Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has made a budget provision of Rs 20 crore for the restoration and reconstruction of Hindu temples and heritage sites destroyed during the Portuguese era.
"Our places of worship are symbols of our rich cultural heritage. At many places in Goa, we find several temples in dilapidated and neglected conditions. During the Portuguese regime, there was a systematic effort to destroy these cultural centres. Considering tourism development, we have made a provision of Rs 20 crore for reconstruction and restoration of these temples and sites," Sawant said in his speech.
Earlier last year, while inaugurating the first phase of Mangueshi tourism project, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said there is a need to restore all the temples destroyed by the Portuguese during their colonial rule in the state.
In December 2021, Sawant had again revoked the debate regarding the reconstruction of temples that had been destroyed by the Portuguese. “Like Mahalasa Narayani Temple at Verna, all the temples destroyed by Portuguese during their regime need to be restored and the restoration process should begin on the occasion of the 60th year of Goa’s liberation” Sawant had said.