Photo Blog by Rajan Parrikar » Hinduism

Saptakoteshwar of Naroa

Rajan P. Parrikar — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:37:26 +0000

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Legend has it that a group of sages on the island of Divar in Goa undertook penance to propitiate Shiva. It took seven crore (sapta-kot) years for the Great Yogi to take notice of their exertions. When He finally showed up, the sages petitioned Him to take up residence in the village of Naroa (also called Narve). Thus came about the great temple of Saptakoteshwar in Naroa-Divar, one that enjoys a special place in the Goan psyche for its singular role in our land’s turbulent history.

Saptakoteshwar weathered intrusions first by the Bahmani sultans, and later by the Portuguese who destroyed it. The first mass conversion of Goan Hindus to Christianity took place here on August 15, 1560, cleverly engineered by the Portuguese on the day of Gokulashtami, traditionally the most important celebration at the temple. The provenance of one of Goa‘s popular folk tunes, Hanv Saiba poltodi vaita, can be traced to this event.

At the original temple site in Naroa-Divar today stands the Chapel of Our Lady of Candelaria, and nearby lie the remains of the temple tank. The ancient linga has its own tale of woes to tell, even serving as a pulley for a nearby well. Finally it made its way across the river to be reinstalled at a new site which came to be known as New Naroa, today’s Narve in Bicholim taluka. The temple was restored by Shivaji in 1668.

Saptakoteshwar Temple at Narve, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Saptakoteshwar
5D, 24-105L

Saptakoteshwar Temple by Mario Miranda
(Reproduced with permission of the Mario Gallery)

Temple musician Dattaram Ramkrishna Narvekar
5D, 24-105L

The Vetals of Goa: Amona

Rajan P. Parrikar — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:06:27 +0000

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This is the launch of a new series – the photographic documentation of the ancient Vetal idols of Goa. A few images have been included in earlier posts; those and the ones to follow are now consolidated at this link.

In the village of Amona, the idol is fitted with a gleaming shell and wrapped in colourful vestments.

Vetal of Amona, Goa
5D, 24-105L

The ancient deity of Vetal, its iconography and associated rituals, are important elements of, and unique to, Goa‘s Hindu tradition. The deity was most likely worshipped by the Austric Gauda tribe, Goa‘s earliest settlers, and later embraced by the Nath Panthis between the 10th & 13th C. Eventually it came to be absorbed into the larger Hindu pantheon. Details of the Vetal mythos are here.

A mere 50 or so out of the hundreds of ancient Vetal sites in Goa survived the iconoclasm by the Portuguese. Every single site in the Bardez and Tiswadi talukas was destroyed. For instance, before the foreign invasion, the village of Taleigao was a strong centre of Vetal worship, but I doubt you will find a single current resident of the area with any memory of this past.

The Vetal praxis serves to define the circumference of Goa‘s cultural influence which extends beyond its current geographic borders. Vetal worship is prevalent in the Sindhudurg district of southern Maharashthra and unsurprisingly, the people there have strong emotional and cultural bonds to Goa.

Traditionally the images of Vetal were cast out in the open with provision for a simple roof overhead. After all, as the village protector, he was expected to be out on his nightly patrol. To this day, offerings of footwear are made at his temples. Buffalo sacrifice was once common but is now far less so. Fowl and goat are still routinely offered (but don’t tell that to the malcontents from PETA).

The evolution of the depiction of the Vetal image itself is interesting. Traditionally, he preferred to go au naturel, and so the idols were displayed that way. But nowadays the ‘naked truth’ makes people somewhat uncomfortable, and therefore in several temples he has reluctantly taken to wearing the dhoti. (Reminds me of Bertrand Russell who wrote that whoever coined the phrase “the naked truth” must have perceived the connection that nakedness is shocking to most people, and so is truth.)

