GOA : Tambdi Surla Mahadev Temple
Operating Hours:Monday - Sunday: 08:00 - 17:30
The Vibe:Basalt from the Deccan, standing since the Kadambas.
The oldest surviving temple in Goa stands in a forest clearing at the foot of the Western Ghats. Its remoteness spared it from both the Islamic invasions and the Goa Inquisition.
Grey basalt sits low against dense green, with a stream running behind it. There is no crowd and no commerce; the clearing stays quiet.
- Goa's oldest surviving temple, dating to the twelfth or thirteenth century
- The only preserved example of Kadamba architecture in basalt in Goa
- Protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a Monument of National Importance
- Its basalt was carried across the Ghats from the Deccan plateau
Fit For
- 🌍 Culture travellers: "Pre-Portuguese Goa, almost untouched."
- 📸 Photographers: "Carved basalt against forest, with no crowds in frame."
- 👵 Seniors: "Small, level and quick once you have made the drive."
- 🧳 Solo: "A genuinely quiet site even in peak season."
Highlights
- Kadamba-style basalt construction, unique in Goa
- Nandi figure at the centre of the mandapa, surrounded by four carved columns
- The Kadamba emblem of an elephant trampling a horse, carved into a column base
- Forest clearing setting at the foot of the Western Ghats
- The stream running immediately behind the temple — Hidden Gem
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