Degaon Varhadghar Temple, Maharashtra

Address

Degaon Varhadghar Temple, Maharashtra

Degaon, Maharashtra 415004

Moolavar

Shiva

Introduction

The Pateshwar Shiva temple complex was a completely unknown location where this temple is located inside the complex. At a distance of 14 km from Satara, 67 km from Mahabaleshwar and 59 km from Panchgani, Varhadghar Temple is an ancient temple situated at Degaon in Satara district of Maharashtra. It is one of the popular places to visit in Satara. The Shiva temple is one of the major attractions of Pateshwar. Built in 16th century AD, this temple is now in slightly depleted condition but the statues and the carvings are still intact.

Puranic Significance

The temple has been augmented from a natural crevice in the bedrock, so the front is constructed from basalt rock bricks, but the back is essentially a small rock cave. The temple has three chambers, with a Nandi mandap at the entrance and a central courtyard space that is open to the sky. The central courtyard space has a number of sculptures, including a wonderful Chaturmukhi pind that very much reminded of the four-faced Shiva lingam at the Brahma Temple in Khajuraho. Right next to this is another interesting pindi with twin pots; known as Kumbeshwar. The entrance to the main chamber has a couple of carvings on either side of the door, with male figures holding tridents and the females (Ganga and Yamuna) holding water pots. The main chamber itself is simply staggering, Measuring approximately 5m square and 2m high, the chamber is supported by four pillars, two of which are heavily carved.

The main central Sahasra Shiva pind is itself so impressive at nearly 2m long and 1m high. Equally impressive are the carved serpents on the pillars, each one with separately carved pindis; over 200 on one column, over 300 on the other. But it doesn’t stop there, this chamber alone houses an additional 11 shiva pindi in the central chamber, almost all of them are unique in design. Adorning the walls, the flourish of Pindi continues in the form of three Sahasra Pindi panels. Each one has a deity carved at the uppermost center of the panel; the one of the left in the chamber is believed to be the deity Ganga with a crocodile at her feet. Each of these panels is said to have around 1,000 pindis, the common thread of Shiva Pinds littering this complex continues in the two remaining spaces, the chambers to the left and right of the main chamber of the Varhadghar Temple.