Shri Damodar

||ॐ श्री दामोदराय नम: ||

Shri Damodar is the Kuldevata (family deity) on my paternal side — we belong to the Prabhu community of the Kamśa कम्श (Kaushika) gotra. (I have always heard this gotra mispronounced as kamsā which often made me wonder how did that demon king end up being our ancestor. Ofcourse we are better than that, we are descendants of Rishi Vishwamitra, who was also called Kaushika, the son of Rishi Kaushik) The main temple dedicated to Shri Damodar stands today in Jambavli, in Rivona (Rishi Vana), Sanguem Taluka, Goa.

The Prabhus and Kamaths belonging to Kaushika Gotra and Hegdes and Baligas of Kashyap Gotra worship Shri Damodar as their Kuldevata in most cases along with a female deity like Devi Mahalakshmi or Devi Aryadurga.

(P.S.: Do check out this post about knowing your gotras)

I must begin this post with an incident that deeply reaffirmed my faith in Shri Damodar’s grace.

For the past few years, I had been on a quest to uncover more about the history and cultural context of the Jambavli temple. Despite scouring several sources — even classics like Devbhumi Gomantak by V. N. Shenvi Dhume — my search had reached a dead end.

Last year, while staying at the temple itself, I continued looking for any local or temple publications that could shed light on its history. Days went by without success — until one seemingly ordinary moment turned extraordinary.

As I was doing pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) around the temple, I noticed a lady carrying a book in her hand. She seemed local, and on a sudden impulse, I asked if the book had anything to do with the temple. To my astonishment, she turned out to be closely associated with the temple — her surname, Jambavlikar, said it all!

When I mentioned my interest, she kindly offered to get me a book that had been published when the local Natya Seva Mandal celebrated its 50th anniversary. True to her word, she went home and returned with the book — a treasure trove of information I had been searching for.

What follows in this post is based on that publication, along with insights from a few related news articles.

Origin of Shri Damodar

The word Dāmodara in Sanskrit comes from Dāma meaning “cord” and udara meaning “belly.” It refers to the story of little Krishna, whose mother Yashoda lovingly tied a cord around his waist to punish him for his playful mischief. In most parts of India, therefore, Damodar is another name for Lord Krishna. For us Konkanis, the name carries a different resonance — Shri Damodar is worshipped as a form of Rudra, a symbol of divine protection and strength.

According to Sahyadrikhand, the Gowd Saraswatas brought with them from Tirhut into Goa , the deities of Shree Mangesh , Shree Shanta durga , Shree Sapta Kotishwar , Shree Nagesh , Shree Mahalaxmi , Shree Mahalsa and Kamakshi. Shree Damodar is not mentioned, which is helpful to ascertain that the story below that appears in ‘Goa Hindu Temples and Deities’ by Rui Gomes Pereira cannot be totally wrong.

This form has its origins in Fatorda, a suburb of Madgaon in the Salcete Taluka of South Goa. Local folklore offers a moving explanation for this. A young man named Makaji/Malkaji Damodar, son of the local Desai landlord, was returning from Keloshi after his wedding when tragedy struck. A family from Chimbel, to whom the bride had earlier been promised, ambushed the wedding entourage out of vengeance. Makaji fought valiantly, displaying fierce courage like Rudra himself, but was ultimately killed. To honor his bravery, a shrine was built at the very place where he fell, and he was venerated as a village protector in Rudra form — Shri Damodar, affectionately known among locals as Dambab (bab being a respectful term for an elderly man). The exact timeline of this event is lost to history, but the devotion it inspired endures even today.

So it is established that the original temple of Shri Damodar was in Fatorda. (P.S: A new Damodar temple was subsequently built in Fatorda)

The First Migration

In 1543, the Portuguese rule expanded from Tiswadi to include Salcette, Bardez and Mormugoa. Around 1565 CE, a turning point came. The first Goan Archbishop, Dom Gaspar Leão Pereira, had his eye on the temple’s site for constructing a church. He shrewdly asked the local Hindus, who had come to pay their respects, if they could suggest a location for his new project. Fearing that their sacred temple might be destroyed, the locals suggested several other places. But when the Archbishop, traveling on foot, finally reached the temple, he struck his arrow into the ground — a symbolic act that deeply hurt the local community.

Anticipating the temple’s destruction, the Kulavis (hereditary devotees) of Shri Damodar acted quickly. They decided to move the sacred Linga, which represented their beloved deity, to safety. Thus began the journey of Lord Damodar — a migration that would connect many historic temples across Goa and later Karnataka.

Reaching the Final Destination

It was clear to the Kulavis that the deity needed to be shifted outside the area occupied by the Portuguese. The natural destination was to cross the Zuari river into the Sanguem region that was ruled by the Saundekars. The journey was long, so initially the devotees took a stopover in the Keni family’s ancestral home in Comba, Margao which was also in Salcette. Fearful that the Portuguese authorities would catch up, they later moved the relic further south to Zambaulim (also called Jambavli) in Sanguem Taluka. There, the Prabhu Desai family, Kulavis of the nearby Shri Vimleshwar Temple (another form of Shiva), generously offered land and grants to build and sustain the new shrine. In gratitude for this gesture, the Shri Damodar Temple at Zambaulim continues the age-old tradition of sending two kilograms of sandalwood paste each year to Shri Vimleshwar, a sacred token of respect and shared devotion.

Today for all the kulavis, the temple at Zambaulim next to the Kushavati river in Rivona Taluka in South Goa is the main temple or as some would say jeevant jagrut temple.

Spreading the Faith

Going to the temple at Zambaulim was not feasible for a large majority of the Kulavis who had migrated to farther places. So a few Shri Damodar temples were built by the locals to facilitate worship. Notably,

Shree Damodar Sal, Vasco

Shree Damodar Sal, Varca

Shree Lakshmi Damodar, Basrur

Shasti Parambu Damodar Temple, Kochi – Before the Portuguese inquisition, when the Sashastikars (GSBs from current Salcette) had moved to Kochi through the sea route for trades, they settled in an area near Mattancherry and established a small temple of Shri Damodar. The whole area is called ShastiParambu (Land of the Sashastikars).

Shree Parashuram Damodar Temple, Bhatkal : According to online records, this temple was established in 1453, far before the initial migration.

You can checkout to all the devotional stotras on Shri Damodar here

P.S:

After the Damodar temple in Fatorda was demolished, in its place rose the Church of the Holy Spirit, one of the earliest and grandest Jesuit churches in Goa. The Archbishop appointed Diogo Rodrigues, a Portuguese captain stationed at Rachol, to oversee the demolition of Hindu temples in Madgaon and supervise the church’s construction.

The church itself faced destruction and rebuilding at least four times before attaining its current form. The current building is studied as an architecture with some very interesting astronomical marvel.

References:

Goa: Hindu Temples and Deities – Rui Gomes Pereira (archive.org)