Goa Information Blog

Ruins of the Temple of Brahmapur at Ela village, Old Goa

This reportedly was a colony of Brahmins that existed since ancient times. Tradition has it that it was founded by Madhava Mantri, one of the celebrated ministers of the Vijayanagar Empire. The temple of Lord Shiva under the name of Lord Goveshwar was venerated here. The Portuguese destroyed this temple during the early period of their conquest of Goa, along with thousands of other Hindu temples. During the brief spell in which inquisition was suspended in 1775 the worship of deity- Goveshwar was allowed to be renewed. But soon after, the Viceroy, Dom Federico Guillermo de Souza, destroyed the temple and the deity again on June 6, 1779 under orders from the Queen of Portugal