The name Lairai had often come up since I came to live in Goa. Who is this goddess? What is her story? These questions had been forming in my mind. Especially when the Lairai fair (Jatra) was approaching, the large advertisement in the newspapers drew my attention due to the image of the goddess. The difference between the depictions of other deities and Lairai’s form was one of the reasons for this. Despite this, I never had the opportunity to visit the Lairai temple. However, the excitement to visit the temple grew as I heard more about the fair. I decided firmly that I would visit the temple and see the goddess when the chance arose.
So, after many years, one day we set off for Shirgao. We traveled from Mapusa, passing through Thivi and Asnoda, until we reached Shirgao. Shirgao is a small village in the Bicholim taluka. As we entered Asnoda, we turned right towards Shirgao. Traveling on the narrow road, crossing a small bridge over a stream, and enjoying the beautiful scenery on both sides, we reached Shirgao. For some reason, this village felt different from the usual Goan villages. I didn’t sense the distinctive touch of a Goan village here. The temple is located right where the road ends, and it seems like the road stops there. However, from that point, the road continues right into the village.
We climbed the steps and entered the temple. This temple, which was once small, had been expanded and renovated to a larger size about forty years ago. As we climbed the steps and entered, we found a large assembly hall. Compared to other temples, this hall seemed quite large to me. During the Lairai fair, the goddess’s devotees (dhonds) dance with colorful ribbons wrapped around a stick in this hall. To enter the main temple, we need to climb more steps from the assembly hall.
Typically, Goan temples have a room between the outer assembly hall and the central hall in front of the sanctum. This room, called the “Nagarkhana,” usually houses instruments like drums. In some temples, there is a makhar in this room, like in the Shantadurga Kunkallikarin temple at Fatorpa. However, in most temples, this room contains tables and computers for administrative purposes.
This room in the Lairai temple is quite large. There are stairs on both sides of this room to access the gallery of the inner central hall.
From here, we entered the main courtyard. After offering an “Oti” and “Fati” (garlands) to the deity, I looked at the goddess. The image of Lairai I had seen in the newspapers now stood before me. I had imagined a statue of the goddess in a green nine-yard saree, with her left leg bent and her right leg folded high, resting her right elbow on her raised leg, but this was not the case. Instead, there was a large inverted copper pot in front of us, known as the “Kalash” of the goddess. It was covered with a square cloth and had a small crown on top. Lairai’s presence is believed to be inside this pot. As I looked again, paying attention to the photo on the side path used for circumambulation, I realized that the Lairai depicted in the image was seated inside this inverted pot. It is said that this form of the goddess was shown in a dream to a devotee.
Lairai Devi has a great fondness for jasmine buds! Therefore, garlands made of jasmine buds are offered to her. On the day of the fair, one jasmine bud from the garland offered to the goddess is kept inside the Kalash. This bud is taken out only during the next fair. Remarkably, this bud remains fresh and vibrant throughout the year.
Among all the temples I have visited so far, this temple was exceptionally simple. However, this simplicity does not diminish the temple’s grandeur in the slightest.
The sanctum, where the deity is enshrined, is made entirely of silver. Aside from that, there is no opulence of silver or gold. The doors are plain wooden ones, and the sanctum itself is not very deep—just one door and you’re in.
The space outside the sanctum is also quite large. On the upper walls above the door leading into the sanctum, there are paintings of Vishnu and sages on either side of Vishnu. On the left wall of the door, there is a depiction of four-armed Vishnu, and on the right wall, a depiction of Ganesha. Above the outer frame, Lakshmi is shown between two elephants, and on either side of the frame are images of Jai and Vijay. The various deities on the walls, the columns, and the windows around the outer courtyard are generally similar to those in other temples, but they are very plain. There is no intricate woodwork or art on silver or gold leaf. I found this simplicity very appealing. It suggests that the devotees visiting the temple are also likely to be very simple.
The fair of this goddess is extremely famous. A huge fire lit at dawn and the walking over burning coals by devotees (dhonds) are distinctive features of this fair. These devotees observe a strict vow for nearly a month before the festival, including a complete vegetarian diet and staying away from home. Another unique aspect of this village is that killing or eating chickens or goats is prohibited. Hence, no one in the village consumes such meat. After reading this same information in the ‘Lairai Ashtakam’ on the temple board and hearing more information about the fair and the story of goddess lairai from the flower vendor; I have resolved to visit the famous fair of goddess lairai. Let’s see when the opportunity arises.
