Vijayadurga Temple, Keri
Address
Keri, Ponda, North Goa, India, 403115
Getting There
Transport is available from Ponda.
Patron Diety
Goddess Durga
Visiting Time
Geo Location
15.467317 N, 73.997901 E
Shri Vijayadurga Temple is located at Keri in Ponda Taluka. It is a finest example of classical architecture. It is said that when Lord Shiva was defeated by his spouse Parvati in a game of dice, he left mount Kailash and went to Gomanchala near Kushasthali for tapasya (penance). A myth states that sometime later when there was an epic battle between Shiva and Vishnu, the goddess intervened between them in the form of Adishakti. Then she is said to have gone to Shankwali to kill the demons harassing the Brahmins there. This arrival of Shri Shantadurga in her aggressive form is worshipped in Ponda, Goa. When she destroyed all the demons in Sankhwali, she earned the name of Vijaya and was given the name as Vijayadurga.
The diety is thus a form of the Goddess Durga. The Vijayadurga temple was once located in close proximity to Shri Shankleshwari Shantadurga and Shri Lakshminarsimha in Sankhwal, but due to the Portuguese inquisition the temple had to be shifted to Keri from Sankhwal. The annual jatra is held in the month of Magha upto Shivaratri and also on Navaratri