We are 65 km away from Panaji, the Goan capital, at Tambdi Surla by default rather than by design. It is the site of Goa’s oldest shrine, the 12th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Located at the foot of the Anmod Ghat which connects Goa to Karnataka, it has the Surla flowing in its vicinity. Built in the Hemadpanthi architectural style, it is believed to be the sole surviving specimen of Kadamba-Yadava architecture in Goa. The debate on its origins notwithstanding, which credits its construction variously to Hemadri, the Minister of the Yadava ruler, Ramachandra, and the Kadamba queen, Kamladevi, the temple was built during the Kadamba Dynasty that held sway over Goa between the 10th and 14th centuries.
An impregnable wall of vegetation that embraces the structure ensured its safety and survival from the marauding Mughal and Portuguese persecutors who destroyed other monuments in the State and elsewhere in India.
The temple that has survived the ravages of invaders, and time, stands alone, a jewel hidden away in the folds of forests and peaks of the serene and scenic Anmod Ghat.
Though small in scale, the edifice built from grey black talc chlorite schist soap stone blindsides us with its detail and setting. The temple has been built without any binding between the stones which have been cut to specific shape, and in a manner that maintains cool interiors even when temperatures outside are scorching.
A slight flight of three steps brings us to the entrance of the temple characterised by the pillared Nandi mantapa, at the centre of which is a headless Nandi. The mantapa has balustrade entrances on three sides with Kakshasana arrangement and is held aloft by four ornamented pillars. The columns are adorned with the deftly sculpted symbol of the Kadamba rulers - figurine of elephant trampling a horse - on their base. A solid piece of stonework in the shape of a lotus adorns the ceiling of the mantapa. The antarala and garba griha of the temple bear resemblance to the Kalleshwara Temple at Balambi in Dharwad, and the Jain temple at Belagavi. The perforated stone lattice screen with Devakosta decorates the main entrance of the sanctum sanctorum and is suggestive of the strong influence of Hoysala art. The sanctum houses a linga.
The moulded adhisthana is raised by a plain wall relieved by a simple pilaster designs, bereft of intricate decorations. Exquisitely carved bas reliefs of the trinity of gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with their respective consorts, bedeck panels on the sides of the temple. The plain grey sloping slab roof is a unique aspect of the temple that faces east and therefore has the first rays of the rising sun fall on the deity in the sanctum.
Rising above the sanctum is a three-tiered structure, supposedly the shikar or temple tower that was either not completely built, or faced damage at some point of time in the distant past.
