHALASA NARAYANI (ALSO KNOWN AS MHALSHI) IS “MOHINI AVATAR” OF LORD VISHNU. THIS AVATAR WAS TAKEN IN ORDER TO SECURE “AMRUT” WHICH WAS OBTAINED FROM SAMUDRA MANTHAN (CHURNING OF THE SEA), FROM DANAVAS (DEMON) TO SERVE DEVAS (GODS).

In Salcette taluka, there is a village of Verna which is one of the leading industrial estates in Goa where a beautiful temple of Mahaalasa Nararayani is erected. I will narrate to you a mythological story on “Arrival of goddess Shri Mahaalasa from sacred place of Nevaase(Nepal) to Dicholim of Gomaantak(Goa)”. It seems a Brahmin in Nevaase (who worshipped Mahaalasa Narayani) had divine vision to return back to Dicholim (his native place), with pitcher in which she will reside to come to Goa. Villagers were happy on the arrival of Mahalasa in their village and carved idol with devotion and placed it in one small temple which was later destroyed by some cruel people.

 On the same night, a Brahmin belonging to the race of Sage Atri had a dream, where he saw a female who had serpents draped all over her body which frightened him, so later she appeared as a beautiful 16 year old girl and told him that she is Vishnu’s avatar Mahaalasa Narayani. And then he spoke to the villagers about it of Vernapoori and on the basis of sketch given by the Brahmin they constructed a temple which was well known in that time. As the years passed, during the Potuguese rule the temple was destroyed because of which all the devotees carried her idol to Ponda, Mardol. At this place a temple of Mahaalasa was established. And now it’s a popular place with tourists visiting from all over India. And in recent times the legendary temple of Maahalasa Narayani was rebuilt in Verna (old Mardol). Mardol and Verna now celebrates all the functions and festivals grandly such as Zatra, Shivratri, Shravan, Navratri, etc.

So this is what I have learnt about divine goddess Mahalasa Narayani. She wears a holy thread as she is a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. This holy thread is worn by Brahmin men and male Gods.

Now this temple at Verna is built elegantly in grey and white shade with spacious area. Inside the temple you can worship idols of Shree Mahalasa Narayani, Shree Shanteri, Shree Ganesh, Naga devta and Shree Mahalakshmi. On enquiring, as temple is still under construction I found that many more idols are yet to be installed.  In front of it there is a lake which also has a history, Goddess Mahalasa, on pressing her toe on the dry land of Vernapoori created a spring for her devotees. Besides this there is a gold plated monument of Swami Vivekanand with a beautiful sayings “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached”.

The temple also runs a school “Shree Mahalasa Narayani Primary School”. Where you can see little kids dressed up in yellow-maroon uniform.

 Do have a wonderful time at this mesmerizing place!!

BOGMALO BEACH- Pride of Vasco.....!!!!

Earlier Bogmalo was a small fishing village but now it is a famous tourist place. The most attractive thing about  this beach is the sunset. The view is beautiful with the mixture of colours like yellow orange and pink.  Actual beauty of this beach is at the time of sunset with birds chirruping and the cool breeze that adds freshness………

You can walk along the beach and have a look at the kashmiri handicrafts. Take some with you and remember  this  place. If you are in adventurous  mood , then you can indulge yourself in many activities. The beach provides you facilities like parasailing, surfing, swimming, water skiing, boat rides and many more…… This  activities can make anyone hungry. So, if you want to eat? There are hotels that are lined along the beach. But if you are here to be pampered, then Bogmalo Beach Resort will live up to your expectations. It is just in a walking distance. It provides you an outdoor pool, a spa tub and fitness facility and several other amenities like a casino, a game room, event catering, etc.

So, come to Bogmalo Beach  and get rid of from all your tensions and spend a good time with your family, friends  and your loved ones………JJJJ

PALOLEM BEACH..........:)

SITUATED:  Canacona taluka.