During the years 2006-2008, I set off on Vetal‘s spoor and checked off 45 of the surviving old sites in Goa (around 5 still to go). I scored many delightful images, confirming the televangelical geezer Pat Robertson‘s view that we Hindus are indeed worshippers of the devil (nothing gives me more pleasure than spending quality time with the devil).

Vetal temple at Amona
5D, 24-105L

Diwali 2011

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:28:41 +0000

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Greetings to all on the occasion of Diwali. This year the Hindu Festival of Lights falls on October 26.

Hindu tradition admits several interpretations of Diwali. All of them project a unified theme, one of renewal and optimism, symbolizing the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of darkness. In Goa, we have historically adopted the retelling of Lord Krishna‘s slaying of the demon-king Narkasur as our motif for the occasion. See this blog entry from 2009.

These images, taken in the streets of Panjim during Narkasur Nite 2006, are among my earliest photographs as a serious photographer. Although shot at ISO 1600, they are effectively noise-free at these sizes. (The Canon EOS 5D was a landmark body in the low noise department.)

PS: My informal account of the Narkasur celebrations of my young days is recorded in this old post from Goanet.

Effigy of the demon Narkasur (Panjim, Goa, 2006)
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Lord Krishna and Narkasur in battle (Panjim, Goa, 2006)
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Let There Be Light!
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

Ganesh Chaturthi 2011

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:30:34 +0000

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Greetings to all on the occasion of the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi which falls on Sept 1 this year. Seen below is the 4.5 metres tall, 15th C sculpture of Kadalekalu Ganesha at Hampi. The image was taken handheld at ISO 1600.

Kadalekalu Ganesha at Hampi, Karnataka
5D, 24-105L

Rural Shrine, Monsoon Morning

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:57:04 +0000

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A salient characteristic of the old temples and churches in Goa is their location – many are ensconced in exquisite surroundings. This shrine in the remote village of Maangaal (also spelled Mangal) in Goa‘s Quepem taluka sits in the middle of a cultivated paddy field.

I meandered into this luscious setting on an atmospheric monsoon morning this July. The shrine is dedicated to what are known as the Paik gods, subsidiary Hindu deities depicted as swordsmen on horses. The Paiks are worshipped by the Velip tribe common to these parts. Notice the terraced field in the foreground of the first image.

Rural shrine in Maangaal, Goa
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 Makro Planar

Shrine in the middle of the paddy field
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 Makro Planar

Mangeshi

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:19:14 +0000

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Goa is home to an ancient Hindu tradition, something most Indians are unaware of. Of all the Goan temples, none is more central to that tradition than the one at Mangeshi, the eponymous ward in the village of Priol, deep in Goa‘s hinterland. Mangesh is the Goan name for Lord Shiva.

Upon their arrival in Goa in the 16th C, the Portuguese destroyed hundreds of Hindu temples in a savage frenzy of religious violence. Among them were the three great temples to Shiva: Saptakoteshwar, Ramnath, and Mangesh. The old lingas had to be retrieved and squirreled away for reconsecration in the relative safety of the jungle. The reinstall at Mangeshi took place circa 1560.

Each of these temples holds sway in the Goan imagination to this day, and the affiliation transcends religious divides. It is not uncommon to see young married Catholic couples at Mangeshi, for the Great Yogi is also the acknowledged Head of the Dept. of Fertility.

Mangeshi‘s cachet does not derive solely from its historical and religious significance. For long it has sheltered and nourished aspirants in music and dance, and from its mandapa have emerged some of the most distinguished names in Indian music. Dinanath Mangeshkar was born here and grew up in the shadow of the temple. His daughters Lata and Asha are known worldwide for their contributions. The great Indian classical master, composer & scholar Jitendra Abhisheki was born here, and his family has traditionally served as priests at the temple. Kesarbai Kerkar, from the nearby village of Keri, had her musical awakening here through the kirtans and bhajans she absorbed as a child.

