Kamakshi Temple in Goa. The legend surrounding the creation of the temple has to do with the story of Sati and Rudra (Shiva and Parvati).
There's was a classic tale of inter-class marriage - she, a princess and he, a mendicant living in cremation grounds. Daksha disapproved of their marriage and chose to not invite Rudra for a grand religious ceremony at his palace. Sati deeply hurt at the insult to her husband, jumped into the sacrificial fire. When Rudra found out he cradled Sati's charred body in his arms and danced the Tandav. The frenzy of the dance resulted in the parts of her body being flung to different parts of India.
The locals believe, that much like the Kamakkya Temple of Assam which is where her uterus is supposed to have fallen, Kamakshi Temple is where a limb of hers is to have fallen.
One of the temples within is in fact dedicated to the various forms of the goddess.
The temple complex houses the homes of the priests who conduct the religious ceremonies of the temple and in the past when people used to come for the temple festival they generally roomed with many of the local families living around the temple. Homes of strangers they did not know.
#indianmythology #history #storiesofthepast #goa
The Three Kings Church or the Haunted Church in Goa. Established in 1599, it was the site of a murder which gave rise to the legend of the hauntings. In a style reminiscent of classic tales, with tragic endings and grave morals, it's a story of the three kings who fought for dominance over the land of Goa. One of the kings chose to end matters in his favour by inviting the other two for a meal and poisoning them. The act of killing a guest violates laws of hospitality across cultures (P.S: Red Wedding) which meant the poisoner suffered the wrath of the people.
And so the story ends with the legend that the unappeased souls of the three kings haunts the church.
The church however, is opened on One day of the year alone, The Feast of Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings (who visited Child Jesus). Its an ironic day because the original three kings and these three kings are rather different.
For me this was an interesting visit because when I last visited the place almost 20 years ago, it was possibly more eerie. A fading blue paint, old fashioned artwork that I could barely make out peering through the window and an isolated landscape. It truly looked haunted. On a side note, my friend who took me here recently did mention that the locals are not fond of people coming here on dates so it's possible that they gave rise to the legends but many claim to have seen strange things so one can only suppose.
#backtogoa #history #revisiting #childhoodmemories #backasanadult #Goa #hauntedchurch #threekingschurch
