Shri Chandreshwar Bhoothnath Temple, Goa
Shri Chandreshwar Bhoothnath Temple is one of the oldest and most famous temples of Goa, dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that Chandreshwar is an incarnation of Lord Shiva and is worshipped as Lord of the Moon. According to lore water seeps out of the Lingam when the rays of the moon fall on it. The Shivalinga is placed in such a way that the moonbeams on a full moon night fall upon it.
According to an ancient Sanskrit inscription, a temple has stood on this magical spot for nearly 2500 years. However, the present building, dedicated to Shiva, is comparatively modern, dating from the late 1600s. The only part of the shrine that is a vestige of the Vedic age is its cavernous inner sanctum, hollowed from a hug back bolder, around which the site's seventeenth-century custodians erected a typically Goan-style structure, capped with a red-tile room and domed sanctuary tower.
The temple is associated with the Bhoja dynasty which was the ruler of the region till the 8th century. Also, from the Bhoja's family deity, Lord Chandreshwar the name of their capital Chandrapur (today's Chandor) was derived.
History
Shri Chandreshwar Bhoothnath Temple is one of the oldest and most famous temples of Goa, dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is said that Chandreshwar is an incarnation of Lord Shiva and is worshipped as Lord of the Moon. According to lore water seeps out of the Lingam when the rays of the moon fall on it. The Shivalinga is placed in such a way that the moonbeams on a full moon night fall upon it.
Architecture
One can reach the Chandreshwar temple by the granite stone steps from the hill’s base or by a drive up over a metal-led road. The temple is situated 350 meters above Chandranath Hill. It can be reached by climbing the huge granite steps. The main approach to the temple is a metalled road and you have to enter the temple by alighting these granite steps. The whole place is strangely infested by small rock crabs.
Pilgrims arrive at the main entrance for darshan, or the ritual viewing of God. A wild-eyed golden Chandreshwar deity, Shiva as “Lord of Moon”, stares out from an ornately decorated sanctum, wrapped in brocaded silk.
In the Shri Chandranath Temple at Quepem in Goa, you will find the Shiva Linga carved out from the rock. The surprising and most amazing fact is that on full moon night, water oozes out from the Shiva Linga whenever moonlight falls on it and the temple is so designed that Shiva Linga receives moonlight on every full moon. Scientists suggest a meteorite fell on Chandranath Mountain during the pre-historic period.