The way to reach here is very beautiful. It is like a hill road with refreshing moments……..

Palolem beach is a very beautiful place to visit, for those who are looking for sun, fun, sand and sea. The best beach I have ever been too. It is a famous beach with white sand and you can see tiny fishes swimming in water, dolphin ride, lot of restaurants on the main road to beach.

I love Palolem beach as it is the romantic place and the butterfly island from this beach looked really good……….The waves are gentle and swimming in water is safe. You can walk on the beach which gives you a fresh feeling, have delicious food at the stalls or restaurants on the beach.

“IT IS AN AWESOME SILENT BEACH AND A PLACE FOR ROMANCE”……. JJ 

       

Palolem Beach is stunning….and simply superb!!!!

                                                                                                                             

MORJIM BEACH

Since the early 70’s hippe civilization thousands have assembled to the sunny desert of Goa from all spots of the earth for a taste of India’s ‘treasure of the place’.  Goa has remained as centre of attraction for foreign tourists, with a combination of a familiarize culture and some of the friendliest folk in India. Goa has remained at the top of list when look at tourism capital of India.  Morjim Beach is one of the beautiful beach in Goa, which is not as famous as Colva, Calangute and so on. Morjim beach is located in Pernem, North Goa.  Morjim beach is herb for Russian tourist and it is known as “Mini-Russia”  It is a great place to relax and take in all wonderful sights. The swing of the trees near the beach create a very majestic view. The speciality and interesting part of this beach is, it is nestling and hatching habitat of the Olive ridley sea turtle, which is an endangered species.  Many tourists can been seen having sunbath on the golden sands. This beach generates a lot of income towards the government in the form of tourism. The drink stands and the stalls in the moonlight evening on the golden sands make it a delightful place. The beach provides a breath-taking view of the waters of the Arabian Sea and Chapora River. Get a luxurious experience to unwind and relax with peace and harmony. 

            “Adore and Boast yourself with the loveliest     seaside”. 

 

Basilica of Bom Jesus

Thy Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa is one of the most famous churches in Goa. This church is a world heritage monument and has very beautiful interiors. When you visit this church you will be amazed at the beauty it possesses. The architecture and the fine art of this church has a lot to tell and is very interesting to learn about.

This church is dedicated to "Bom Jesus" which neans "Infant Jesus". It contains the mortal remains of Goa's patron saint, St. Francis Xavier. The feast is celebrated on the 3rd of December every year and the exposition of St. Francis Xavier's body is held once in every ten years.

If you plan on visiting Goa in the month if December this year then you will experience the exposition of St. Francis Xavier's body. This exposition attracts tourists and a large number of devotees from all over the world and also of different faiths.

So when in Goa do make it a point to visit this beautiful church.

Children's Park

In North Goa there is a beautiful garden “Children’s Park” looked after by forest department. It’s a quite place where you can listen to melodious chirpings of birds and the mild air rushing through hush trees. A walk here in the morning fresh air is lovely and refreshing. And in the evening it’s a vision of ecstasy to listen to the cry, laughter, joy and happiness spread everywhere by innocent kids.

This place holds some of my sweetest childhood memories. I always raced with my sister by running down stairs and crossing small bridge to reach swings and other games in play zone before her. And one crazy thing I started was to walk up the slide and then come down sliding, instead of climbing the ladder. :P

You can also take a small ride on paddle boat to the length of the garden. And watch the entire garden in a panoramic view.

It’s all about greenery when you look at this place. The garden is well maintained by a staff of gardeners, who work hard to make your trip here splendid one. Trees grow here in lush green colour plus bushes are trimmed to perfect round shape and green grass adds to its total beauty.

Mandovi Shore touches this garden and from here  you can see Kala Academy Jetty. And you can see Reis Magos Fort on the other side of the shore.

