|| श्री शांतादुर्गा विजयते ||
ABOUT DEVASTHAN
The temple of Shree Shantadurga Nerlikarin is perhaps the only shrine in this part of Goa constructed one hundred years ago to install the Deity back to its origin after spending 400 years in the village of Mandrem in Pernem Taluka during the Portuguese era.
With the advent of Portuguese in Goa, that period in history witnessed stealthy mass shifting of Hindu deities from the Portuguese conquests into the dense, thick and more so inaccessible hinterland fearing persecution by the Portuguese order. With a resolve to beat vulnerability, the devout marched on foot into the remote and secluded places to seek shelter for their faith, lit in hope that their their efforts would overcome the forces of persecution and intolerance. This resulted in most of the Hindu deities taking cover and refuge in the areas of Pernem and Ponda Talikas, as these Talukas afforded relatively more safeguards, these regions then not being under the occupation of the Portuguese.
In around the said period of time fearing such an onslaught of inquisition, sometime in the year 1510 A.D , the divinely personifying, mesmerizing and intricately carved idol of Shree Shantadurga Nerlikarin, reported to the family deity of the ancestors of late Shri Krishna Shenvi Nerlikar, which was the reverted deity worshipped by the Hindus of Nerul and Verem villages, come to be carried away to the remote village of Mandrem in Pernem Taluka by her devotees hailing from our villages of Verem and Nerel as they found more shield and protection there. The village elders account that they were told by their earlier generations that the said exercise of shifting of the idol of her almighty was undertaken at that time, by her valiant devotees knowing fully well that upon being noted in the process of moving the said idol, by the Portuguese, they could be subjected to severe punishment including death.
The imposed and deterring fear instilled by the conquerors appeared not to have intimidated the brave devotees, who undertook the said mission with conviction and placed the idol of Shree Shantadurga at an isolated low lying part of Mandrem Village in Pernem Taluka about 45 kilometers away from our villages. At the said place, a humble temple come to be built and the said place come to be a pilgrimage center for her devotees residing in the villages of Verem and Nerul among others.
That for several hundred years this practice continued. However, with the concentration of Portuguese regime it possibly become inconvenient with the time to walk all the way to the Mandrem village from Verem and Nerul Village at all religious functions though devotees maeched all way to attend all major festivals of her almighty particularly " Margashirsha Vadya Panchami " , yearly "Kalotsava" amoung others, oral accounts of village elders recount that especially for "Kalotsava", which is the Zatrotsava of Shree Shantadurga, the devotees camped at the said temple site for about a week till the festival completely concluded.
During the period while the idol of Shree Shantadurga Nerlikarin was housed in Mandrem, the villagers of Verem and Nerul, obviously in order to feel the warmth of her immediate physical presence, place a brass bust size replica of her almighty in a prominent place in central part of Verem village and called it a "Chowky" , at which place the villagers of Verem and Nerul would assembled to offer their prayers and for all other religious purpose. This replica idol quintessentially intended to bridge the gap between the village of Mandrem and the villages of Verem and Nerul and to some extent as recounts suggest, aided the villagers on satisfying their spiritual urge.
Historical accounts relates that few years before Portugal was declared as a Republic in the year 1910 , in the year 1907, a gentile of Hindus of the villsge of Verem and Nerul jointly formed a religious association under the protection og Her almighty "Xry Xanta Durga Nirlicarina de Mandrem" with regards to the affairs pertaining to the temple management and drafted the article in carefully separated chapte Costa came be published in the " Boletim Official Do Estado Da India" ( Government Gazette ) No - 81 dated 22nd of October 1907.
The period between 1910 and 1912 AD was immensely significant in the history of this Devasthan as it was during this period that the idolof Shree Shantadurga Nerlikarin housed in the Temple at Mandrem come to be brought back to its original abode in the Verem villageand was temporarily housed at the residence of late Sri Keshav Bhagwant Pai Budbude. It was on the auspicious day Vaishakh Vadya Dwitiya, Shaliwahan Saka 1834 (1912 AD ) , that idol which was moved from Mandrem Temple complex and which was placed temporarily at the residence of Sri Keshav Bhagwant Pai Budbude in Verem village, was ceremoniously installed at the present Devasthan which is situated on the boundary of the Verem village and Nerul village.
Since the foundation of this Devasthans complex in 1912 AD, the complex has been infrastructural incorporation, additions and upgradations, thus making this spacious complex one of the most admired one in the State of Goa. The Devasthan now celebrating all the religious events in the Hindu Calendar, however, Ramnavmi , Hanuman Jayanti , Vasantotsava, Navratri and Kalotsava are celebrated on much greater scale
These AshtotarSahastra [108] Names of Shree Shantadurga Devi are considered to be very fruitful. They are very easy to remember and to recite.
After doing Devi's puja everyday these names should be said. It takes around 8-10 minutes to say them. The names/stotras should be recited after the 'Dhyan' shlokas.After doing Devi's puja everyday these names should be said. It takes around 8-10 minutes to say them. The names/stotras should be recited after the 'Dhyan' shlokas.
After Shastang Namaskar to Devi this dhyan should be started This 'Dhyan' stotra is as given below -
After the dhyan is over, we can start with the 108names shlokas of Shree Shantadurga devi. The Names are as given below
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