Saptashrungi Devi Temple

According to Hindu belief, an insulted Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva, sacrificed herself at a yagna (fire worship ritual) which was being performed by her father Dakshmaharaj. Angry with this incident, Lord Shiva started the tandava nritya (dance of destruction). In order to prevent destruction of all creation, Lord Vishnu used his Sudershan charka (wheel) to cut the body of Sati into several parts. Sati’s body was scattered all over what is presently the Indian subcontinent. There are 51 such holy spots where temples have been erected and they are called Peethas or the Shakti Peethas. Sati’s limb, her right arm is reported to have fallen here.

It is also said that when the demon king Mahishasura was creating havoc in the forests, the devatas and people urged Durga to kill the demon. Then the 18 armed Saptashrungi Devi took the form of Durga and slayed Mahishasura, and since then she is also known as Mahishasura Mardhini. Mahishasura was in the form of a buffalo. At the foot of the hill, from where one starts climbing the steps, there is the head of a buffalo, made in stone, which is believed to be of demon Mahishasura.

In the epic Ramayana war, when Lakshmana was lying unconscious in the war field, Hanuman came to Saptashrungi hills in search of medicinal herbs to restore his life. Saptashrung Mountain was a part of the forest called Dandakaranya mentioned in the Ramayana. It is mentioned that Lord Rama, along with Seeta, and Lakshmana had come to these hills to pray to the goddess and seek her blessings.

In the hill of Markandeye, named after Sage Markandeya, there is a cave which is said to have been the abode of the sage. This hill is located to the east of Saptashringi and a deep ravine divides the two hills. While staying in this cave, Markandeya is believed to have recited puranas (Hindu scriptures) to entertain the Devi.

Another local myth is that a tiger resides in the garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum) every night and a keeps a watch on the temple but goes away before sunrise. Yet another myth is that when a person was trying to destroy a beehive, the Devi appeared before him to prevent the act.

Saptashrungi Temple is two storied shrine with the Devi enshrined in the top floor. The Devi image is carved in a cave at the base of a sheer scarp rock face. The Devi is said to be swayambhu (self-manifested) on a rock on the sheer face of a mountain. She is surrounded by seven (sapta in Sanskrit) peaks (shrungain Sanskrit), hence the name: Sapta Shrungi Mata (mother of the seven peaks).

The Devi is decorated with high crown (like a papal tiara), and a silver nose-ring and necklaces which are the ornaments used every day. Her attire is in the form of a robe with a blouse, which are changed with new dresses every day. Before she is dressed for worship she is religiously given a formal abhisheka or bath; warm water is reported to be used for two days in a week. The courtyard in front of the temple has a trident or Trishula decorated with bells and lamps. There are other precious ornaments of the goddess which are normally kept at Vani in safe custody but are used to decorate the deity on special festival days. The Devi’s image is painted bright red with ochre called sindoor, which is considered auspicious in this region; however, the eyes are not touched by the colour but are made of white porcelain, which shine very brightly.

The temple has undergone renovations recently also with creations of many facilities. The facilities created at the shrine consist of about 500 steps cut into the rock slopes of the hill, from above the road point, leading to the temple entrance, a community hall, a gallery for devotees to form queues and have orderly darshan of the goddess. The steps were built by Umabai Dabhade in 1710 AD. The steps are also seen with figures of Rama, Hanuman, Radha and Krishna, Dattatreya, and of tortoise at a few places on many temples dedicated to Durga or Mata.