Jejuri

Jejuri (Marathi pronunciation: [d͡ʒed͡zuɾiː]) is a city and a municipal council in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India.^[2] Khandoba Mandir is an important Hindu temple to the Hindu Lord Khandoba,^[3] one of the most visited tirtha (holy places) in Maharashtra.

Jejuri Jejurigad
City
Devotees during a festival at Khandoba temple in Jejuri
Nickname:  Khandobachi Jejuri
Jejuri Location in Maharashtra, India Show map of Maharashtra Jejuri Jejuri (India) Show map of India Jejuri Jejuri (Earth) Show map of Earth
Coordinates: 18.275267°N 74.160822°E / 18.275267; 74.160822
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Pune
Taluka	Purandar
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
Elevation	718 m (2,356 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	14,515[1]
Demonym	Jejurikar
Official
• Language	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	412303
Telephone code	+91-2115
Vehicle registration	MH-12 ,MH-14, MH-42

Khandoba is a clan god for many Maharashtrian castes and communities, beloved as a god who grants wishes. His wives Mhalsa and Banai represent their caste groups, the Lingayat Vanya of Karnataka and the nomadic shepherds, the Dhangar tribe.^[4]

History

In 1739 Chimaji Appa, a general of the Maratha Empire and brother of Peshwa Bajirao, defeated the Portuguese in the Battle of Vasai. After the war, Chimaji Appa and his Maratha soldiers took 38 church bells from there as memorabilia and installed them in 34 Hindu mandirs of Maharashtra. They installed one of these bells in Khandoba's mandir, where it remains to this day.^[5]

Khandoba temple

Koli Naiks

The Koli brothers Naik Hari Makati and Naik Tatya Makaji were revolutionaries from Maharashtra who revolted against the British Hukumat. With Naik Rama Krishna of Kalambai, they raised an army of Ramoshis from Satara and revolted. In 1879, their Ramoshi army raided Poona fifteen times, then Satara many times after that. In February 1879, Naik Hari Makaji attacked a portion of Bhimthadi in Baramati. On the eighth raid into Baramati, Naik Hari Makaji was attacked by British police, but escaped, fighting hand to hand with two British policemen. He wounded them, but two Ramoshis were captured. At the beginning of March, Hari Makaji again rose, revolted and raided Indapur and raided, but was captured in Solapur in mid-March. Tatya Makaji led his revolution until the end of the year, raiding villages on the Purandar and Sinhagad ranges.

On 17 October, Koli Naik Tatya Makaji and some of his followers killed a Ramoshi who was an informer for British Major Wise. After that, Tatya Makaji Naik was brought to justice.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]}

Geography

Jejuri is located at 18.28°N 74.17°E / 18.28; 74.17.^[15] It has an average elevation of 718 metres (2355 feet) mean sea level.

Jejuri has lime deposits. The historic Shaniwar Wada fort, the central seat of Maratha Empire at Pune was completed in 1732 by the famed Peshwa Bajirao I, at a total cost of ₹ 16,110, With lime mined from the lime-belts of Jejuri.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

As of 2011^[update] India census,^[16] Jejuri had a population of 14,515. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Jejuri has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 67%. In Jejuri, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Khandoba mandir

Main article: Khandoba Mandir

The Khandoba temple is located in Jejuri, which lies to the southeast of Pune in Maharashtra. The town is known for one of the most revered temples in the state, the Khandobachi Jejuri.^[17] The temple is dedicated to Khandoba, also known as Mhalsakant or Malhari Martand or Mylaralinga. Khandoba is regarded as the 'God of Jejuri' and is held in great reverence by the Dhangars. The temple was the site of a historic treaty between Tarabai and Balaji Bajirao on 14 September 1752.^[18]

Every Somavati Amavasya (new moon that falls on a Monday), devotees of Khandoba gather at the Jejuri temple with tonnes of turmeric, smearing it on each other and throwing it around amid energetic singing and dancing. The temple-town is known as ‘Sonyachi Jejuri’ (golden Jejuri) because of this colourful celebration.^[19]

Jejuri Khandoba Temple can be easily divided into two separate sections - the Mandap and Garbhagriha.^[20]

In popular culture

• Some scenes of the Bollywood film Naya Daur (1957) starring Dilip Kumar were filmed on the premises of Khandoba mandir and the surrounding hilltop. The Ana he to aa song of this film was also entirely filmed at this mandir, while some inside shots were filmed at a sound stage.^[21]
• Carry On Maratha (2015) - The Malhari Martand song of this film was shot at the Khandoba mandir. It was picturised by Gashmeer Mahajani.
• Jejuri (poem) by Arun Kolatkar was based on this village and its deity.^[22][23]

Gallery

• 
  Long shot of Jejurigad's mandir on mountain
• 
  Stairs with arched entrance of the Jejuri Khandoba mandir
• 
  Sacred fire (Jyoti) in front of the Khandoba temple.
• 
  Deepstambha in front of the temple

Bibliography

• Günter-Dietz Sontheimer: Some Incidents in the History of the Khandoba. In: Asie du Sud. Traditions et changements. VIth European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies 1973. Hrsg. von M. Gaborieau u. A. Thorner, Paris 1979, S. 11–117.

References

1. "District Census Handbook Pune, Census of India 2011, Maharashtra" (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations Maharashtra. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
2. "Religious Places | District Pune, Government of Maharashtra | India". Retrieved 30 March 2023.
3. Bhasin, Shivani (2 September 2017). "Devotees, god, earth and sky turn a uniform ochre during the Bhandara festival in Maharashtra's Jejuri". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
4. Bhasin, Shivani (2 September 2017). "Yellow is the colour of inclusion: Devotees, god, earth and sky turn a uniform ochre during the Bhandara festival in Maharashtra's Jejuri". The Hindu.
5. "Why bells from Portuguese-era churches ring in temples across Maharashtra". Hindustan Times. 22 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
6. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona (3 pts.). Government Central Press. 1885.
7. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona (2 pts.). Government Central Press. 1885.
8. Report on the Administration of the Bombay Presidency. 1880.
9. Sunthankar, B. R. (1993). Nineteenth century history of Maharashtra. Shubhada-Saraswat Prakashan. ISBN 9788185239507.
10. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1951). The History and Culture of the Indian People. G. Allen 8 Unwin.
11. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona. Printed at the Government Central Press. 1885.
12. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona (3 pts.). Government Central Press. 1885.
13. Gazetteer. Government Central Press. 1885.
14. "ऐतिहासिक". jejuri.in. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
15. "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Jejuri, India". www.fallingrain.com. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
16. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
17. "Jejuri". Amazing Maharashtra.
18. Eaton, Richard M (2005). A social history of the Deccan, 1300-1761: Eight Indian lives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
19. Moghe, Prachi (1 June 2020). "A Touch of Tumeric: A town turns yellow in its devotion to a god during the Bhandara festival". The Week.
20. "Six day long Champa Shashthi Utsav during month of Margashirsha at Khandoba Temple in Maharashtra".
21. "Pune: Sharad Pawar recalls how he cycled to Jejuri to watch Dilip Kumar shooting for Naya Daur". www.google.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
22. Ramakrishnan, E. V. (1997). "Jejuri". In George, K. M. (ed.). Masterpieces of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. New Delhi: National Book Trust. pp. 228–230. ISBN 81-237-1978-7.
23. M. K. Naik, ed. (1984). Perspectives on Indian Poetry in English. Abhinav Publications. p. 169. ISBN 0391032860. 9780391032866