Navadurga Temple is located in Kanyale–Redi of Vengurla taluk. Though the name is
Navadurga, the goddess is in the form of ashta bhuja (having 8 arms) Mahishasur Mardini (the goddess who killed Mahishasura). She holds the conch shell (shankh), wheel (chakra), club (gada), lotus (padma), spear (trishul), and lance (bhala) in her hands. Two main festivals are celebrated during
navratris in the month of Ashwin and on the Shuddha Navami (9th day) of Magha month as per the Hindu calendar. There are idols of other deities such as Kasi Kalyani Brahman, Jain Brahman, Bhavnath, and Deva Bharacha Purvas inside the temple. The Palakhi ceremony of the Goddess is held four times a year.
Goddess Navadurga originally belonged to the town Gavasi of Tiswadi district in Goa. The goddess reached Kanyale–Redi in Maharashtra from Goa. About 400 years back, during the 16th century, when the Portuguese who ruled Goa started destroying many Hindu temples, the devotees decided to shift the deity from Gavasi to Vengurla. On the way to Vengurla, the devotees halted for a while at Redi. After their rest period was over, they decided to move further towards Vengurla. But they could not move the idol from that place. The devotees purchased land and built the temple of Navadurga there, understanding that the goddess preferred to stay at that place.
