| Temples & Legends Of Maharastra |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
PANDHARPUR - VITTHAL |
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| According to
local tradition the rest of the fourteen persons represented on the plate drowned
themselves in the river when Namdev took samadhi. Close to the first step is placed a
brass bust of Namdev. A priest of the Shimpi community has charge of the bust, the
offerings go to the Badavas or hereditary priests of the Vithoba. The step on which this
mask is placed is called the Namdev-step and no one touches it with his feet. It is to be
crossed without touching it. The spot is worshipped as the samadhi of Namdev. It is stated
that Namdev requested the god to permit him to remain there as he would' then receive on
his head the dust from the feet of Vithoba's devotees. In front of this step, in the corner of the house opposite the Namdev gate is a small niche that houses a stone two feet high and one and half-feet broad. This stone is worshipped as the samadhi of Chokha Mela, a Mahar devotee of Vithoba. The Mahars used to worship this samadhi and pay their respects to the Vithoba from this spot when they were not allowed entry into the temple. The Namdev gate opens on a narrow passage with a roof resting on arches with three rooms on each side, the central room on each side having an inner room. There is an image of Ganesh on the left hand side. The whole supports a nagarkhana. This passage and rooms form together the Mukha or Mukti mandap. On descending half a dozen steps one enters a spacious quadrangle nearly 120' by 60'. On the northern and southern sides of this are arched aisles used for cooking etc. on festival occasions. There are three dipmalas in the quadrangle and the samathis of Pralhadbuva Badave and Kanhaya Haridas. So also in the same quadrangle are the images of Garuda and Hanuman, the latter established by Swami Ramadas. Six steps lead from this partly covered quadrangle to a narrow mandap (50' by 10'). The mandap is of stone construction. In the back wall of the mandap are three gates of which the middle gateway and doors have been elaborately plated with brass and highly decorated. On either side are the dwarapalas-Jaya and Vijaya. This hall was built by two Naik brothers from Ped in 1621. To the left of the gateway in the back wall of the mandap is a large niche with the image of Ganesh daubed with redlead. To the right of the gateway is a black stone image of Saraswati with a lotus, akshamala, parshu and a book as her ayudhas. |
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| About Padharpur | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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