A night visit to the Tambdi Surla temple, probably the only surviving example of the Kadamba-Yadava architecture, had us pining to go there in the day time. We’re very non-religious, and therefore this temple in the mountains away from the tourists, held its own special charm.
I am not very good at drawing maps, and the internet did not give me any road map to Tambdi Surla. But I suppose a map from Indianaugust would give an approximate idea about the location. It is approximately 70 km from Panjim in the Sanguem Taluka, at the foot of the Western Ghats along NH 4A.
The Mahadeva temple at Tambdi Surla is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and is probably the only surviving specimen of pre-Portuguese temple architecture of Goa. It was built probably by Hemadri, a minister of the Yadava king Ramachandra around 1271 AD, in grey-black basalt that was not locally available. However, the architecture of the temple raises questions about its actual origins and if you compare it with the other temples in Goa, this one’s rather small and its top was either never constructed or dismantled in the past. It is unclear why this site was chosen but it was the remoteness of the temple that saved it from Muslim invasions and the Portuguese inquisition.
The temple bears resemblance to the Kalleshwara Temple at Dharwad, and the Jain temple of Belgaum, and has Hoysala art inflences, as per the ASI board outside. It has the necessary parts too… the Garbhagriha, Antarala and the pillared Nandi Mandapa with a headless Nandi bull sculpted in the same basalt. Four pillars support a stone ceiling and have intricate carvings of elephants and chains.
On the right outer pillar you will find the symbol of the Kadamba kingdom carved out…it is an elephant trampling a horse.
The ceiling has intricate carvings of lotus flowers of the Ashtakon variety.
There is also a stone latticed screen with Devakostas, and this bears strong likeness to the Hoysala form of art.
The ASI Board outside also speaks of a moulded Adhistana without any delicate carvings and two tiered Vimanas of Lakshmi Narayana and Vishnu Janardan as well as Gajalakshmi flanked by Ganesha and Saraswati on the north, Dancing Shiva and Shiva-Parvati on the west and Bhairava and Brahma on the south, and Sukanasi on the east. However, the mandap has a roof without any carving at all. It is only some plain sloping slabs of basalt. Do not miss the intricate carvings spanning the sides of the temple though most of it has been replaced by plain stones in a bid to renovate the falling bits.
What struck me were the two stone slabs on either side of the Garbhagriha. The one on the right had two intertwined snakes sculpted and the one on the left has just one snake carving.
There is a lingam (symbol of Lord Shiva) mounted on a pedestal inside the Garbhagriha and local legend has it that a huge King Cobra is a permanent resident in the dimly lit interior.
The temple is preserved intact under the Monuments Act 1958, with a fine of Rs. 5000/- to whoever does any damage to this heritage site
A flight of steps opposite the temple leads to a stream below which joins a bigger stream at the place where motorable road ends just off the temple approach. If you are interested you might also want to visit the Tambdi waterfall just about 2 km southwest from the place. It is only a little shorter than the popular Dudhsagar waterfall but it is difficult to access as the path leading to it is rather steep and rocky. The approach road to the temple also has some rather interesting rock formations and scenic spots for photography. The approach road itself is a beautiful walk.
Mahashivratri is a big event in the temple, so try visiting around it.
On the way to the temple stop for some excellent andapao and chai on the roads leading to Ponda. Try the kanda (onion) bhujias while you are at it, and let me know how it went.
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