Our Lady of Peace

Pictures of Shree ShantaDurga - The Indian 'Our Lady of Peace'.

Kolhapur Ambabai temple.

The Bhawani Mandap in Kolhapur holds the ancient and revered temple of Mahalakshmi, lovingly called as Ambabai.

Initially Built in the 7 th Century AD and then re built on several occasions especially by the Shilaharas of western India this temple of Black granite is trult beautiful. It has a wooden Mandap , perhaps built in the 18th century.

Pictures say it better than words and hence I put up some pictures of the Bhawani Mandap and the Ambabai temple.

Shree Shantadurga the Mother Goddess ....

Shree Shantadurga Vijayatam

The Goddess Shree Shantadurga, Santeri, Saibini the ancient mother Goddess of all the Konkani people.

The first tribes that settled in Goa many millenia ago prayed to the great Mother Earth Goddess in the form of anthills. The tribes of people who settled later also incorporated the worship of the mother Goddess in Her various forms. The aryans who followed incorporated her with the great Shakti and looked upon Her as the peaceful form of Goddess Durga. Anthills were the site of small grottos for the Saibini or Mai Santeri.

After Christianisation of the Old conquests of Goa for the lay Goan the saibini or the mother-goddess was still venerated. Only her form changed to the Mother of Christ or Mother Mary. The distinction between the Catholic Saibini and Hindu Saibini is only a matter of debate for the poles of the religious spectrum. The vast majority of Hindus and Catholics look upon her as Saibini.

Shree Shantadurga Vijayatam