On one side there is Nursery Garden, and the other there is an Art Park. This Nursery Garden is a home for different plants. They have poly bag seedlings kept for sale. And on the other side of this park there is an Art Park a walk from here can take you to woods.

Along the roadside of this garden you can try some yummy veg. delicacies in ‘For rest' -veg. food court. And also a drink of sweet sugarcane juice too after having a good time in garden.

In the month of November a major event is held here, ‘International Film Festival of India’. It’s a spectacular view at night when this place is lit up. There are many stalls lined up along the roadside area of this garden. You can taste some mouth watering foods like spicy Gobi Manchurian, chicken lollipop to sweet cotton candy and much more. There are stalls by Self Help groups from where you can taste homemade foods and buy variety of handicrafts. Besides this there are giant rides that you can enjoy in the evening time and also some latest films are screened in Kingfisher Village.

“This place is joie de vivre”

Tambdi Surla Temple

The Mahadeva Temple is also known as Tambdi Surla Temple. It is located in a village called Tambdi Surla and is about 22 km from Valpoi. The Tambdi Surla temple is one of Goa's most oldest and beautiful temple.  The temple is hidden in the dense forest. The temple is said to be built between the twelfth and fourteenth century and is built with gray black basalt stones.

Once you reach the temple you can always see a group of monkeys nearby. If u enter the temple bare foot you can feel the cold touch of the basalt stones. Once you enter the temple you can see a beautiful stone carving on the sealing.

From the temple you can see the streams of the river Surla. If you decide to jump into the stream you will definitely enjoy the freezing cold water. The best time to visit the temple is during the monsoon. It is also a great place for a picnic with your family or friends. This is one of the must visit place of Goa

ARVALEM WATERFALL.......!

The  Arvalem Waterfall is situated  in the small town of sanquelim in North Goa. It is one of the  most amazing spot.  It is the place of relaxation coming away from the busy crowds on the roads. It falls in a straight drop and is in its highest glory during the monsoon season. The fall looks stunning when it flows down the rocky terrain of the mountain.

The Arvalem waterfall is a very scenic and beautiful picnic spot. This charming waterfall is a mind-blowing experience with Rudreshwar  temple. One can descend the staircase to look at the beautiful waterfall with silvery showers. There are caves also. It has a lot of greenery all around with a fruit laden tree.

It is an ideal destination for private picnics and bird watching. The famous site is also a favourite spot of the film maker, film directors and photographers, who love capturing the beauty of this idyllic place………… JJ

Reis Magos fort: A vantage view.

Our Goa is full of so many beautiful places, specially the historical forts and churches. I'm fond of visiting places from childhood. Travelling to different places and coming up with wonderful experience feels good within me. Being in Goa you don't visit  forts quite strange for me, and I guess no one will  ever miss the chance of visiting  reis magos fort carrying a historical background. The fort is situated in narrowest  elongate  of Mandovi River just facing the capital city Panjim  Although you can get a far view of fort from kala academy , but visiting it personally getting a closer view is just eye catching , words will fall short to describe such an fort. Mainly it displays the Portuguese history and the view of the sea and the river is spectacular! you just can't afford to miss the chronological depiction & wooden model placed in center hall. I guess the church run down but almost 400 yrs old. Best fort for tourist attraction . It is surrounded by sand, green trees and off course the Mandovi River which adds magnificence to it making this garrison a faultless consigns. The Reis mangos fort is very much intense place. The fort looks stony because its surrounded with the rugged laterite stones.  One of the most beautiful views of this fort is from the east when base raises the light that falls on the fort makes it amazing. We can just experience this fascinating view on every morning with the excellent water of the river. I can just conclude it as my best visit there and the views are breathtaking  just walking around the fort in the midst of rains was a wonderful experience!

 

Don Bosco Farm Sulcorna - A beautiful land with rich produce!!

