श्री सप्तकोटीश्वर देवस्थान
Ever dwelling in the lotus of the heart — to Bhava, with Bhavani, I bow.
In 1541 CE the temple at Naroa was demolished and worship of the deity was made a crime. Rather than surrender the Atma-Ling, devotees concealed the same and carried it across the Mandovi by night. It has been worshipped every single day since.
Established under the Kadamba dynasty as the kuldevata of the royal family, and revered throughout the Konkan as one of the principal Shaivite kshetras of the region.
Finds mention in the Sahyadri Khanda and the Saptakotishadhyan. It is believed that Lord Shiva manifested Himself here as an Atma-Ling, pleased by the penance of the Sapta Rishis.
The shrine is attacked and damaged. Worship is thereafter restored and continues at Naroa for nearly two more centuries.
Under the Portuguese religious prohibition the temple at Naroa is demolished and idol worship banned outright. Rather than surrender the sacred Atma-Ling, devotees conceal the same.
The eight years that follow are the very reason this temple exists today. No structure, no priest, no public rite — only a concealed Ling, and devotees who would not part with it.
Shri Narainrao Shenvi Suriarao, Sardesai of Bhatagram, shifts the Ling across the river and re-consecrates the same at Narve, then known as Hindale — beyond the reach of the prohibition.
A cave shrine in the laterite becomes the new garbhagriha. The same serves as the sanctum sanctorum to this day.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj commissions a full temple above the existing cave shrine, deliberately preserving the original laterite sanctum instead of replacing the same.
The Sabhamandap and the Deepstambh date from this reconstruction.
Daily abhishek and aarti, Palkhi on every Somvar and Ekadashi, and eighteen annual observances. The kshetra now forms part of Goa Tourism’s Ekadash Teerth Darshan circuit.
Recent renovation work has brought to light sealed chambers, wells and passages beneath the premises, which are still being documented.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj raised the temple around the cave, and not over it. That single decision is why a sixteenth-century sanctum still stands inside it.1668 CE · The reconstruction
The temple keeps the lunar calendar. Dates above are computed for Indian Standard Time; the tithi named against each utsav is the Devasthan’s own reckoning, which is authoritative.
The rock-cut sanctum sanctorum, the Deepstambh, the sacred Talli, and the passages still being surveyed beneath.
Eighteen observances from Mahashivratri to Shri Kalbhairav Jayanti, besides the Palkhi on every Somvar and Ekadashi.
Daily Annadaan, free medical camps, and educational assistance for the households of the surrounding villages.
Devotees may proceed via the Ribandar–Chorao ferry and continue onward through Naroa. Regular bus service is not available from Bicholim; kindly hire a taxi or travel by own vehicle via Piligao.
Darshan timings are 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on all days of the year. Prasad is distributed free of cost after every aarti.