The Yamai Devi Temple is situated in a hill complex in the town of

Aundh Aundh may refer to * Aundh State, a princely state in British India ** Aundh Experiment, an early test of village-level self-government in British India * Aundh, Satara Aundh is a town in India 26 mi. southeast of Satara. The population in ...

, Satara 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 ...

, India.

History

Bronze Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle

It is said that Goddess

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

, God

Jyotiba Jyotiba Temple () is a holy site of Hinduism near Wadi Ratnagiri in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra state in western India. The deity of the temple is known by the same name. An annual fair takes place on the full moon night of the Hindu calen ...

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 ...

and Sri Rama (Lord Vishnu) called her as "Ye Mai" (in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

) (ये माय / ये माई) which means "Mother, pls. come" in English. Hence, she is known as ''Yamai Devi''. Yamai Devi is also considered the elder sister of

Tulja Bhavani Shree Tulaja Bhavani Temple (Marathi: श्री क्षेत्र तुळजा भवानि देवस्थानम्) is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Bhavani. It is located in Tuljapur in Dharashiv district of Maha ...

. Therefore, many devotees still follow the tradition of visiting the Mulpeeth Yamai Devi after visiting Tuljapur's Tulja Bhavani. Devotees are used to come with pure heart into one of the Devi Yamai's temples and to find her blessing.

Temple features

The Yamai temple is built on a small hill. The top of the hill can either be reached using steps that start at the bottom of the hill, or by car. There is a parking available at the top. The temple complex has the head of Rakshas Aundhasur, a well carved Nandi and a Shivling. The idol of the goddess, Yamai in black stone is almost two metres high and is in a cross-legged sitting position. The temple is the family shrine ( kula-daiwat) for a large number of Marathi families. The top of the temple has images and idols of various Hindu deities. The town and the temple has been associated with the PantPratinidhi family for many centuries. The present head of this former ruling family, Gayatreedevi Pantpratinidhi, has installed a solid gold ''kalash'' or crown on the pinnacle of the Yamai temple on the hill. Another temple of Devi Yamai is located in the town; apart from the one on the hill. The temple had an elephant for religious processions and ceremonies for more than fifty years. It was taken to an elephant sanctuary in 2017 because of health issues.

Shri Bhavani Museum

The temple complex also houses the Shri Bhavani Museum established from the private collection of the Maharajas of

. The museum building is situated on the middle section of the temple hill. Visitors can reach the museum, both by steps and road. The museum holds paintings by noted 19th and 20th century Indian artists such as M. V. Dhurandhar,

Baburao Painter Baburao Krishnarao Mestry, popularly known as Baburao Painter (3 June 1890 – 16 January 1954) was an Indian Filmmaking, filmmaker and artist. He was a man of many talents with proficiency in painting, sculpture, film production, photography, ...

, Madhav Satwalekar and

Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma () (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Especially, he was notable f ...

as well as the famous ''Mother and Child'' stone structure by the British artist

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

References

{{Hindu temples in Maharashtra Hindu temples in Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Satara district