| Temples & Legends Of
Maharastra |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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TULJAPUR - BHAVANI |
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garbhagriba is the image of the devi variously known as Tvarita, Turaja, Tulaja, Bhavani
and Amba This is a stone image about three feet in height, of black polished stone. The
devi has eight arms and they carry various ayudbas in the following order. The lowermost
right hand holds a trident, the next one a dagger, the one above this an arrow and
theuppermost right hand wields the chakra, In the upper most left hand is a sbankh, next
is a bow, the third one carries a bowl and the lower most left hand holds the knot of hair
on the head of the asur.The right leg is planted firmly on the body of Mahishasur, the
left one is on the ground, between the two is the head of the asur gripped by the lower
left arm. The vahan of the devi is a lion, and on the backrest are carved the sun and the
nloon on the left and right sides of the devi. To her left is an image of a tapasvin; head
touching the ground and legs pointing towards the sky. This is a representation of
Anubhuti, a woman tapasvini who was responsible for bringing Tvarita devi on this
Yamunachal. On the head Tests a crown that has a yoni and ling carved on it. Ornaments
like earrings, kundalas, necklaces etc. are carved on the image. This image is supposed to
be Iswayambhu'-seliborn, created without the medium of human agency. However from the
nature of the sculptural characteristics experts assign the late seventeenth or eighteenth
century as the period of its carving. The Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur and Vitthal of
Pandharpur had been kept in hiding during the days of Moslem rule to escape desecration.
However, it is clear from the records that the Bhavani of Tuljapur was not so fortunate.
Sabhasad Bakhar, a Marathi chronicle of the life and times of Chhatrapati Shivaji,
written during the last quarter of the seventeenth century is considered to be a reliable
source of historical information by most scholars. This Bakhar, contains the following
information regarding the devi of Tuljapur: |
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