Lairai Devi Temple in Shirgao

Shirgao is the holy place of goddess Lairai devi, the temple situated in at Bicholim taluka.  It is very old and famous temple in Goa. The annual jatra associated with this shrines features  unusual customs and rituals drawn from the areas triabal past. The archicteaucture of the temple is unique with a dom and a tail peramid like tower adorning the top.

This is one of the most famous and more unuasal Jatra celebrated in Goa.When thousands of devotees of Lairai  Devi descend on the small town and religious rituals and pujja  dedicated to the goddess are performed throughout the auspicious day. People from different  corner of whole Goa take part in this celebration.
The Shirgao jatra are celebrated in the month of may.The festivals begins early in the morning and continues throughout till sunset.The devotees which are also known as in local language Dhond they perform the rituals.The devotees (dhond) take a bath and walk all the way uphill to the temple to worship the goddess,late into the night asa midnight approaches the devotees perform a frantic dance inside the temple,Which is all lit up for the occasion. The  dance sessoins and  around midnight in the  temple.Fire is made using  a huge pite of wood kept in a large,near the temple.

The final and most intresting part of the jatra begins in the early morning when the fire has stoped buring, the ranking of coals begain the devotees await their turn to walk on the holy path of hot coals. Around 4.am the actal ritual start with the devotees runing through the hot coals carrying there stick with the name of Devi Lairai. In local language the stick are called as beth kati.It is said that the fire does no harm to the devotees who walk silently through the embers.