- Source: Mandodari Temple, Betki
Shri Mandodari temple is a Hindu temple in the village of Betki, about 5 km from Marcel, Ponda in Goa, India. The temple is located at 81 ft elevation. Temple is known for the miracles of Water Goddess Mandodari and sacrifice made by the villagers. Water Goddess, Mandodari is the chief deity of the temple
Deity
This is a temple for Mandodari the gramadevata or the village deity of Betki. It is not a temple for Ravana's wife Mandodari.
The name "Mandodari" is from the words mand (water) and udar (stomach). It means someone who is born in the water. This temple was built to worship the great human beings whose children were sacrificed in the past to ensure that this village had a flowing stream of water. There is no well water in Betki village so the main source of water in this area is streams. This is how the village started worshiping this deity.
Shree Mandodari Devasthan completed 102 years of its constitution in 2013 but is of far more ancient foundation.
References
Further reading
How Betki's child goddess and her brother rose to be forces of nature, by Rajendra P Kerkar, Times of India, 21 Oct 2018
Critical Themes in Environmental History of India, ed. Ranjan Chakrabarti, Indian Council of Historical Research / SAGE Publication 2020: New Delhi ISBN 9789353883140 (online version)
External links
BharatTemples.com: Mandodari Temple, Betki
TempleConnect.com: Shree Mandodari Temple (with photos)
TemplesofIndia.org: Mandodari Temple, Goa
