Shri Mahalsa Temple

Shri Mahalsa Narayani Temple is in Mardol, a quiet village in Ponda taluka. It is dedicated to Mahalsa, consort of Khandoba, who is closely associated with Mohini, the female form of Vishnu. The temple is built in the Hemadpanti style, with a decorated facade and carved pillars.

The goddess was first worshipped at Verna, where her temple was razed during the Portuguese campaign of forced conversion. Her idol was rescued and brought to Mardol, which then lay outside Portuguese control. The four-armed image holds a trident, a sword, a severed head and a drinking bowl, and stands over a figure, symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Her devotees come largely from the Goud Saraswat Brahmin and Vaishnava communities of Goa and South Canara.