An elucidating article. It is always good to learn about the existence of
such wonders in our land. My only comment is in respect of «Priol is a small
village in Ponda taluka, brimming with Kulaagars (coconut groves) and
scenic beauty». The author surely wished to say "(arecanut groves)" and not
"(coconut groves)".
Jorge
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From: "Goanet News Service" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Goanet" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 5:59 AM
Subject: [Goanet] Archaeological wonders of Priol
Archaeological wonders of Priol
Rohit Phalgaonkar
Priol is a small village in Ponda taluka, brimming with Kulaagars (coconut
groves) and scenic beauty. Priol is a land of temples and is referred to
as
"Piriyal" in the Madhav Mantri copper plates of the Vijaynagar period. A
splendid temple of Shri Betaall stands in a small busy hub of the village.
The layout of the Sabhamandap of this temple resembles the temples of Shri
Mahalsa in Mardol and Shri Narsinh in Veling. The exterior walls of the
Sabhamandap are absent but are replaced by round wooden pilasters fixed
very
close to each other. Such an arrangement provides ventilation and light to
the hall. The roof of the Sabhamandap stands on eight massive wooden
pillars
with intricate carvings of floral patterns, serpents, chains, etc.
Exquisitely carved wooden panels depicting the ten avataars of Shri Vishnu
adorn the wooden ceiling. Such wooden panels were commonly seen in most
Goan
temples once upon a time but ignorance and neglect have made them
disappear.
Such types of wooden panels are rarely seen in Goa today. To elucidate,
the
temples of Shri Shivnath and Shri Kamakshi at Shiroda and Shri Mahalsa at
Mardol are some of the few temples left with this rare art.
Another rare example of woodwork seen in this temple is the motif of the
mythological lion. Such motifs have almost vanished from Goan temples. In
the course of my preliminary study and research on temples, I have come
across only two temples in Goa where such "lion" motifs exist.
The intricate carved wooden door jambs of the sanctum with two small
"Dvaarpaals" at their foot are really beautiful. They are depicted wearing
a
turban and a gown with a spear in their hands. They also have round
earrings, a vermillion mark on the forehead and a thick moustache curled
at
the ends.
The ancient wooden image of the deity Shri Betaall was replaced by a stone
image.
Renovating of such edifices distorts history as these structures tell us
about our glorious past. Ancient temple water tanks too are being
renovated
on a large scale. Many feel that concrete is the best solution to all the
problems. But little do they know that the lifespan of these R.C.C.
structures is very less. Such structures should be conserved and restored
without concretising them.
SOURCE: Goa Plus, October 12, 2007
