| Temples & Legends Of
Maharastra |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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KHANDOBA - JEJURI |
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| Coming out of
the temple the first noticeable feature is a stone tortoise, plated with a brass sheet.
Its diameter is twenty-eight feet. This tortoise is used as a ‘rangashila’, a
platform from which kirtans, singing or dance concerts in honour of the god are performed.
Next to it, opposite the temple is a small cell formerly used for performing the rite of
‘Bagad’. Behind it and also facing the deity is a giant image of the
demon Mani. It is carved in stone and is nine feet in height. On either side of these are
tall dipmalas with elaborately carved brackets. There are certain other gods resident in
the same prakara. There is a Mahadev known as Panchalingeshvar, a small temple of
Tuljabhavani, a Ganesh shrine and so on. Very few of them seem to have either any
iconographical or legendary connection with the chief object of worship at the kshetra.
Having finished the darshan and a round of the shrine one can go round to the
Karhe-Pathar. For this he has to get out of the enclosure through the western gate The
path descends down for some time and then it enters’ into a zigzag and up and down
pattern thatmakes the journey to and fro rather tiresome. Karhe-Pathar has also a direct
approach from the village. Instead of going to the town one has to walk down some one-and
-a-half miles towards the west. From this point a small foot-track leads the way up to the
Karhe-Pathar temple. This track is partially made of steps, partially of plain walk. The
ascent to the temple takes about half-an-hour. The route from the Gad kot to Karhe-Pathar
has also a number of archways over it. Half way up, a spot is shown known as
'ghodeuddan’, the place from where the horse of Khandoba jumped to reach the Gad-kot.
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