The circular Nandi Mandapa at the
Pataleshwar cave temple, built during the
Rashtrakuta dynasty, is one of Pune's oldest manmade structures.
The city of
Pune and the surrounding
district have been at the centre of the history of
Maharashtra for more than eight hundred years. A number of places revered by Marathi
Hindu people are there, including five of the eight
AshtavinayakGanesh temples. The samadhi (resting) places of the two most revered Marathi
Bhakti saints,
Dnyaneshwar and
Tukaram, are at
Alandi and
Dehu respectively.[1] The
main temple of
Khandoba, the family deity for most Marathi Hindus, is also in the district at
Jejuri.[2] The city's oldest temple is the
Pataleshwar rock-cut temple complex built in the 8th century.[3]
Notable historic temples
Gates of Chaturshringi temple
The patronage of the 18th century Peshwas resulted in construction of around 250 temples in the city, including those on
Parvati Hill.[4] Many of the
Maruti,
Vithoba,
Vishnu,
Mahadeo,
Rama, Krishna and
Ganesh temples were built in this era.[5] The city also conducted many public festivals.[6][7][8] The Peshwa era rulers provided endowments to more Maruti temples than to temples of other deities such as Shiva, Ganesh or Vitthal. Even in the present time, there are more Maruti temples than those of other deities.[9][10]
Chaturshringi - Temple of Goddess Chaturshringi on a hill.
Kasba Ganapati - One of the Oldest temples in the city. It was commissioned by
Jijabai during her stay in Pune in 1630s. The Ganesh temple is considered one of the presiding deity (gramdevata) of the city. There is a social custom among Marathi Hindus in Pune that any auspicious ceremony such as a wedding should commence with the families obtaining the blessing of this Ganapati.
Red Jogeshwari temple - This is very old temple in the heart of the city, dedicated to the Goddess Jogeshwari, one of the guardian deities of the city.[3]
Parvati - The temple complex on a hill is part of the Peshwa palace dating back to mid 1700s. There are several temples with a main Shiva temple.
Dulya Maruti - One of the historic Maruti temples. This is also considered one of the Guardian deities of the city.[11][10]
Tulshibag- Peshwa era complex with a mix of temples and market for household goods.
Omkareshwar(
Marathi: ओंकारेश्वर) -A Peshwa era river-side temple, dedicated to Mahadeo.
Khunya Murlidhar(
Marathi: खुन्या मुरलीधर)- Old temple built by Sadahiv Raghunath alias Dada Gadre in 1797. The idols in the temple are of Lord Krishna and Radha. There was bloody fight between Bajiro Peshwa-II army and Dada Gadre for acquiring the idol in which 60 men were killed hence the name of the deity.[14]
Notable temples in the metro area and the district
A view Alandi on the Banks of Indrayani riverBhimashankar templeThe Principal temple of God Khandoba, the family deity for many Marathi Hindu families
Alandi -The town attracts millions of devotees annually to the resting place or (Samadhi) of the 13th century Marathi Bhakti saint, Sant
Dnyaneshwar[15]
Bhimashankar -Bhimashankar is one of the twelve
Jyotirlinga Shiva temples in India. It is located high in the Sahyadri mountains, 127 km from Pune. Bhīmāshankar is also the source of the
Bhima River, the main tributary of the
Krishna River.
Dehu - The town on the banks of the indrayani river is associated with Tukaram,[16] the 17th-century poet-
saint of the
Bhakti movement in
Maharashtra.[17] The town is visited by hundreds of thousands of people for the annual
Pandharpur Wari when the paduka (symbolic sandals) of the saint are carried to
Pandharpur in a palkhi.
Jejuri - The town is foremost center of worship of the regional deity of
Khandoba[18] It is situated 48 km from
Pune, Maharashtra. Khandoba at Jejuri is the family deity of a large number of families from different
MarathiHindu communities. There are two temples: the first is an ancient temple known as Kadepathar. Kadepathar is difficult to climb. The second one is the newer and more famous Gad-kot temple, which is easy to climb. Both temples are fort-like structures.[19]
Bhuleshwar temple - A 13th century Shiva temple on top of a hill. It is 45 kilometres from
city of Pune and 10 km from Pune Solapur highway from Yawat. The temple is unique as its architecture is Islamic from outside and appears more as a mosque than a temple due to its resemblance of a circular tomb and minarets.
Lenyadri temple in an ancient former Buddhist cave
Ashtavinayak refers to eight Ganesh temples in Pune district and adjacent areas. Each of these temples has its own individual legend and history. Five of these temples are situated in Pune district.[20]
Many new temples have been built in the
Pune metro area and other parts of the district in recent years by different Hindu sects. Amongst these the large and notable ones are:
^
abKantak, M. R. (1991–92). "Urbanization of Pune: How Its Ground Was Prepared". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 51/52: 489–495.
JSTOR42930432.
^Preston, Laurence W. "Shrines and neighbourhood in early nineteenth-century Pune, India. " Journal of Historical Geography 28. 2 (2002): 203-215.
^R. V, OTURKAR, x. J.,
THE POONA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION,
POONA CITY
^OTURKAR, R. V (1951).
Poona:Look and Outlook. Pune: THE POONA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, POONA CITY. p. 50. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"A temple of history". The Times of India. No. Pune. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
^Glushkova, Irina. "6 Object of worship as a free choice." Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions: Forms, Practices and Meanings 13 (2014).
^Maxine Bernsten (1988), The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra, State University of New York Press,
ISBN978-0887066627, pages 248-249
^Anna Schultz (2012), Singing a Hindu Nation: Marathi Devotional Performance and Nationalism, Oxford University Press,
ISBN978-0199730834, page 26
^Mate, M. S. (1988). Temples and Legends of Maharashtra. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.page 162
The circular Nandi Mandapa at the
Pataleshwar cave temple, built during the
Rashtrakuta dynasty, is one of Pune's oldest manmade structures.
