The temple of Shree Laxmi Devalaya that we see today is situated in the scenic Village of Benaulim in Salcete Taluka, Goa.

The Village of Benaulim is the neighbouring village of Colva from the North, Margao in the North east and Varca Village from the South.

Ancient Banahalli was the site of the Katyani Baneshwar temple dedicated to the Hindu deities shiva and Parvati. The deities were shifted to Aversa in North Canara (modern Uttara Kannada district) in the Sixteen Century.

The Village was known as Banahalli or Benawali (the village of the arrow) before the advent of the Portuguese. “Ban” is the Sanskrit word for arrow and Halli the Kannada word for Village. According to the Sahyadri Khanda of the Skanda Purana, Lord Parshuram (Sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu) shot his arrow into the sea and commanded the sea god Varuna to recede up to the point where his arrow landed. The arrow is said to have landed at Banahalli.

Another Legend is that the Kshatriyas stole Kam denu, the wish fulfilling cow, owned by the father of Parshuram, the 6^th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Aggrieved Parshuram vowed vengeance and wielding is axe fought 21 battles and annihilated the kshatriyas. He then laid down his axe took out the bow and shot an arrow from atop the sahyadri.  The sea parted where the arrow fell and land emerged . The village where the arrow landed came to be known as “Banavle” (Place where the arrow fell). Even today the villagers will point out “Kamla Tollem” or pond of lotuses, as the spot where the arrow landed and it is still present in the Benaulim Village.

The water of this pond is always filled with lotuses throughtout the year and is a tourist attraction. This pond is still worshipped by the local people of Benaulim village as a sacred place. The name Banavili was later distorted to Benaulim by Portuguese.

THE PORTUGUESE ERA

The Portuguese ruled Goa from 1510 to 1961 until Goa was liberated in the year 1961. During the Portuguese rule, there was a massive forcible conversion wherein many people were forcibly converted into Christanity and as a result the number of Hindu population was less than the Christian population. It was an era when Hindu people could not openly celebrate their religious festivals due to various restrictions imposed upon by the then Portuguese rulers. The Total population of Benaulim was more than 7 to 8 thousand out of that the Hindu Population in Benaulim was only close to 100 to 150

There were many Temples before the advent of Portuguese in Benaulim Village. The prominent among them were the temples of Shree. Katyani Baneshwar, Laxmi Narayan, Sateri and Rawalnath.

The Hindu Temples were demolished under the Portuguese administration and Hindu People were looked upon as people belonging to a lower religion and their gods were condemned.

It was difficult to get any justice from the then Portuguese ruled Government.

LATE SHRI. FONDU VISHNU RAIKAR

Late Shri. Fondu Vishnu Raikar was born in the village of Benaulim in the year 1896 . He was born in an era when the portuguese ruled Goa. Seeing the atrocities made out to the hindus and their temples under the Portuguese rule and feeling the need to unite the hindu population of Village Benaulim and other villages in the neighbourhood and inculcate in them the religious sentiments, he in the year 1813 installed two deities of Shree Lakshmi and Shree Datta Maharaj at his home in Benaulim and started celebrations of Shree Lakshmi Pujan, Shree Datta Jayanti and also weekly Friday celebrations (considered auspicious day of Goddess Shree Lakshmi) with Bhajan and also weekly Friday celebrations in the month of Shravan the holy month of hindus on a small scale.

ESTABLISHMENT OF SHREE. LAXMI PUJAN-UTSAV FUND

Due to performance of weekly Friday Bhajan at the residence of Late Fondu Vishnu Raikar, many hindu people who were very fond of singing Bhajan and worshipped Goddess Shree Lakshmi and Lord Datta Maharaj from Benaulim village and also from neighbouring villages started coming to the house of late Fondu Vishnu Raikar on every Friday and they took active part in the singing of bhajan and Prayers of Devi Mahalakshmi. In the year 1831 a first meeting was held at the residence of Late Fondu Raikar and it was decided to celebrate Laxmipujan utsav on a big scale for 3 days and to establish a fund to meet the expenses which was named as “Shree Laxmi pujan utsav Fund”

It was also decided to constitute a 2 member committee to conduct the Laxmipujan utsav which comprised of Shri. Fondu Vishnu Raikar and Shri. Shankar Mahadev Kenkre from Benaulim. It was also decided to conduct the Laxmi Pujan utsav most likely in the house of Late Fondu V. Raikar and in case anyone decides to celebrate it in his house then that person would have to take the deity to his house on the 1^st day of Laxmi Pujan from the house of Late Fondu V. Raikar and reinstante it again after 2^nd day of the utsav.

