| This hall of
mirrors was built by Sardar Vinchurkar of Poona. These Vinchurkars are also responsible
for the golden kalash that surmounts the shikhar of the Shrine. Music is played from the
nagarkhana - drum-house-when the worship is going on and also in the early morning. Of the
periodic rites, as against the daily ones, the ‘Kushavarta snana’ is the most
important. Every Monday morning the mask is placed in a palanquin and ceremonially taken
to the Kushavarta tirth. Musical accompaniment is of course there. The servants of the
shrine, such as mace-bearers etc. lead the procession. On the tirth the image receives a
ritual bath, after which it is brought back to the shrine and the routine daily rituals
follow. In addition to Mondays on some other days
also this palanquin procession is taken out, These days include some of the most important
Hindu festivals like Dassera, Divali, Padava and some other days significant from the
Shaivite point. These are the Shivaratris, the full-moon day of the month of Kartika etcOn
all these occasions the great golden crown is placed on the image and several ornaments
are also placed on it.There are very few reliable historic references to this particular
shrine that could be taken back to a period earlier than the eighteenth century.
The vicinity of Tryambakeshvar,Godavari, Nasik, Panch- vati
etc. was well known from ancienttimes. The fort of Anianeri was an important stronghold of
the Abhir rulers and enjoyed great importance during the Maratha period. |
