Shri Mahals Temple

Sri Mahalsa Temple, located in the Indian village of Mardol, 7 kilometers northwest of the city of Ponda, is dedicated to the god Shiva in female form - Mahalsa, who in Hinduism is considered the goddess of peace. In the XVI century, the Mahalsi idol was taken to the forests near Ponda from the Sonsada plateau near Verna, where the first sanctuary of this deity was located.

The temple is a complex of buildings. The main sanctuary of the temple is a stone structure topped with an octagonal tower with a dome, made in Islamic motifs. At its entrance there is a 12-meter column-garudastambha of brass, at the base of which you can see the turtle Kurma - the embodiment of one of the incarnations of Vishnu, and at the top - the bird Garuda, the means of transportation of the deity. Behind the column stands a seven-story lamp tower - dipastambha. In the wooden gallery - mandapa, the main decorations are the marble floor and ceiling panels decorated with images of long-tailed parrots.