Shree Dev Vyadeshwar temple is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

dedicated to the Hindu god

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 ...

. It is in

Guhagar Guhagar (Marathi pronunciation: �uɦaːɡəɾ is a census town in Ratnagiri district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Guhagar is known for its virgin beach, coir items, coconuts, betel nuts and mainly Alphonso mangoes. The nearest city and ...

town from

Ratnagiri District Ratnagiri district (Marathi pronunciation: �ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The administrative headquarter of the district is located in the town of Ratnagiri. The district is 11.34% urban. The district ...

Maharashtra State 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 the sou ...

in India. The deity is considered as the

Kuladevata A ''kuladevata'' (), also known as a ''kuladaivaṃ'' (), is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion (''bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, ...

(Clan-deity) of many

Chitpavan The Chitpavan Brahmin or the Kokanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan, the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra. Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the commu ...

families from the

Konkan The Konkan is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, bound by the river Daman Ganga at Damaon in the north, to Anjediva Island next to Karwar town in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau to the eas ...

region.

Legend

Sage

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

created the land of

by shooting his arrow into the sea and commanding the Sea God to retract the waters to the point where his arrow landed. This new land came to be known as ''Sapta-Konkana'', meaning "piece of earth", "corner of earth", or "piece of a corner", derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

words: ''koṇa'' (कोण, corner) + ''kaṇa'' (कण, piece). Shree Parshurama also requested 60 rishis to settle in the newly created land and protect the resident clans. He, being a devotee of the God

, requested Shree Shiva to meet him daily. Sage Vyadi installed the

lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

of Shiva at this temple in

. The Shiva icon and temple was thus named as Shree Vyadeshwar (the Lord of Vyadi). It is believed that Shree Shiva stays here in the invisible form. Shree Vyadeshwar Deity was lost to time and is rediscovered in the era of King Sakuran, when the current temple structure was built. The temple is constructed between 1st and 2nd century, which makes it around 2000 years old

Style

The architectural style is called 'Panchayatan'. A Panchayatan temple contains four subordinate shrines in four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which forms the base. Here,

is Shree Vyadeshwar, the central shrine, with

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

, Amba or Ambika (Shiva's consort) and

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

with his wife

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

as the South-East, South-West, North-West and North-East subordinate shrines respectively.

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afr ...

(the ''

vahana ''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindus, Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership b ...

'' of Shiva) sits in front of the main shrine. The temple has three entrances to the east, west and south. Shri

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

(the ''vahana'' of Vishnu) and Shri

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

are installed on either sides of the East entrance, inside the temple.

Renovations

This 'Panchayatan' temple is ancient, as are its deities. Due to aging, the three shrines were found eroded. In May 2015, the shrines of Shri

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

(Ambikamata), Shri Garud and Shri

were ceremonially replaced by new shrines. Also the shrine of Shri Suryanarayan was replaced later. All the required reinstatement rituals were systematically performed. The old entrance facing due East was small in size and was inconvenient. That entrance (Mahadwar in local Marathi language) was replaced with a completely renovated gate, during the recent renovation of the temple.

Gallery

Following are the relevant photographs: File:Official shri vyadeshwar aarti.jpg, Official Shri Vyadeshwar Aarti File:Shri Talkeshwar.jpg, Shri Talkeshwar File:Balkeshwar.jpg, Shri Balkeshwar File:Uddalakeshwar.jpg, Shri Uddalakeshwar File:Shri Talkeshwar Mandir.jpg, Shri Talkeshwar Mandir File:Shri valukeshwar mandir.JPG, Shri valukeshwar mandir File:Shri Uddalakeshwar Mandir.jpg, Shri Uddalakeshwar Mandir File:Shri Ganesh Panchayatan.jpg, Shri Ganesh from shri vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Shri Surya 2.JPG, The Sun from shri vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:New Shrine of Shri Suryanarayan.jpg, New Idol of Shri Suryanarayan File:Shri Vishnu 2.JPG, Shri Vishnu from shri vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Shri Ambika Mata.jpg, Shri Ambika Mata File:Shri amba.jpg, Shri Amba from Shri Vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Garud 2.JPG, Shri Garud File:New Shrine of Shri Garud from Shri Vyadeshwar Panchayatan.jpg, New Idol of Shri Garud from Shri Vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Maruti.jpg, Shri Maruti File:Shri hanuman.jpg, New Idol of Shri Hanuman File:Shri nandi 2.JPG, Shri Nandi File:Shri vyadeshwar dahibhat limpan photo 2.png, Shri Vyadeshwar dahibhat limpan File:Shri vyadeshwar dahibhat limpan photo 1.png, Decorated Pindi with dahibhat limpan

References

External links