Sri Ganapati Ravalnath Mahamaya Temple is a well-known Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) shrine in the village of Asnoti, about 11 km north of Karwar on the Uttara Kannada coast. The temple is locally important as a family (kuladevata) shrine for several Saraswat families.
Ravalnath, worshipped here alongside Ganapati and Mahamaya, is the fierce guardian deity who protects devotees from evil forces and grants courage. Ganapati removes obstacles and ensures success, while Mahamaya is the divine mother who blesses families with prosperity and protection.
The present temple building was constructed and consecrated in 1913. However, the deities and the worship tradition are older and are linked to families who migrated from Goa. According to local histories, the sacred idols now worshipped at Asnoti were moved from Ella in Tiswadi (Goa) when families left Goa during troubled times, and were later installed at Asnoti.
The principal deities are Sri Ganapati (Ganesha) together with Ravalnath and Mahamaya (a form of the goddess often identified with Shantadurga/Durgadevi). The temple also lists affiliate deities such as Sri Laxmi Narasimha, Sri Vanadevi, and Sri Buthanath. For many local GSB families (surnames like Kamat, Nayak, Mahale, etc.) this temple serves as the kuladevata (family shrine).
The Asnoti shrine is a modest coastal Konkani community temple rather than a large monument. Local photos and short videos show a single sanctum (garbhagriha) housing the main idol(s), a small pillared mandapa or open area for devotees, and the typical compact layout seen in many village GSB temples along the Kanara coast. The building was rebuilt/renovated to suit the community’s needs when the modern structure was made in the early 20th century.
Many centuries ago, the region of Goa (Tiswadi/Ella area) was home to several ancient temples of Saraswat Brahmins. Families their worshipped deities like Ganapati, Ravalnath, and Mahamaya (Shantadurga) as their Kuladevata (family gods).
When foreign invasions and later Portuguese rule began in Goa, temples were attacked and idol worship was disrupted. To protect their beloved deities, the Saraswat Brahmin families decided to move the idols southward towards the Kanara coast (present-day Uttara Kannada district).
These families travelled with great devotion, carrying their deities in palanquins and safeguarding them in hidden places during the journey. At every stop, they performed daily pujas so that divine worship would not be broken.
One group of such families reached Asnoti village near Karwar. They felt that the location, on the banks of the river and near the coastal belt, was blessed and suitable for continuing the worship of their deities. Here, they installed the idols of Sri Ganapati, Sri Ravalnath, and Sri Mahamaya, along with associated deities like Lakshmi Narasimha, Vanadevi, and Bhootnath.
In the beginning, the temple was a small structure made of simple materials. Later, as the community grew stronger, they built a proper temple. The present structure of the shrine was finally consecrated in 1913 with the full support of the local Goud Saraswat Brahmin families.
From then on, the temple has remained the Kuladevata temple for many GSB families, especially those with surnames like Kamat, Nayak, Mahale, and others. For every important family occasion—weddings, naming ceremonies, or new ventures—devotees come back to Asnoti to seek the blessings of their Kuladevata.
