Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum (Kaneri Math) at Kaneri, Kolhapur district,

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, is a sculpture museum. The full name is Siddhagiri Gramjivan (Village life) Museum. It is situated at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, a campus built around the Moola-Kaadsiddheswar

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

temple.

Museum description

This museum showcases different aspects of ''Gramjivan'' (village life). ''Gram'' means ''village'' and ''jeevan'' means ''life'' in the

Marathi language Marathi (; , 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, , ) is a Classical languages of India, classical Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in Goa, and parts of Guj ...

. This initiative was the dream of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

, and was created through the vision and efforts of Siddhagiri Gurukul Foundation co. The history of self-sufficient village life in Maharshtra, before the invasion of the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

, is depicted in the form of cement sculptures. Each sculpture is lifelike and represents activities performed in daily village life. There were 12 Balutedars (essentially artisan castes), and 18 Alutedars who provided equipment to carry out domestic and professional tasks. The museum is spread over , and the surrounding countryside is beautiful, with lush greenery. Every aspect of village life has been depicted in almost 80 scenes that showcase more than 300 statues.

Village scenes

The scenes of village life include: * Village priest's abode. The first scene is the house of a highly educated village priest. He performs his duties, rites and rituals like weddings and thread ceremonies, and is tasked to find auspicious days and times for any major activity such as housebuilding and house-warming activities, digging wells, sowing seeds, piercing nose or ears. He earns his livelihood from '' Dakshina'' (donations) he receives. He consults the ''Panchaang'' (almanac) for finding auspicious dates. * Goldsmith at work * Ironsmith shoeing a bullock * Barber shop * Village well - villagers fetching water from the public well. * Nursing an elder family member * Grocer's shop - a woman visiting the grocery shop with her son. The shop-keeper is weighing items in an old weighing machine. Items like jaggery, sugar, chillies, salt, wheat, and rice are stocked. The son is asking his mother to buy kites for him. * Farmer's '' wada'' (house) * House of ''

Vaidya Vaidya (Sanskrit: ), or vaid is a Sanskrit word meaning "doctor, physician". Today it is used to refer to traditional practitioners of Ayurveda, an indigenous Indian system of alternative medicine. Senior practitioners or teachers were called ''Va ...

'' * Grandma stitching a ''godhadi'' (quilt) * Farmers ploughing his farm using a bullock-drawn plow * Shepherd boy with his herd of sheep * Villagers performing

Bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

and

Kirtan Sikh ''kirta''n with Indian harmoniums and '' Kenya.html" ;"title="tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya">tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s) ''Kirtana'' (; ), also rendered as ''Kiirtan'', ''Kirt ...

(singing Hindu devotional songs)

Shiva temple

The museum has an old

temple on the grounds. It is related to the

Inchegeri Sampradaya The Inchagiri Sampradaya, also known as Nimbargi Sampradaya, is a lineage of Hindu Navnath and Lingayat Guru, teachers from Maharashtra and Karnataka, which was started by Bhausaheb Maharaj. It is inspired by Sant Mat teachers as Namdev, Rav ...

, to which

Nisargadatta Maharaj Nisargadatta Maharaj (born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli; 17 April 1897 – 8 September 1981) was an Indian guru of nondualism, belonging to the Inchagiri Sampradaya, a lineage of teachers from the Navnath Sampradaya. The publication in ...

belongs. It is believed that a

Shivling A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

was installed by a Lingayat Priest on a beautiful hill in the 14th century. About 500 years ago, a Lingayat Priest, Shree Kadsiddheshwar Maharaj, developed and renovated it, and hence the place is now known by his name. The temple includes a -deep well, a Shiva idol, and a large

Nandi bull Nandi (), also known as Nandikeshvara or Nandideva, is the bull ''vahana'' (mount) of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally ...

.Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum (Kaneri Math)
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References

External links

Siddhagiri Museum

Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math

Kaneri Math

Gramjivan Museum (Kaneri Math)
{{Kolhapur district topics Museums in Maharashtra Kolhapur Wax museums in India History museums in India Inchegeri Sampradaya Tourist attractions in Kolhapur district Buildings and structures in Kolhapur Year of establishment missing