For thousands of devotees in south Goa, the Shri Damodar temple located on the picturesque banks of the Kushawati river, in Zambaulim, represents a fervent sense of hope and expectation. The gulal festival at the Shri Damodar temple is one of the most looked forward to events in the month of Phalgun, with devotees thronging the temple premises with gulal or pink coloured powder which is used in religious and social celebrations in Goa.
The temple itself is located in Zambaulim village which is located around 22 km from Margao city in the heart of the Quepem sub district.
The extremely popular temple is home to the deity which is a reincarnation of Lord Shiva. It was originally located in Margao, but was relocated during the Portuguese inquisition. The new temple was relocated sometime in the 1800s and also has an idol of Lakshmi Narayan and shrines of goddesses Chamundeshwari.
Interestingly, the Shri Damodar temple has both Hindus as well as Christians in its long list of devotees. Getting to the temple is not difficult at all, just follow the National Highway 66 to the destination. The closest railway station to Shri Damodar temple is at Balli.
Shri Damodar temple
Zambaulim village, in Quepem taluka
