Vijayadurga

Sri Vijayadurga is a Hindu Goddess of varying importance in Indian culture and tradition. She is said to have intervened in a battle between Shiva and Vishnuthem, and gone to Shankwali to kill the demons harassing the Brahmins there. When she destroyed all the demons in Sankhwali, she earned the name of Vijaya and was given the name as Vijayadurga. The deity is thus a form of the Goddess Durga. The Vijayadurga temple was once located in close proximity to Shri Shankleshwari Shantadurga and Shri Lakshminarsimha in Sankhwal, but had to be shifted to Kerim, Ponda Taluka - Goa.

The Goddess is a family deity as well as mostly considered a Pallavi of many Brahmins. According to local legends, it was once said that Shri Shantadurga of Keloshi who is now worshiped in Kavlem wanted to venture out in the Arabian sea and from the coast head to Colva to meet her sister Mahalakshmi which was then located in Colva, now in (Bandivade/Bandora). The Goddess sought permission from her husband Shri Mangesh Maharudra, (which was then located in Kushasthali, now in Mangeshi) and took her leave. In order to reach the sea, the Goddess had to cross Murgaon - Shankhavali (modern day Mormugoa -Sancaole). On her way, the Goddess witnessed a very gruesome scene, a demon (asura) named Kaal-antak/Kalantakasura(the destroyer) was harassing the Saraswat Brahmins – impeding their rituals and causing great catastrophe to Shankhavali. The Saraswats of Shankhavali had their Kuldevi as Shri Shantadurga of Keloshi and Lakshmi Narasimha as their Kuldev. One of the Brahmin peasant who was troubled witnessed the Goddesss and knelt before her and prayed to save Shankhavali and its inhabitants. He promised to build a temple in her honour.

Shantadurga of Sankhavali is never seated on a carnivore (tiger or lion), but instead an elephant which is associated and assumed to be her vahana. Shantadurga with her divine powers transformed herself into a Mahishasurmardhini mounted on an elephant and commanded the demon to stop. A fierce war was fought between the demon and the Goddess. Shantadurga was victorious, the inhabitants of Shankhavali graced the Goddess and called her 'Vijaya'. Hence a temple in her honour was built which was called Vijay Shantadurga or Vijayadurga.

The aggressive form of the Keloshi/Kavale Shantadurga is worshiped in present-day Gothana- Velinga (Goa) and called Shri Shantadurga Sankhwaleshwari. The temple has recently banned entry of foreigners into the temple citing objectionable dressing and conduct as the reason. Shri Shantadurga Shankhavaleshwari is located in present-day Veling, Gothan (Goa) and Shri Vijayadurga is located in Curti, Kerim (Goa). These Deities were once located in modern-day Sancaole (Sankhwal), Salcette Taluka. The humongous Pipal tree marked the territory of the two prominent temples in Sancaole (Narcinva and Shantadurga).

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