Surla Tar Mosque and Tank at Dharbondora.

If one refers to the older maps of Goa, the Surla Tar Mosque will probably show as being located in Bicholim. However, since 2011 and the remapping of the state of Goa, the Mosque named after the Surla-Tar area it is located in, falls in the Dharbondora taluka.

As in the Safa Masjid at Ponda, the Surla Tar Mosque too was built in the Medieval times during the Adilshahi rule during the 16^th century. Very similar to the layout of the Safa Masjid also, at the front of the Mosque is a laterite water tank with mehrab arches, a feature very typical of Mughal architecture.

Destroyed by time, it was rebuilt in 1956. However, the water tank is not used for ablutions anymore as maintenance is still lacking. The Mosque lies along the river Mandovi and local Goan ferries still very much ply across the river. The ferry was an important stop for trade between Panaji and Surla in the past.

At the back, lies a dargah of a Sufi Pir also known as Pira Dev or Pir Saheb.  Word has it that he came to Goa to calm the conflicts between the Hindus and Muslims in the pre-Portuguese times. Till date, during the festival of Shigmo, the local Goan Hindu villagers conclude with a procession and a ceremony called ‘bhovartalo’ to the Mosque, as an act of gratitude to the saint for bringing about communal harmony with the two faiths, that continue to revere the Saint.