We are usually told that India has only one temple of Lord Brahma, at Tirthraj Pushkar near Ajmer. But Goa has another, with a murti more than 1,000 years old; its age has been confirmed by the ASI through carbon dating.
The original temple stood in the Hindu kingdom of old Goa. When the Portuguese took Goa, its temples were demolished or turned into churches. In 1541, fearing that the murti would be destroyed, one pandit family risked their lives, carried it away to a lesser-known place and set up a small temple in hiding. Later, the Hindus of Goa came together and re-established the temple at Nagargao, Valpoi.
The murti has four faces of Lord Brahma: three are visible from the front, and the fourth is seen during the parikrama, at the back. The temple is older than most of Goa's churches, so when you visit Goa, go and see it.
