Śiva In Indus-Sarasvatī Valley

<p>Among the ancient temples in <i>Sāṁkhavāḷī</i>, <i>Kēḷaśī</i> and <i>Lōṭalī </i>listed by Gomes Pereira (destroyed in the 16^th century and deities transferred elsewhere), we find temples dedicated to <i>Sāṁtērī</i>, <i>Īśvara</i>, <i>Nārāyaṇa</i>, <i>Rāmanātha</i>and<i>Narasiṁha</i>. [Gomes Pereira, 1978 : <i>Hindu Temples and Deities</i>, 106] The connection of these deities to <i>Śiva</i> is not obvious; and it is complex as well, involving layers of assimilation myths. We shall deal with it separately, when we trace the trail of <i>Śiva</i> in Goa, as part of our search for the ethnic roots of the Konkani people. </p> <p>But probably there is more to <i>Śiva</i> than is obvious. According to Valdiya, he was the god of the <i>kir</i><i>ā</i><i>t</i>; they are referred to in the <i>Rg Veda</i>, <i>Purāna</i> and <i>Mahābhārata</i>. [Valdiya, 2012 :<i>Geography, Peoples and Geodynamics of India in Purāṇas and Epics</i>, 124] It is interesting to note that both <i>kir</i><i>ā</i><i>t</i> and <i>kshatriya</i> are warrior people. Definitely the trail is worth following. But the mystery gets deeper when we note that one of the divisions of Konkan was <i>Kir</i><i>ā</i><i>t</i>. [Nairne, 1896 : <i>History Of The Konkan</i>, x]<a></a>