PURCHASE OF NEW TEMPLE PREMISES

A small premises was purchased with the help of Laxmi Pujan utsav Mandal Fund in the year 1923. The Laxmi Pujan utsav Mandal at that time comprised of Shri. Narayan Fondu Raikar (Benaulim), Shri. Sitaram Laxman Vernekar (Vanelim), Shri. Janardhan Shankar Shirodkar (Makazan), Shri. Shankar Mahadev Kenkre (Benaulim), Shri. Pandarinath Yeshwant Lotlikar (Sernabatim), Shri, Janardhan Krishna Lotlikar (Benaulim), Shri. Putu Vishnu Vernekar (Benaulim), Shri. Jagannath Sagun Karekar (Benaulim), Shri. Fondu Vishnu Raikar (Benaulim).

The “Laxmi Pujan Utsav Mandal” decided to celebrate all future Laxmi Pujan (3 days) utsav in the new premises and a deity of Goddess Laksmi was installed after doing pranpratistaphana and the name of the temple was established as “Shree Laxmi devalaya” Benaulim, Salcete, Goa. It was also decided that Late Shree Fondu V. Raikar would celebrate 1^st day Laxmipujan utsav at his house in Benaulim and the deity of Goddess Laksmi would be brought back to the temple in a procession in the evening of 1^st day. It was also decided to do Awahan puja after bringing the deity back to the temple.

At the same time a Marathi Medium School was started by name Shree. Katyani Baneshwar Vidhyalaya and a small library was setup to inculcate reading habits in the Mahajans and other devotees visiting the temple.

LAXMI PRASADIK  SATYONNATI SAMAJ

In an AGM Meeting held on 15-11-1923 of the member of “Laxmipujan utsav Mandal” the name of “Laxmipujan utsav Mandal” was changed to “Shree Laxmi Prasadik Satyonnati Samaj”.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HALL

There was a need for more place as the number of students in school was increasing and there was no place in the existing temple premises and therefore a new hall was constructed in the year 1924.

CELEBRATION OF FIRST DATTAJAYANTI UTSAV IN THE TEMPLE

A Group of 27 people in an around the Village of Benaulim started celebrating  Dattajayanti in the Temple Premises in the year 1929 on a sarvajanik scale and they established a separate permanent fund for meeting the expenses of Dattajayanti utsav.

REGISTRATION OF LAXMI PRASADIK SATYONNATI SAMAJ WITH THE GOVERNMENT

In a AGM meeting held on 14-7-1931 it was resolved to join the Dattajayanti Mandal with the Laxmi Prasadik Satyonnati Samaj and it was also resolved to register the Laxmi Prasadik Satyonnati Samaj with the Government. The Government impressed with all round social work carried out by the Samaj as a whole immediately registered the Samaj 0n 15-9-1933 and its registration was published in the official Gazette dated 15-9-1933 and the samaj was allowed to use the Government symbol (Bandeira Nacional).

CELEBRATION OF VARIOUS UTSAV IN THE TEMPLE UNDER THE MANAGEMENT  OF
LAXMI PRASADIK SATYONNATI SAMAJ.

Various utsav were celebrated under the able Mangement of the Laxmi Prasadik Satyonnati Samaj in the Temple. The most prominent of them were Shree Laxmi Pujan, Saraswati Pujan, Ganesh utsav, Shri. Krishna Jayanti, Shree. Dattajayanti and Geeta Jayanti were celebrated by the Samaj in the Laxmi Temple.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW SABHAMANTAP

A new Sabhamantap was constructed in the year 1936 and was inaugurated on    13-11-1936 on the day of Laxmi pujan utsav and a First play on stage by name “Sangeet Swargawar swari va Sangeet Sinhacha chava” in Marathi was enacted.

The Laxmi Prasadik Satyonnati Samaj continued its noble work of managing the Temple from 1813 to 1978. The most prominent of them was giving free education to orphaned children, giving donations for final rites of any hindu orphan person who has died and also to any family member older than 12 years belonging to Mahajan who had died.

REGISTRATION OF TEMPLE UNDER THE GOA DAMAN AND DIU MAHAJAN MANDAL ACT

The Temple came to be registered under the Mahajani Act and the compromise was published on official Government Gazette No. 52, Series –III on 30-3-1978. There were 135 people who were registered as Mahajans of the Temple as per the New Mahajani Act.  The Temple has since been functioning under the provisions of the Mahajani Act right from its registration under the said Act till date with all round development undertaken from time to time by various Managing committee constituted till date. The Temple also received lots of donations both in cash and kind from its Mahajans and other devotees from time to time which helped in the overall development of Temple and still continues to receive the same till date. The Temple recently in the year 2013 celebrated its 100 years centenary completion celebrations wherein two new shikhar Kalash were installed on the temple alongside other development works were also carried out.

LIST OF MAHAJANS OF DEVALAYA AS ON 31st March 2019