Shri Betal temple (बेताळ) is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

Amona Amona may refer to: Places * Amona, Goa, a village in Goa, India *Amona, Mateh Binyamin, an Israeli outpost in the central West Bank *Isla de Mona, known in the pre-Columbian era as Amona Other *"Amona", a song on the album ''Necessary Evil A ne ...

village in the

Bicholim taluk Bicholim is an administrative region of Goa, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democra ...

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 India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The presiding

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Betal Betal or Vetal ( Konkani: वेताळ), a Bhairava form of Shiva is a popular god in Goa, Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and Karwar of Karnataka in India. Betal is also known as Vetoba in the Konkan area of Maharashtra and Goa, and in t ...

who is worshiped as a

Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhairava ...

form of

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 ...

in the form of a warrior; normally the idol of Shree Betal is standing in the temple, but during festivals his idol is displayed on a horse back in the village. He is the ''Gram devata'' (village lord) of Amona. There is a temple of Shri Betal in a village named as "Gorli" in Pauri Gharwal district of Uttrakhand. Betal is also the village's gramadevata (village deity). This temple also has a Shiva Pindi and its

gana The word (; Sanskrit: गण) in Sanskrit and Pali means "flock, troop, multitude, number, tribe, category, series, or class". It can also be used to refer to a "body of attendants" and can refer to "a company, any assemblage or association of ...

. The temple's construction prior to 1950 was funded by the Late Shri. Vithal Jagannath Telang and his name has been carved on the flooring accordingly. There is a water well 50 metres away from main temple.

Deity

The temple is dedicated to Purvas Vetal, the warrior god. The deity is also called 'Betal' colloquially.

is a deity of the indigenous Hindu people of India. Betal the

god of the roaring storm, is usually portrayed as a fierce, destructive deity. Many stories and folklore about the valor and wisdom of Vetala are passed down through generations of local people who worshiped this deity.

History

The original temple was located in

at the same place, but later reconstructed from time to time through jeernoddhara (continual maintenance). The temple is believed to be centuries old. Prayers at the temple is offered by the family of Boyini Betaiah, which is derived from the name of the god, along with his six cousins. Priesthood of the temple is bestowed to the family for generations and continues to the present day.

Devotees

The deity is believed to be patron deity of 96 Kulee

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

, Kalavants,

Goud Saraswat Brahmin Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd) are a Hindu Brahmin community of the north. The Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat of Goa and southern India claim to be descendents of these Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of the north that migrated to K ...

Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins (RSB) are a Hindu community of India. Rajapur are classified under the Other Backward Class(OBC) list by the Government of Kerala and the Government of Karnataka. See also *Gaudapada Gauḍapāda (Sanskrit: � ...

and Daivadnya Brahmin community spread all over India. Familiar surnames of the devotees are Sinari, Gawas, Fadate, Salgaonkar, Dhond, Shet, Palankar, Parab etc.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanta Durga Temple Shiva temples in Goa Hindu temples in North Goa district