Vairagad Bhadreshwar Temple, Maharashtra

Address

Vairagad Bhadreshwar Temple, Maharashtra

Vairagad,

Maharashtra 441217

Moolavar

Bhadreshwar

Introduction

Vairagad is a village located within the highly secured walls of a fort. The Vairagad Fort is famous for the ancient temple of Lord Bhadreshwar. The fort lies on the banks of river Khobragadi and Sati and belongs to the kingdom of Nag. An Italian survey states that there might have been a diamond mine in the place. The name ‘Vairagad’ is said to be derived from the hindi word ‘Vajrakar’ which means ‘Diamond mine’. The fort was built by the rulers of Gond dynasty (1472 -1497 CE), whose residence was within the fort. The fort served to protect the rulers and their kingdom from enemy threats. Few people believe that Vairagad is the same place as Viratnagari in the epic Mahabharat, where the Pandavas had spent their last year of exile in disguise. Around half a mile south of Vairagad is a small temple of Lord Bhadreshwar located on top of a small hillock. The temple looks beautiful and greatly resembles the architectural design of Markandeya temple at Markanda. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva.