Jyotiba Temple () is a holy site of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

near Wadi Ratnagiri in Kolhapur district of

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 ...

state in western

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The deity of the temple is known by the same name. An annual fair takes place on the full moon night of the Hindu months of

Chaitra Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

and

Vaishakha Vaisakha (, ) is a month of the Hindu calendar that corresponds to April/May in the Gregorian Calendar. In the Indian national calendar, Vaisakha is the second month of the year. It is the first month of the Vikram Samvat calendar, Odia calend ...

Location

There was a small temple in the place of today's Jyotiba big temple. Jyotiba temple is situated at 3124 feet above sea level and is dedicated to Jyotiba. The temple is 18 km north-west of

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

. According to the tradition, the original Kedareshwar temple was built by Navaji Sayaji, also known as Kedar baba from village kival near Karad. In 1730, Ranoji Shinde built the present Jyotiba temple in its place. This temple was constructed by craftsmen known as Kedar who were well-known for their sculptures ( Hemadpanti ). Fine black basalt stones were used according to the scriptures. Kedar craftsmen of Vishvakarma Kula (Acharyas) were believed to be descendants of Acharyas who re-constructed the Kedarnath Temple under the guidance of Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century A.D., later they were known as Kedar's. Kedar craftsmen also constructed Martand Bhaira (Jejuri Khandoba Temple), the Tulja Bhavani temple of Tuljapur, and the Kedareshwar Temple of Harishchandragad. The shrine here at Jyotiba is 57 ft x 37 ft x 77 ft high including the spire. The second temple of Kedareshwar is 49 ft x 22 ft x 89 ft high. This shrine was constructed by Daulatrao Shinde in 1808. The third temple of ''Ramling'' is 13 ft x 13 ft x 40 ft high including its dome. This temple was constructed circa 1780 by Malji Nilam Panhalkar. The interior of the temple is ancient. There are other temples and light towers on the premises.

Ancient story

Shri Jyotiba or Kedareshvar is an incarnation of Bramha, Vishnu, and Mahesh, part of sage Jamadgni's anger, and shine of 12 suns. Legend says Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva came together to incarnate as the deity Jyotiba who eventually destroyed the evil Ratnasura. Jyotiba helped Ambabai in her fight with the demons. He founded his kingdom on this mountain and belongs to the

Nath Natha, also called Nath (), are a Shaivism, Shaiva sub-tradition within Hinduism in India and Nepal. A medieval movement, it combined ideas from Buddhism, Shaivism, Tantra and Yoga traditions of the Indian subcontinent.

sampradaya ''Sampradaya'' (/ səmpɾəd̪ɑjə/,; ), in Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, can be translated as 'tradition', 'spiritual lineage', 'sect', or 'religious system'. To ensure continuity and transmissi ...

. Lord Jyotiba destroyed Raktabhoja Rakshasa, and Ratnasura

Rakshasa Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

thus liberating the region from their tyranny. The idol of Lord Jyotiba is four-armed.

Festival

On Chaitra Poornima of the Hindu calendar, a big fair is held, when lacs of devotees come with tall (Sasan) sticks. Shree Kshetra Padali, vihe, Kolhapur Chatrapati, Himmat Bahadur Chavan, Gwalior Shinde, and Kival Navajibaba are some sasankathis in this festival. Due to the scattering of ‘Gulal’ by the devotees, the entire temple complex appears pink and even the Jyotiba hill has turned pink, resulting in people referring to the temple as the Pink temple. Being Sunday is a day dedicated to Jyotiba, there is always a rush over there.

Nearby Cities

- 20 km *

Sangli Sangli (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Sāṁgalī''; ) is a metropolitan town and the headquarters of Sangli District in Maharashtra, in south-western India. It has earned the nickname "Turmeric City of India" for being the hub of the Asia's largest produ ...

- 55 km

Nearby Railway Stations

* Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus, Kolhapur - 20 km *

Sangli railway station Sangli railway station is a major railway station serving the city of Sangli in Maharashtra, India. It is classified as a Class A station within the Pune Railway Division of the Central Railway Zone under Indian Railways. Location and infrastr ...

- 55 km

References

External links

Location in Wikimapia
{{Kolhapur district topics Tourist attractions in Kolhapur district Hindu temples in Maharashtra