KOLHAPUR - SATI MANDIR

Satisahagamana is a good old tradition practiced by chaste women in the dim past and continued its away till the appearance of Raja Ram Mohan on the social scene. Though this loath-some practice evoked contempt and protest by the then progressive few, it received social sanction. This particular temple shows abundant proof of a woman, who committed Sati and her figure in stone with inscription in Brahmi lipi glares at the visitors when they enter the temple.

According to sthalagnas, roughly some 400 years ago a chaste woman burnt herself at funeral pyre of her loving husband. Eulogizing her ennobling act, some high soused men deemed it necessary to build a temple for worship. And it was done. It is on the self same spot where the sati was committed, and in memory of it only a six foot high by four feet statue was erected. The figure and the inscription are so damaged that nothing is clearly obtained. The Brahmi characters inscribed on the stone are indecipherable due to ravages of weather. but there is unmistakable evidence that this was built to commemorate that monumental self sacrifice of a chaste woman that brought laurels to Indian womanhood. It is visited by many theists. Though not festivals or ritualistic worship is offered, the supreme act of burning on the funeral pyre merits circumambulation to that Sadhvimani says the local with pride.

This lies 3 km off Gagan Bavda and about 50 km off Kolhapur in the state of Maharastra, accessible by four wheelers.

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