Tunnel, well, and room recovered during renovation of Saptakoteshwar temple

PANAJI: Built by Shivaji in 1668, the Saptakoteshwar temple which was undergoing restoration works undertaken by the directorate of archaeology is being opened to the public. It is widely known for being the only temple in Goa that carries Sanskrit inscriptions of Shivaji upon its walls.
The temple has undergone restoration a few times, with the last being in 2001 at the hands of Fundacao Oriente. In January 2020, the department of archaeology started the restoration works, which was delayed due to the pandemic.
“We have removed the entire cement plaster on the walls and desilted the water tank in front of the temple,” said Varad Sabnis, assistant superintendent archaeologist, directorate of archaeology.
Rising dampness was a major challenge faced by the archaeologists. A gutter has been built outside the side wall of the temple to obstruct the flowing water and channel the flow towards a natural stream in the vicinity. A laterite cladding on the plinth level is expected to resolve the issue of dampness.
“We have recovered a tunnel, a well from the premises and a room above the sanctum that were not visible earlier. The stairs leading to the sanctum have been restored. In the well, we found a broken idol of Ganesh which was immersed as per tradition. A lot of pooja objects such as lamps were also found inside the well,” Sabnis said.
“The sanctum of the temple was originally a rock art cave where one of the walls will be kept open for the public to see. The deity was temporarily taken out (during restoration), so we wanted to time the temple’s opening with the return of the deity,” he said.