Before it was powderized, the original temple of Mangesh was located in the village of Cortalim (also known as Kuththali or Kushasthali). The origins of the deity lie in antiquity. The Gavdas, a tribe of the earliest settlers in Goa, are said to have worshipped the form and still enjoy special dibs during rituals at the temple. The legend of Mangesh is in essence a tale of the love between Shiva and Parvati.

From: Legends of Goa by Mário Cabral e Sá, published by India Book House Ltd (1998)

p. 19
Legend has it that once Shiva and Parvati were playing dice in their abode at Mount Kailas. Shiva kept losing, and in the last roll of the dice staked his heaven. Having lost that too, he had to leave the Himalayas. He wandered southwards and presently crossed the Sahyadri mountains and came to Kushasthali, now Cortalim, where Lopesh, his faithful devotee, entreated him to remain. Forlorn Parvati, now heartbroken without Shiva, left heaven and went in search of him. In the midst of a dense forest she came face to face with a huge tiger. Shiva had taught her an incantation, “He Girisha mamtrahi” – O Lord of the Mountains protect me – but she was so frightened that she lost her coherence and uttered the jumbled incantation, “Trahi mam Girisha”. Shiva, who had assumed the form of a tiger, instantly returned to his normal form. And then at a much relieved Parvati’s behest, he added Mam-Girisha to the many appellations he is known by. Which is also how the village where the temple is situated came to be eventually known as Mangeshi, an abbreviation of Mam-Girisha.

Given the limited space available on the premises, a Tilt-Shift lens was necessary to keep the vertical lines vertical in the photographs of the temple and its deepastambha. Canon’s remarkable TS-E 24L II lens was equal to the task.

A long view of the hilly, forested Mangeshi area on a misty monsoon morning.

Mangeshi
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Mangesh temple
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

The deepastambha (tower of lamps) is a characteristic feature of Goan temples.

Deepastambha at Mangesh temple
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

This new form of Sri Mangesh cast in solid gold illustrates the avidya of modern Hindus. They don’t even know what it is that they are worshipping. Shiva is the exemplar of vairagya but the Goan boneheads have transformed him into a glittering tinseltown hero, no doubt an unintended reflection of their own attachment to coin.

Sri Mangesh
5D, 85L II

This is a photograph of an old photograph (1925). Note that Mangesh is also spelled as Manguexa or Manguesh. The (orange) tower in the foreground is the naubatkhana where the shehnai and other musical instruments are played during temple ceremonies.

Temple tank circa 1925 (© Souza & Paul)
Reproduced in "Postais Antigos do Estado da Índia" by João Loureiro

Temple tank today
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

This 16th C sculpture of Kalbhairav occupies a small shrine outside in the temple compound.

Kalbhairav outside the temple
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Brahmāṇi Temple

Rajan P. Parrikar — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:23:31 +0000

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The Brahmāṇi temple is set in a quiet forested area in the remote village of Toldem in Goa‘s Sanguem taluka. These images were taken one early morning in February 2008.

…[The temple] consists of a base of basalt stone, decorated with folk style reliefs. Whether or not it carried a super structure once cannot be said. Today the deities in the western part of the temple platform are protected by a simple thatched roof.

The age of the shrine at Taide is difficult to ascertain like that of most folk style art objects. However, since motifs such as the double headed gaṇḍa-bheruṇda and erotic scenes appear in the reliefs at the base, its age should not be considered to be too recent. On the other hand the three-peaked crown of the human faces of hybrid lions in the base point to a more recent time, to approximately the eighteenth century A.D.

