Jejuri

This temple is entirely dedicated to the God of Jejuri – Khandoba, who is the popular tribal deity. Khandoba is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva brought an end to two asuras with the sword known as Khanda – hence he is known as Khandoba. One of Lord Shiva’s avatar is Khandoba, also known as Malhari Martand. He is famous by 12 names such as Maillara, Malhari, Mallari-Martanda, Mhalasakanta, Mailar, Mairala, Mallukhana and Bhairava. He is the God of hill. There are 400 steps to climb for darshan of  Khandoba. As the husband of many wives, Khandoba is considered the God of fertility. Newly married couples visit Khandoba temples, particularly the shrine in Jejuri, seeking blessings on the consummation of marriages.

One would find many newlyweds seeking blessings of the God – as it is believed to be a ritual to visit the temple post the marriage and perform a puja together. As you would enter the temple premises, there is haldi all round – on the floor, the temple walls and in the air. People are playing in the colors of haldi. If you have allergies – please refrain from visiting the place. The temple looks beautiful in colors of yellow – specially the four decorative sculptured pillars in front on the temple which were colored in haldi ke rang. In the night the temple is lit with diyas making it all the more beautiful and religious yet a romatic stop for couples. The bhandara festival takes place almost three times each year which Known as ‘sonyachi Jejuri’ Some other festivals like Mahashivratri, Janmashtami and Navaratri are celebrated here.

How to reach here :

It 49 km. from Pune. And 190 km. from Mumbai by road. Private tourist buses or hired taxi or own vehicle is best option. There is parking facility available.

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