Shiroda is a village in

Ponda Taluka Ponda ''taluka'' is a subdivision of the district of South Goa, Goa state, India. Its administrative headquarters is the township of Ponda. Location It is situated in central part of Goa. It hosts many educational institutes and manufacturing in ...

South Goa District South Goa district is one of two districts that comprises the state of Goa, India, within the region known as the Konkan. It is bounded by North Goa district to the north, the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state to the east and south, while ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, India. The village has a population of 14,112 (Male: 6,928 Female: 7,184) based on 2001 census data.

Location

A 13-km drive from Ponda brings you into Shiroda. It is located 36 kilometres east of the state capital

Panaji Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

, via NH4A. The village is bordered by the

Zuari river The Zuari River ''Zuvari,'' pronounced ) is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river which originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions. It flo ...

on side and the villages of Bethora, Panchawadi, Nirankal and

Borim Borim or Bori is a census town in Ponda taluka, North Goa district in the state of Goa, India on the banks of Zuari River. It has a land area of 1536.07 acres and has a population of 8,257. The village has a rich history dating back to the 12t ...

on the other.

Education

Shiroda houses one of the

engineering college Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional development, professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (Bachelor's degree, bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any ...

s of Goa, Shree Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology and two colleges of

Alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

, the Gomantak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya & Research Centre and Shri Kamaxshi Devi Homeopathic Medical College & Hospital. There are 20 govt primary schools one middle school 7 high schools and two higher secondary schools.

History and religious importance

The name "Shiroda" is derived from "Shivanath", which translates to "Drawn from god". Shiroda is very popular for its

Kamakshi Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरा सुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Rajarajeshwari, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Lalita is a Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of supreme goddess Mahadevi m ...

Temple. People visit this temple on ''

Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conjun ...

'' or New moon day of every month. Every year on the day of

Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu c ...

, a grand temple festival or ''

zatra Zatra(जात्रा) is the Konkani language term for the pilgrimage festivals celebrated at Hindu temples in Goa, India; the equivalent of ''yatra'' and '' jatra''. In Maharashtra the alternative term Urus is used as well. During the zatr ...

'' is held which is attended by thousands of devotees from

as well as

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. Other temples include Ravalnath (which is situated in Shiroda market) Mahamaya, Madhav, Veer Bhadra, Betal, Shivnath, Narayan Dev, Kelbai Sateri, Kshetrapal, Mahamaya, Brahma Durga, Bhagwati and Mandaleshwara. The village's oldest temple is Mandaleshwar, which was built in the eight century and houses the village deity (''gram devta''). Near the Madhav temple lies the holy place made of stone and mud, called ''Vato''. It now lies in ruins. Besides, above gram devatas, there are temples of Maruti, Vithoba, Krishna, Satyanarayana, Laxminarayan, Siddhivinayak, Jalmi, Rama, and Shripad Shrivallabh. Shiroda has a church situated in Karai, namely St. Joseph Church, which holds Goa's biggest Eucharistic cross. Shiroda community celebrates Shigmo, Dhendlo, carnival, and Dasara which is a day later than whole Goa's Dasara festival. The Dasara starts at Betal Temple and then proceeds to Valpeshwar Temple and then to Ravalnath Temple.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census, Shiroda has a population of about 14,000, with 21% belonging to the

Scheduled tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

and 2% to the

Scheduled castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

. About 38% of the population belongs to the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

. 88% of the population is literate.

Attractions

* Shree Mandaleshwar Temple: The village's oldest temple, its ''

'' is held in November every year. The building was built in the 7th-8th century, and the courtyard, devoted to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, displays the original dome of the temple. * Shri Kamakshi Temple: Located in Thal Wada * St Joseph's Church: Situated at Karai, it was built in 1782 and its feast is on 1 May. * Shree Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering And Information Technology. * Papal Cross: Goa's largest cross, it completed 25 years on 25 September 2016. It was built for an altar that hosted the holy mass by Pope John Paul II 6 February 1986. * Ancestral House of Hedes: Named 'Macao', this 125-year-old structure is situated at Shenvi Wada. One of the village schools is named after Rajaram Hede's wife, Kamalabai.

Notable residents

Vithal Nagesh Shirodkar V. N. Shirodkar or Vithal Nagesh Shirodkar (27 April 1899 – 7 March, 1971) was an Indian obstetrician and gynaecologist, hailing from the State of Goa. Biography Shirodkar was born in Shiroda, Goa, Shiroda, Goa. He belonged to the ''Kalawantin ...

(1899-1971): This obstetrician and gynaecologist innovated with the technique called

Cervical Cerclage In anatomy, cervical is an adjective that has two meanings: # of or pertaining to any neck. # of or pertaining to the female cervix: i.e., the ''neck'' of the uterus. *Commonly used medical phrases involving the neck are **cervical collar **cervic ...

or Shirodkar Cerclage. *

Shobha Gurtu Shobha Gurtu (1925–2004) was an Indian singer in the light Hindustani classical style. Though she had equal command over pure classical style, it was with light classical music that she received her fame, and in time came to be known as the ''T ...

: Popularised the ''

Thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dra ...

'' genre. Menakabai Shirodkar, a singer and dancer, was her mother. * Subhash Shirodkar: MLA of Shiroda constituency *

Sudesh Bhosle Sudesh Bhosale is an Indian playback singer who primarily sings for Bollywood films. Bhosale is known for his ability to mimic actor Amitabh Bachchan, having sung for him in various films. Career Bhosale was born on 1 July 1960 to Sumantai ...

: Playback singer for

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

* Dr Sakharam Gude, a popular doctor, whose work was well appreciated by villagers. Honoured with a Gomantbhushan award. A hospital is run in his name, * Bhagvant Hede and Ratan Prabhudesai, noted artists. * Dr Guruprasad Bakhake. * Dr. Ramkrishna Tukaram Parkar and Dr. Shashi Ramkrishna Parkar: Notable and popular doctors whose work has been appreciated by villagers. They run a clinic which is the most popular in the village.

References

{{Reflist Villages in South Goa district