Goa: Calangute resident finds Vijaya Durga goddess idol in Zuari river at Sancoale

A resident of Calangute who had gone to his maternal uncle's house in Sancoale on early Monday morning found an idol of Vijaya Durga Goddess in the Zuari River while fishing.

The idol, which appears to be several years old and even had the formation of clams on it, has been kept in the Goushala at Sancoale for residents to decide on the next course of action.

Speaking to reporters, Ayush Naik said he had found the idol in the river early Monday morning.

"I found the idol along the riverbed and it was full of clam formations on it. I immediately decided to inform the people about this discovery. I later took the idol to the temple and even spoke to the elders after which I have kept the idol in the Goushala," he said.

Ward panch Tulshidas Naik has demanded that with the discovery of the idol, a temple dedicated to Vijaya Durga Goddess be built in the village.

"There is a history of over 500 years of Sancoale village being associated with Vijaya Durga Goddess which even mentions this place as "Shank Vhaal", where shells were found in the river. As per history, there used to be a Vijaya Durga Temple here which was destroyed by the Portuguese, prompting residents to establish the Vijaya Durga temple in Keri,” said Tulshidas Naik.

“However, the villagers always believed that the goddess was present here and some had experienced sightings while some saw the Goddess in their dreams. The Goddess of Vijaya Durga has, however, chosen to appear in front of us today and a person has even found the pure white marble idol of the Goddess in the riverbed at our village.”

“There may be many historical remains of the Vijaya Durga temple that may come up in time to come and we feel that with such strong religious sentiments of the people and the finding of the idol of the Goddess, we must build a Vijaya Durga temple in our Sancoale village,” the panch added.