The city of
Pune and the surrounding
district have been at the centre of the history of
Maharashtra for more than eight hundred years. A number of places revered by Marathi
Hindu people are there, including five of the eight
AshtavinayakGanesh temples. The samadhi (resting) places of the two most revered Marathi
Bhakti saints,
Dnyaneshwar and
Tukaram, are at
Alandi and
Dehu respectively.[1] The
main temple of
Khandoba, the family deity for most Marathi Hindus, is also in the district at
Jejuri.[2] The city's oldest temple is the
Pataleshwar rock-cut temple complex built in the 8th century.[3]
Notable historic temples
Gates of Chaturshringi temple
The patronage of the 18th century Peshwas resulted in construction of around 250 temples in the city, including those on
Parvati Hill.[4] Many of the
Maruti,
Vithoba,
Vishnu,
Mahadeo,
Rama, Krishna and
Ganesh temples were built in this era.[5] The city also conducted many public festivals.[6][7][8] The Peshwa era rulers provided endowments to more Maruti temples than to temples of other deities such as Shiva, Ganesh or Vitthal. Even in the present time, there are more Maruti temples than those of other deities.[9][10]
Chaturshringi - Temple of Goddess Chaturshringi on a hill.
Kasba Ganapati - One of the Oldest temples in the city. It was commissioned by
Jijabai during her stay in Pune in 1630s. The Ganesh temple is considered one of the presiding deity (gramdevata) of the city. There is a social custom among Marathi Hindus in Pune that any auspicious ceremony such as a wedding should commence with the families obtaining the blessing of this Ganapati.
Red Jogeshwari temple - This is very old temple in the heart of the city, dedicated to the Goddess Jogeshwari, one of the guardian deities of the city.[3]
Parvati - The temple complex on a hill is part of the Peshwa palace dating back to mid 1700s. There are several temples with a main Shiva temple.
Dulya Maruti - One of the historic Maruti temples. This is also considered one of the Guardian deities of the city.[11][10]
Tulshibag- Peshwa era complex with a mix of temples and market for household goods.
Omkareshwar(
Marathi: ओंकारेश्वर) -A Peshwa era river-side temple, dedicated to Mahadeo.
Khunya Murlidhar(
Marathi: खुन्या मुरलीधर)- Old temple built by Sadahiv Raghunath alias Dada Gadre in 1797. The idols in the temple are of Lord Krishna and Radha. There was bloody fight between Bajiro Peshwa-II army and Dada Gadre for acquiring the idol in which 60 men were killed hence the name of the deity.[14]
Notable temples in the metro area and the district
A view Alandi on the Banks of Indrayani riverBhimashankar templeThe Principal temple of God Khandoba, the family deity for many Marathi Hindu families
Alandi -The town attracts millions of devotees annually to the resting place or (Samadhi) of the 13th century Marathi Bhakti saint, Sant
Dnyaneshwar[15]
Bhimashankar -Bhimashankar is one of the twelve
Jyotirlinga Shiva temples in India. It is located high in the Sahyadri mountains, 127 km from Pune. Bhīmāshankar is also the source of the
Bhima River, the main tributary of the
Krishna River.
Dehu - The town on the banks of the indrayani river is associated with Tukaram,[16] the 17th-century poet-
saint of the
Bhakti movement in
Maharashtra.[17] The town is visited by hundreds of thousands of people for the annual
Pandharpur Wari when the paduka (symbolic sandals) of the saint are carried to
Pandharpur in a palkhi.
Jejuri - The town is foremost center of worship of the regional deity of
Khandoba[18] It is situated 48 km from
Pune, Maharashtra. Khandoba at Jejuri is the family deity of a large number of families from different
MarathiHindu communities. There are two temples: the first is an ancient temple known as Kadepathar. Kadepathar is difficult to climb. The second one is the newer and more famous Gad-kot temple, which is easy to climb. Both temples are fort-like structures.[19]
Bhuleshwar temple - A 13th century Shiva temple on top of a hill. It is 45 kilometres from
city of Pune and 10 km from Pune Solapur highway from Yawat. The temple is unique as its architecture is Islamic from outside and appears more as a mosque than a temple due to its resemblance of a circular tomb and minarets.
Lenyadri temple in an ancient former Buddhist cave
Ashtavinayak refers to eight Ganesh temples in Pune district and adjacent areas. Each of these temples has its own individual legend and history. Five of these temples are situated in Pune district.[20]
Many new temples have been built in the
Pune metro area and other parts of the district in recent years by different Hindu sects. Amongst these the large and notable ones are:
^
abKantak, M. R. (1991–92). "Urbanization of Pune: How Its Ground Was Prepared". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 51/52: 489–495.
JSTOR42930432.
^Preston, Laurence W. "Shrines and neighbourhood in early nineteenth-century Pune, India. " Journal of Historical Geography 28. 2 (2002): 203-215.
^R. V, OTURKAR, x. J.,
THE POONA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION,
POONA CITY
^OTURKAR, R. V (1951).
Poona:Look and Outlook. Pune: THE POONA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, POONA CITY. p. 50. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"A temple of history". The Times of India. No. Pune. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
^Glushkova, Irina. "6 Object of worship as a free choice." Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions: Forms, Practices and Meanings 13 (2014).
^Maxine Bernsten (1988), The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra, State University of New York Press,
ISBN978-0887066627, pages 248-249
^Anna Schultz (2012), Singing a Hindu Nation: Marathi Devotional Performance and Nationalism, Oxford University Press,
ISBN978-0199730834, page 26
^Mate, M. S. (1988). Temples and Legends of Maharashtra. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.page 162