That feeling that you get when you are going for a hike or a trek, the excitement of travelling for a long distance until you reach that perfect adventurous spot; is the same feeling you get when you visit the Don Bosco Farm at Sulcorna - Quepem. 
Located at a distance of about 20 kms from Quepem town, the Don Bosco Farm is a peaceful and beautiful place. This farm is owned by the salesian fathers who also run a school and boarding for the locals in that area . They also conduct summer camps.

 

Driving through the lanes with greenery on both sides, the approach road to the farm welcomes you with acres of sugarcane plantations followed by cashew, papaya, banana,  coconut & pineapple plantations. The Don Bosco Farm is the highest producer of sugarcane in Goa. 
                                                                     

If you visit the farm during summer's it is interesting to see how the workers separate the apples from the cashew nuts, extract the juice,  fermentation of the musk & distillation of the urrak.

                                                                                                                                                                 

  

This farm is self sufficient as it has its own dairy,  piggery and they also grow their own vegetables.  It also has the river Kushawati flowing through its land thereby making it very fertile.  The farm is frequently visited by wild boars, leopards,  peacocks etc from the nearby forests. 

To conclude I can say that this farm is a very beautiful place & if you are a nature lover this farm is a must visit as you get to see and learn a lot of things.

GOA's OLDEST TEMPLE AT MARDOL: MHALASA TEMPLE

 

 Mhalasa Temple At Mardol

 

Ponda is the home to number of imaginative temples. Ponda has been considered as elegant place of religion’s and all sacred temples are positioned in this locality. The architecture of temples is unique and it is structured in both Indian and Mughal style. It attracts large numbers of tourists all around the world.

Start your trip by visiting the legendary temple of Mhalasa Narayani situated on NH4 at a distance of 2km from city centre Mardol, Ponda , North Goa. This temple is dedicated to the goddess Mhalasa Lakshmi the goddess of wealth and prosperity presiding as divine being of the temple. The goddess Mhalasa is accepted as Vishnu’s companion. There is another belief that Mhalasa is the female form of lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu took the ritual of Mohini i.e. an extremely beautiful woman and trapped the demons away from their sinful intent of destroying the world. Mhalasa temple is more prominent for the huge brass bell. The bell does not have the ringer. It is believed the ringer was attached only when somebody have to be testify. It was accepted as truth, if someone lied while ringing the bell, the person will die in three days. Since this belief is followed from Portuguese reign and now it is accepted in the court of law. The daily worship of the goddesses namely Grampurush, Bhagwati, Dadh, Simha Purush and Mhal Purush is carried before worshiping the main goddess.

 

It is also famous for the brass samai (ornamental lamp pillar) which is in the courtyard of temple. On the annual festival day or jatra, the brass samai is lit up with oil wicks and this scene is likely to be observed.Jaiyanchi puja in the month of august and the Kojagiri Pornima just after the monsoon on full moon day are two special festivals held in this temple. In traditional ceremonies, large number of crowd gathers to participate and sing glories. There is facility for tourist to stay within the temple complex, vegetarian and goan foods are served for lunch and dinner.

There is an ancient water tank behind the temple and the atmosphere of this place is too calm.

“With splendid blessings make a

visit to this sacred home”…………..

Butterfly Conservatory of Goa

The butterfly conservatory of Goa is located in Ponda. It is around 4 Km away from the Sahakari Spice Farm . The conservatory is one of the most beautiful place to visit. The conservatory was started by a couple who wanted to conserve and protect the butterflies.

Once you enter the conservatory you get to see a range of different species of butterflies. You will be surrounded by butterflies flying around you and if you are really still some might sit on you. If you are a butterfly or nature lover this is the best place to be and you will really enjoy being here.

The house of the owners is a unique one. The roof of their house has a beautiful garden growing on it. You get to see the house when you enter the conservatory. Along with the butterflies you get to see a variety of flowers, caterpillars and lot more. The conservatory shelters to more than 85 different species of butterflies. It is a grate picnic spot where u can enjoy with your family, friends and the butterflies.