GOA

Lamgau Caves, Madei Wildlife Sanctuary

Lamgau Caves

Yet another famous tourist spot which cannot be missed out are the caves at Lamgau. These can be approached in 2 ways. 

The first being the road through Lamgau village itself, and a quite strenuous trek along the base of the hill, and the second one being much easier which is the drive through Bicholim on the road towards Mapusa. Following the directions of the Pandava caves, a path through some paddy fields lead to 2 rock cut caves of Buddhist origin.

The one nearest to Lamgau is small but quite artistic in design. A distant view is impossible due to the growth of areca palms in front of the caves. A small stream adds to the silent atmosphere all around.

In this cave, there is a stone linga installed with a tulsi vrindavan and a small nandi bull image in the simple courtyard. The other cave is much more larger and used mostly as a shelter against monsoon and is quite deep with a complicated passage. There are some huge open cast iron ore mines just above the caves wherein the odd rumbling reminds one of the other side of Bicholim town. All along the journey to Mapusa is made more interesting with the presence of many more delightful temples and villages.

There is an interesting temple at Mulgao dedicated to Lord Ravalnath. It is quite ironical that one can find twotemples near Assonora after crossing Bicholim into Bardez Taluka. The diversion to the right side of the road leads to Advalpali where the Maruti temple is situated with beautiful graffiti designs both internally and externally. Also found here are lion statues, flower patterns and a statue of Lord Hanuman himself. The temple is aptly surrounded by pipal trees. 

The caves of Goa are unique attractions of the state and are visited by tourists from all over the world. Most of the caves in Goa are built for religious purposes, with only few had been carved for residential use. The caves of Goa are usually of two types - natural and manmade caves. Some of the famous caves of Goa are Lamgau caves, Mallanguini cave, Sanguem cave, Warkhand caves, Arvalem caves, Curdi cave, Shigaon cave, Narve cave, Aquem cave, Rivona cave and Usgao cave. If you are planning to visit to Lamgau caves in Goa then here is a brief guide.

Lamgau Caves is one of the famous tourist spots in Goa which cannot be missed out. It is located at Bicholim, which is 35 Kms from north-east of Panaji, the capital of Goa. You can reach Lamgau caves in three ways. The first way to reach the caves is road through Lamgau village itself, trek along the base of the hill to reach the caves, the other way is much easier, which is the drive from Bicholim on the road towards Mapusa and then Panaji.

The third way to reach the caves is through river and presently a jetty is being built at Pigao village for this purpose. The State Government is trying to woo Japanese tourists considering Japan’s affinity with Buddhism. These caves are believed to be sacred for the Hindus. These caves show transition from Buddhist to Brahminic form. The state has many Buddhist caves such as Kudne, Rivona, Arambol, Bandora and many more. The addition of Lamgau caves which resembles Buddhist caves attracts many Japanese tourists to Goa.

Lamgau Caves are carved out of decomposed laterite, which is quite delicate. It could have been one of the reasons for leaving these caves incomplete. These incomplete rock cut caves are major educational and cultural center in North Goa District. The distant view of these caves is impossible because of the growth of areca palms in front of the caves. Among the two, the one cave has an attractive pavilion like structure in the sanctum and a well cut entablature with beams and ceiling. The other cave is much larger than the first one and used mainly as a shelter at the time of rain. This cave is very deep with a difficult way. The cave includes a stone linga with a tulsi vrindavan and a small nandi bull image in the courtyard.

If you want to make your trip to Goa more exciting then please take out time to visit this cave. Lamgau caves can help you appreciate Buddhist trends and their ways of worshiping

Madei Wildlife Sanctuary

The Madei Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Sattari takula in North Goa. It is spread over an area of 208 sq km and is a link between the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and the Sawantwadi forests in Maharashtra and the Netravali wildlife sanctuary in Eastern Goa. 

The Madei Wildlife Sanctuary together with the Netravali wildlife sanctuary cover an area of 420 sq. km. The sanctuary supports a rich variety of wildlife and covers much of the north-eastern portions of Goa. It is also known to be a bird watcher's paradise where one can see a lot of species of birds.

The Mhadei wildlife sanctuary is also famous for its semi green and evergreen forests. The area has been notified as protected for wildlife. The sanctuary is also well known in Goa as a tigress and a cub were spotted here. A lot of other wildlife can also be seen here.