JYOTIBA TEMPLE
AT
KOLHAPUR
If ever you go to Kolhapur, the one place that you
must include in your travel itinerary is Jyotiba, the holy shrine of Lord
Kedarnath up in the hills near the bustling city with its true Maratha flavour.
It is not for nothing that Jyotiba is called the ‘The King of the Deccan’.
Throughout the year the deity draws devotees in huge numbers. Also, it is known
for being the family deity of the Scindias of Gwalior.
Jyotiba
temple is an important Hindu religious destination located at an altitude of
3124 feet above sea level in the Panhala range of Maharashstra. It is believed that the main deity
the Jyotiba is formed from the souls of three Primary Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva. Legendery stories tell that Jyotiba
is formed to kill the demon Ratnasur.
The shrine of Lord Kedarnath has its faithful across not just
Maharashtra but also Goa and Karnataka. Close to the Panhala Fort, it can be
reached within half-an-hour from Kolhapur, situated as it is at a short
distance of about 20 kilometers north-west of the Mahalakshmi Temple.
The original name of the hill that hosts the
shrine is Ratnagiri, which is now called Wadi-Ratnagiri. Ancient as it is, the
temple of Jyotiba has been renovated three times till date and the present reconstruction
was carried out in 1730 CE by the ancestors of the Scindia family of Gwalior.
The original
deity is in ‘Shivlinga’ form
and known as Kedareshwar. The Bhairav idol, Kedarnath or Jyotiba, was an
addition in time. The deities that are important along with that of Jyotiba are
those of Yamai and Chopadai.
It is said that this shrine was under the
control of the Nathpanthis for a long time. Mythology has it that this Bhairav
was brought from North India and installed at Wada Ratnagiri by the goddess
Mahalakshmi in order to kill Ratnasura, a demon.
The Jyotiba hill
has 12 ‘jyotirlingas’ installed
around the main Kedareshwar shrine and for many this is one of the main
pilgrimage destinations. It is said that these jyotirlingasfrom all over India were installed here by Kedarnath
or Jyotiba himself. An annual fair of Jyotiba takes place on the full moon
night of the Hindu months of Chaitra.
Distance from
Mumbai: 377 kms.
Jyotiba is
18 km north-west of Kolhapur.
Contact Details:
Shri Kshetra
Jyotiba Dongar,
Taluka Panhala,
Dist - Kolhapur