From: The Hindu Past – Sculpture and Architecture by Gritli v. Mitterwallner, included in the anthology Goa – Cultural Patterns edited by Saryu Doshi (MARG Publications, 1983)

Brahmāṇi temple in Toldem, Goa
5D, 35L

The temple in the late 1960s (photo by Dr. Gritli Mitterwallner)

Relief work on the plinth
5D, 35L

Erotic artwork
5D, 24-105L

Detail of relief
5D, 35L

The Sacred Anthill

Rajan P. Parrikar — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:58:30 +0000

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The ancient Indian tradition of anthill worship is widespread among the Hindus of Goa. In the Goan praxis, the anthill is regarded as a manifestation of the Earth Goddess, and She is given names such as Sateri (Santeri), Bhoomika, Ela, and so on. The name of one Goan village – Bhoma, cognate of Bhoomi (Earth) – derives from the worship of an anthill. The word for anthill in Konkani is ro’in.

Excerpt from The Sacred Anthill and the Cult of the Primordial Mound by John C. Irwin.

Ethnographical reports of the last hundred years suggest that anthill worship is an ancient cult that survives in many parts of India up to the present day. The cult once occupied a central place in Vedic and Hindu religion, and from at least as early as the first millennium B.C., and probably earlier, it has figured prominently – if somewhat incomprehensibly – in rituals associated with all the critical events of human life, including birth, marriage, sickness, and death. Anthills have also played an important part in the consecration of temples, the warding-off of evil, ritual destruction of an enemy, calling divine witness, and securing material prosperity…

Strictly speaking, we should not call them “anthills,” because they are made not by ants but by termites (misleadingly called “white ants”). The termite, in fact, is unrelated to the ant. It is entomologically closer to the cockroach, but mainly confined to tropical and subtropical regions…

The most impressive of these anthills in active worship in Goa is found in the village of Virnoda. It is said to be very old (How old? Nobody knows for sure, so feel free to start with 200 years and add your own factor), and I reckon it to be 8-9 feet high. The TS-E 17L lens with its shift function came in handy here. As is the case in most places of this kind, you have to make do with the lighting conditions available.

Sacred anthill in Virnoda, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

The next three photographs are from the Sateri temple in Morjim. The structure lies in a state of disuse and disrepair, and the weathered look adds to its mystique. Notice the kaavi art (sgraffito) both on the interior and exterior walls. The image of the mural in close-up exudes a rich visage, like a painting on canvas.

Antill worshipped as Goddess Sateri in Morjim, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Façade of Sateri temple in Morjim
5D, 24-105L

Mural at Sateri temple
5D, 24-105L

Sri Ganesha with Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro Planar Lens

Rajan P. Parrikar — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:13:47 +0000

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My first Zeiss lens, the renowned ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar, arrived today. It is both a Macro as well as a general purpose lens. In the words of the well-known technical expert, photographer, and Zeiss reviewer Lloyd Chambers, the Zeiss 50mm f/2 Makro Planar offers “…bitingly sharp image rendition, pleasing bokeh, and images that have a strong dimensionality to them.” (detailed review behind a paid subscription wall)

I took my first shot handheld indoors with the lens wide open (f/2). The results look delicious. Shown below is what came out of my default post-processing workflow. The focus point was on the dot inside the circle on Ganesha’s forehead.

Sri Ganesha
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Actual pixels
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50mm f/2 Makro Planar

Hanuman of Advalpal

Rajan P. Parrikar — Tue, 11 May 2010 07:33:11 +0000

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Ensconced in an orchard in the Goan village of Advalpal, an old and precious temple of Hanuman lies in a state of criminal neglect. Physical decay of the structure has taken hold, inside and out. This corrosion of the land’s cultural soul is a corollary to the ecocide underway in Goa.

Inside the shrine an exquisite image of Maruti greets the visitor. But there is more – the entire temple is embellished with kaavi (sgraffito) and represents one of the finest examples of its kind in Goa, as seen in the photographs below.

Ravaged by destructive mining the settlement of Advalpal is under severe pressure from rapacious miners and their political enablers. The future of this temple is highly uncertain – it is located on private property and the owner has had ‘offers’.

Hanuman of Advalpal, Goa
5D, 85L II

Hanuman temple in Advalpal, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Kaavi art on temple façade
5D, 24-105L