In all, there were 66 families which settled in Salcette taluka. Of them, six families settled in Varyenapur or Varunapur (old Mhaddol), commonly known as Vernem.

There are many stories associated with how the idol of Mahalasa came to be installed in the present temple at Mardol. But the migration of this deity took place from Varunapur or Vernem to its present place during the middle of the Sixteenth Century.

While the minute details are not known, it is evident that this migration took place during the persecution launched by the Christian missionaries during the Portuguese rule.