The Ganapati temple in the tiny Goan village of Khandola (also spelled Candola) is important to Goans and to Goan history. The original temple was located on the island of Divar at the site of what is today the cemetery adjoining the Church of Our Lady of Piedade. After it was destroyed by the Portuguese around 1540, the idol was squirreled away to Khandepar in Ponda taluka and later to Narve in Bicholim taluka. It was to endure still more turmoil in the years following before finding a stable home in Khandola sometime around 1750.

In 1969 the ancient idol was retired and a new one installed for active worship. But the plan to inter the old image through the process of visarjan was foiled by the good Lord Himself. During the prasad ritual, He demanded a permanent spot in the garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum) to the left of and 1 foot higher than His new doppelgänger. The Lord sure has a fine sense of humour but apparently He hasn’t yet switched to the metric system.

Now a few words about the photograph. For entry into the inner sacred space, the Khandola temple rules call for a ritual bath and appropriate attire. After some back-and-forth a compromise was struck: I agreed to wear the dhoti but the purificatory cold shower from the temple well at 6 in the morning was waived. And so – balancing my camera and tripod while holding on to a slippery dhoti, I came to photograph the ancient Ganapati-bab of Khandola.

This Ganesha sculpture is suggestive of the Hoysala style and is thought to date back to the 13th century CE.

13th C. Ganesha of Khandola, Goa
5D Mark II, 85L II

Flower lady at Khandola temple
5D Mark II, 85L II

One version tells of the vile Narkasur, embodiment of the forces of darkness (tamas), ignorance (avidya) and baseness (adharma). The puranas recount his comeuppance at the hands of Krishna who deployed the sudarshan-chakra to behead the fiend. Narkasur’s vanquishment lead to the restoration of dharma, and the Diwali celebrations represent a renewal of the memory of Krishna’s triumphal moment.

In Goa is prevalent the quaint practice – perhaps unique in India – of the reenactment of the Narkasur mythos. On the eve of Diwali, effigies of Narkasur are mounted at village squares and towns. After a night of boisterous revelry, they are consigned to flames at dawn. In recent years, the merriment has assumed comical proportions with an explosion in the count of Narkasurs on display (perhaps an apt allegory of the times).

As a boy I looked forward to the Narkasur Nite, and the preparations in the days leading to it animated us little fellas. Although much has changed since those days, the spirit of the event persists. These photographs were taken in 2007.

My little nephew Yash prepping his Narkasur
5D, 24-105L

My nephew & niece and their friends
5D, 24-105L

Narkasur in the village of Khandola, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Narkasur in Bhatlem, Panjim, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Narkasur in Santa Ines, Panjim, Goa
5D, 24-105L

For a photo gallery of the 2006 Narkasur Nite, click here.