Khandoba Temple, Jejuri
Khandoba temple of Jejuri is a Hindu mandir (temple) dedicated to the god Khandoba. It is located on a hill in the town of Jejuri, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the most prominent Hindu pilgrimage places of Maharashtra. Jejuri's Khandoba is a clan-deity of many herding (Dhangar), and farming families of the Maharashtra and Deccan region. History. The worship of Khandoba began in the 12th to 13th century. The Khandoba temple was rebuilt during the reign of the Peshwas. In 1737–1739, Chimaji Appa, brother of Peshwa Baji Rao I gifted Portuguese church bells from  Vasai to the temple. He and his Maratha soldiers took the bells from Portuguese churches after defeating them in the Battle of Vasai (1737), as conquest memorabilia. Deity. The central deity Khandoba, also called "Malhari-Martand", "Mallukhana", and "Khanderaya", is one of the most popular deities of Maharashtra. Khandoba is regarded as a manifestation of the god Shiva. Khandoba is the Kuladevata (ancestral tutelary deity) of many peoples of Maharashtra. The Dhangar tribe, herdsmen, shepherds, nomads, and farmers of Maharashtra worship Jejuri's Khandoba. Legends. According to legend, two rakshasa brothers Mani and Malla pleased the god Brahma with their  austerities. By Brahma's boon, they became very powerful and started destruction on Earth, harassing people. Which then led God Shiva to arrive on earth in the avatar of Khandoba to destroy Mani and Malla. In a fierce battle, Khandoba killed one demon, and forgave the other when he promised to serve the common people. Architecture. The temple is situated on a hill at an elevation of . The temple can be approached by three flights of steps-the east, the west and the north. The northern steps lead to the main entrance of the temple. The temple is accessed by  climbing nearly 200 steps. The steps have around 18 arches, 350 "Deep-stambha" (lamp-pillars) and several shrines bordering it. Around a third way up the steps split and rejoin higher. On one pathway going up, the pilgrims visit the shrine of Khandoba's minister, Hegadi Pradhan. The other pathway used by devotees going down has the temple of Banai, Khandoba's second wife. This temple looks like a hill fort, and is known as Jejuri "gad" ( ). The eight-sided, round fort boundary with encloses a cloister courtyard, at the centre of which is the main temple shrine. In the  courtyard, there is around brass-coated tortoise, in diameter. The temple is built in Hemadpanthi architecture style, consisting of an outer square hall and an inner sanctum. The sanctum includes a linga (an anionic symbol of Shiva), three pairs of Khandoba with his first wife Mhalsa. The temple also has a murti of Khandoba mounted on a horse in warrior form. Khandoba is worshipped with turmeric, belfruit leaves, and by offering naivedhya made from onions and other vegetables. The devotees offer flowers and turmeric to the deity. Devotees throw turmeric in the air as an offering to the god; as  a result of this the steps of the hill temple and premises have a yellow hue. It is from Pune. The temple is a Maharashtra state government protected site.