The Shirali Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple is the Kuladevata
Temple (family temple) of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. The temple
deity is a Kuladev of the Kamaths, Bhats, Puraniks, Prabhus, Joishys, Mallyas,
Kudvas and Nayak families from the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. The temple
is located at Shirali
in the Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka
state. It is a five-minute drive from either Bhatkal or
Murdeshwar. The Temple was built about 400 years ago. It was
renovated in 1904.
These families are referred to as the Kulavis of the temple.
The temple was established by devotees who migrated from Goa about 400–500
years ago. The presiding deities are Shri Mahaganapati (Vinayaka) and Shri
Mahamaya (Shantadurga).
The deities were moved from Ella in Goa to nearby
Golthi and Naveli. Golthi / Goltim and Naveli/Navelim are located in Divar
Island, Tiswadi Taluka of Goa. Shri Gomanteshwar and his affiliated deities
still remain in Ella in Brahmapur. The older temple has been destroyed. On
account of the hostile religious policies pursued by the Portuguese rulers
around 1560, the devotees left Goltim and Navelim after the temple destruction.
Unable to take with them the idols, they invoked the ‘saanidhya’ or the presence of the deities in the silver trunk of
Lord Ganesha
and the mask of goddess Mahamaya. When they reached Bhatkal they were unable to
construct a temple immediately and kept these two symbols in a shop belonging
to a devotee. Later on, they constructed a temple in Shirali, a few miles north
of Bhatkal, where it stands to this day. The deities are also called Pete
Vinayaka and Shantadurga as they are located in a
"pete", which means a town in Kannada. The temple has a unique
darshan seva called, "mali".
According to the Archaeological Survey of Goa, The
idol of Mahaganapati and Mahamaya (also referred as Durgadevi and Shantadurga)
were located in Ella - Tiswadi Goa along with Shri Gomanteshwar and its
affiliates. During the Muslim invasion in Goa (13th century) the temple in Ella
was destroyed and the idols were transferred to Navelim and Goltim. Until the
early 16th century, the deities were worshiped on the island, following which
they were prey to the horrendous Portuguese missionaries. The devotees had no
choice but to transfer the idols to Khandepar and from there to its final
destination Khandola. During the zealous Portuguese missionary acts, many
devotees fled Goa and entered Karnataka. Traces of which, can still be found
today. Along the way to Karnataka, families that settled in Karwar established
a temple in Asnoti. For those who settled in Ankola, the sacred coconut of
Shantadurga/ Durgadevi/ Mahamaya found no place at homes and was kept at the
local temple to worship. Many years later, the local deity came to be known as
Shantadurga. Some families went far ahead from northern Karnataka to the south
coast of Bhatkal, where they felt secure and thus, established a temple of
Ganesha and Mahamaya. Today, the original 13th-century idol of Ganesha of
Ella/Navelim is still worshiped in Khandola. At a distance is the temple of
Shantadurga brought from Goltim/Ella. The affiliates are Bhagavati and Khapri
Devta (Keppo) Ravalnath.
Today, the temple at Shirali conducts various pujas
including Sahasra ganayaga, Rathotsav,
Ganahoma and Sahasrachandika havana.
The Rathotsav or the Car Festival is celebrated by the
temple on Margasira Shudda Navami (in November or December.) The important
events during rathotsava include pete utsava of Mahaganapathi on Margasira
Shudda Chaturthi and Mahamaya on Margasira Shudda Ashtami, ratri utsava every
night and okuli on Margasira Shudda Dashami.
It is estimated that currently the Shirali Maha Ganapathi and Mahammaya temple has 125 Kulavis, with a total of 6000 persons. Most Kulavis visit the temple annually, and many Kulavis living abroad visit the temple every time they visit India. The temple management has built spacious rooms to accommodate Kulavis who visit the temple and also provide food to the Kulavis during their stay at the temple.