mahadev temple - Tambdi surla
The temple that survived the ravages and was preserved intact was amidst serene, picturesque Anmod ghats where a stream flows with a lush green background, dedicated to Lord Shiva, and belonging to the 13th century A.D. Goa-Kadamba dynasty contribution.
The temple consists of a garbhagriha, antarala, and a pillared Nandi mandapa built of basalt. The mandapa had balustrade entrances on three sides with kakshasana arrangements. The four pillars, embellished with fine carvings of elephants and chains, support a stone ceiling decorated with intricately carved lotus flowers of the Ashtakon variety. The antarala and garbhagriha of the temple bore a remarkable resemblance to the Kalleshwara temple at Balambi in Dharwad district and the Jain temple at Belgaum. The perforated stone latticed screen with devakostas decorates the main entrance of the garbhagriha, suggesting a strong influence of Hoyasala art.
The moulded adhistana is raised by a simple wall relieved by simple pilaster designs, deprived of intricate decorations. The two-tiered Kadamba-nagara vimana was embellished with sculptured steles like Lakshmi-Narayana and Vishnu Janardhan, besides miniature Gajalakshmi flanked by Ganesa and Saraswati on northern, dancing Shiva, Shiva-Parvati on western and Bhairava and Brahma on the southern faces, while towards east was occupied by sukanasi.
There was synchronisation of faith that was revealed through the presence of vaishnavite deities, although the temple is dedicated to Lord Siva, thus imparting a unique place in the goa-kadamba temple architecture.
