JEJURI - OFFERING HALDI TO KHANDOBA

The next question that confronted them was, with whose devotion it came to stand there. Awangenious method was suggested by someone among them. It was agreed to draw twelve lines on the ground and to strike with pickaxes on them. Honour of bringing Khandoba there would go to that person whose pickaxe hit Sivalinga. Needless to say Bhayya's axe struck, but some strange phenomenon followed. No sooner did the axe touch the linga, there gushed out streams of milk and blood from it. And the flow too was steady and unending. To the wondering folk, Lord Khandoba appearing said that it would stop with the sprinkling of blood on the linga of a man belonging to royal family. The flow came to an instant stop, when the order was implemented. The devotees erected then a temple over the Sivalinga and worshipped it with great ardor. As the omni compassionate Khandoba showered boons to the contentment of worshippers, soon it developed into a great temple and they hailed khandoba as the pratyaksha Daivam. Many kinds of vows made were redeemed then and there. Priests fixed timings for worship. And rituals and traditions were built up step by step. This is history and evidence available in abundance that narrates the holiness of this great shrine. As the first Sivalinga appeared was that of haldi, offering haldi became a revenant tradition- Strange beginning stranger tradition. Is not it?

Location : The temple lies in Jejuri, accessible by four wheelers from Pune, Maharastra.

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