Shivaji's creation, new at 350 years

Narve Goa The Mario Gallery in Panaji reimagines the chaos of Goan life in more ways than one Late illustrator Mario Mirandas prints that are sold as souvenirs here drift from squalid fish markets to wasted bars But a bucolic sketch of Shri Saptakoteshwar Temple built by Chhatrapati Shivaji in Bicholim village of Narve in North Goa in 1668 offers relief from these busy drawings In this sketch Miranda remembers the temples walls overlaid with earthy clay tiles in white Its the coat of paint that the structure retained for most part of the 20th century before Fundaccedilatildeo Oriente a Portuguese cultural organisation undertook repairs in the early 1980s Since then it has been concretized and in a bright shade of blue and yellowThe temple complex is preparing for yet another transformation that is part of a R7 croreheritage restoration project a first of its kind since the structure was listed as a protected monument by the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology of Goa in 1983 Saptakoteshwar doesnt have heritage value alone it is also of cultural aesthetic archaeological and sentimental importance to Goas history says Dr Varad S Sabnis assistant superintending archaeologist at the directorate headquarters in Panaji The temple cannot be viewed in isolation Its part of an ecosystem and we wanted to restore all of itHelmed by conservation architect Rahul Chemburkar of Vastu Vidhan Projects and contractor Nilesh Thakkar the initiative marks the 350th anniversary of Saptakoteshwar templeThe bells at the temple have never fallen silent despite the many interventions the region has experienced following occupations by the Bahmani Sultanate in the 14th century and later by the Portuguese Earlier this year members of the temple trust Shri Saptakoteshwar Deosthan Panchayatan decided that theyd temporarily discontinue prayer services to make the structure available for restorationThe idol dates back to the 12th or 13th century and belonged to the royal Kadamba dynasty whose members were ardent followers of Saptakoteshwar an avatar of Shiva Its the royal deity of Goa says Sabnis The original temple was located in Porne Tirth Naroa on the island of Divar which is separated from Narve by sea In Divar the temple was destroyed twice First during the Islamic invasion and then by the Portuguese who built a chapel there the archaeologist addsVeteran writerhistorian and an authority on Maratha history Balwant Moreshwar Purandare shares that when the temple was destroyed the then Portuguese governor placed the Shiv ling on the edge of a farm Legend has it that it was placed such that one would have to walk over it to go to the other side But the locals refused The governor then installed it beside a well so that people would have to place their feet on it while drawing water Finally a local administrator was allowed to take the deity with him on the promise that it would not be given any royal treatmentThe idol was shifted to Navre in the early 17th century Families who had suffered persecution at the hands of the colonisers also moved there and set up a humble shrine At the time the area served as a boundary that separated the Maratha empire from the land that the Portuguese controlled When Chhatrapati Shivaji learnt that the idol had been brought here he took it upon himself to build the temple says Purandare It was both a political strategy and an effort to revive the religion of the land adds Sabnis A 17th century rock plaque installed above the arch at the temple entrance carries an inscription in Devanagari pointing out the year in which the Maratha king ordered the construction of the templeChemburkar defines the architectural character of this temple as Goan While the gable triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches on the front the highceiling roof tiled and supported by wooden rafters and the wide assembly hall that looks more like a nave suggest influences from a Goan chapel the dome with its octagonal base carries Saracenic features We cant be sure what the structure may have looked like when Shivaji built it but this one definitely doesnt follow the rules of typical temple architecture admits ChemburkarLegend has it that the governor installed the idol beside a well so that people would have to place their feet on it while drawing water says Balwant Moreshwar PurandareHis aim he says was to recreate the original structure as far as possible Unfortunately they had no photographic evidence or drawings from before the 20th century But a closer observation of the sanctum also known as the garb griha revealed that it was rockcut The rest of the structure was constructed using laterite stone This meant that the new shrine was likely to have been built above the earlier rockcut structuremdashits a discovery Chemburkars team made after they removed the plaster from the facade During previous repairs the structure had been layered with five inches of concrete While removing it the masonry also started chipping We even noticed cracks in many places he says adding that concrete is more vulnerable to disintegrationRahul ChemburkarThe exposed masonry was later washed to remove excess dust particles before galleting a technique in which small pieces of stone are pushed into wet mortar joints it with lime mortar and laterite stone pieces to make the surface ready for plastering The lime plaster prepared using molasses made from jaggery and water from the Haritaki or kadukka fruit was then used to plaster the walls We tried to use local traditional masonry recipes while preparing the plaster The ingredients add viscosity elasticity and strength to the plaster so that cracks dont develop says Chemburkar The false ceiling was removed the original roof was then propped with new teak wood trusses and rafters Puffed sheet was used to waterproof the roof after which it was layered with lime concrete and Mangalore tiles to retain the original look Our efforts will increase the structures life by another hundred yearsTo build a temple for a deity once shunned by colonisers was both a political strategy and an effort to revive the religion of the land believes Dr Varad Sabnis from the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology of GoaApart from restoring the structure the archaeological department is also working with Chemburkar and Thakkar to revive structures in its vicinity The temple complex which covers 5017 sqm has four other shrines a deep mala and a tali or water tank within A new retaining wall influenced by the design of Koti Tirthmdashthe original temple tank in Divarmdashhas been finalised for the tali The surrounding area is going to be excavated so that any ancient remnants can be cleaned and retained like the stone arches and steps that the team discovered during diggingOnce restoration is complete by mid2020 the archaeological department and trust intend to allow tourists This is a very prestigious project says Sabnis who is working closely with Blossom Medeira director of the state archaeology directorate He adds While every monument is precious for this one we are applying pioneering thought to restore the aesthetics of the time it was built in A lot of brainstorming has gone into discussing the best practices to make this possible We want everyone to take pride in a history that has resisted several interventions1668Year in which Shivaji built Saptakoteshwar Temple1983Year structure listed as protected monument by Directorate of Archives and Archaeology of GoaKaavi brought back to lifeOne of the biggest finds the during excavations was the Kaavi motif on the rockcut walls above the shrine Goabased historian and writer Heta Pandit describes Kaavi as the ancient art of etching on walls and infilling with a paste of red soil charcoal and a binding material It is also done the other way around where the red paste is first applied and the design etched to reveal the white lime underneath says Pandit Wave and floral patterns lotus buds abstracts and figures of the cobra lion and fish are common Kaavi motifs It was found on walls in sacred spaces in Goa Karnataka and Maharashtra says Pandit of the now extinct art with origins in Goa When Chemburkar found the motif he noticed that it had been painted over in oils He is now working with Pandit to create awareness about the art There are no traditional artisans practising Kaavi in Goa today It is a common legacy and we must consider it our collective duty to experiment study and conserve the art in whatever way we can says Pandit The duo is currently experimenting with several motifs eventually to be used to embellish the walls of the temple Shri Saptakoteshwar is the most exciting Kaavi project currently on in Goa she saysCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates