Good morning.
Shree Manudevi Temple is in Adgaon Village in Jalgaon district-Maharashtra.
Located in the lush ranges of Satpuda hills on River Tapi is the Shree Manudevi Temple. The approach to the temple is through a 1500 mtr paved road of gravel. From there, it is an interesting 1500 mtr trek through lush green surroundings to the temple.
The temple is 500 mtr high. The temple is enveloped by hills on three sides. In front is a beautiful waterfall 400 feet high. Six to seven months a year, the waterfall has fierce running water that touches the foot hills of the Satpuda. A lake has now been built here.
History and Mythology
The temple was discovered around 1251 A.D/B.C. Excavations indicate that this is an ancient temple dating back thousands of years. The massive trees at the approach to the temple are said to be a manifestation of that.
Lord Parshurama himself, welcoming devotees for the darshan of Shree Manudevi.
There is a rich folklore and historical tradition regarding this holy shrine.
Myth of Shree Manudevi
In the Bhagwath Puranas the triad of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma faced a serious problem. Rakshasas were menacing the people of earth. The trinity met in a cave in the Satpuda ranges. This cave is the Shree Manudevi temple and its surroundings.
While deeply meditating on a solution, their breathing and the environment that was made in the cave by their power and meditation, gave rise to an illumination of Shakti (power inherent in a goddess) as lightening. These rays culminated into Goddess Manudevi. She is the combined strength, power and intelligence of the Trinity.
The Devtas prayed to Goddess Manudevi, telling her -“O Adishakti, we are in a crises. The Asura Mahishasur is menacing the earth. O Goddess, we ask to you to eliminate him by taking an angry form of your personality. Help us in enforcing peace on earth”.
The Goddess Manudevi promised to kill the Asura soon. She assured them that she would start her offensive against the Asura immediately in the form of Sapthashrung deva.
The Goddess ravaged the forces of the Asura and reached River Tapi. A battle was fought in the area called Shiragadh. Here, she is worshipped as Shiragadh’s Ashta Bhujaa Devi. From here, the Goddess proceeded to Nandra (Bajara). A temple of her as Ashta Bhujaa Devi is here as well.
From there, she proceeded to Paatna, where a great battle was fought with the demons. Weary, the Goddess rested in here and here she came to be known as "Paatna Devi". The serene form of Manudevi was represented in Ashta Bhujaa Devi.
The final battle took place on the Sapthashrung Mountains. The Goddess battled the Asura for seven years. It was a battle between adharma and dharma. The Goddess transitioned into Sapthashrunga Devi. This is the enforcer form which is fearsome to the evil. In this form, she killed the Mahishasur and his forces. Folklore says that this place became the Devi’s home - Khandesh.
Shree Manudevi Temple is in Adgaon Village in Jalgaon district-Maharashtra.Located in the lush ranges of Satpuda hills on River Tapi is the Shree Manudevi Temple. The approach to the temple is through a 1500 mtr paved road of gravel. From there, it is an interesting 1500 mtr trek through lush green surroundings to the temple.
The temple is 500 mtr high. The temple is enveloped by hills on three sides. In front is a beautiful waterfall 400 feet high. Six to seven months a year, the waterfall has fierce running water that touches the foot hills of the Satpuda. A lake has now been built here.
History and Mythology
The temple was discovered around 1251 A.D/B.C. Excavations indicate that this is an ancient temple dating back thousands of years. The massive trees at the approach to the temple are said to be a manifestation of that.
Lord Parshurama himself, welcoming devotees for the darshan of Shree Manudevi.
There is a rich folklore and historical tradition regarding this holy shrine.
Myth of Shree Manudevi
In the Bhagwath Puranas the triad of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma faced a serious problem. Rakshasas were menacing the people of earth. The trinity met in a cave in the Satpuda ranges. This cave is the Shree Manudevi temple and its surroundings.
While deeply meditating on a solution, their breathing and the environment that was made in the cave by their power and meditation, gave rise to an illumination of Shakti (power inherent in a goddess) as lightening. These rays culminated into Goddess Manudevi. She is the combined strength, power and intelligence of the Trinity.
The Devtas prayed to Goddess Manudevi, telling her -“O Adishakti, we are in a crises. The Asura Mahishasur is menacing the earth. O Goddess, we ask to you to eliminate him by taking an angry form of your personality. Help us in enforcing peace on earth”.
The Goddess Manudevi promised to kill the Asura soon. She assured them that she would start her offensive against the Asura immediately in the form of Sapthashrung deva.
The Goddess ravaged the forces of the Asura and reached River Tapi. A battle was fought in the area called Shiragadh. Here, she is worshipped as Shiragadh’s Ashta Bhujaa Devi. From here, the Goddess proceeded to Nandra (Bajara). A temple of her as Ashta Bhujaa Devi is here as well.
From there, she proceeded to Paatna, where a great battle was fought with the demons. Weary, the Goddess rested in here and here she came to be known as "Paatna Devi". The serene form of Manudevi was represented in Ashta Bhujaa Devi.
The final battle took place on the Sapthashrung Mountains. The Goddess battled the Asura for seven years. It was a battle between adharma and dharma. The Goddess transitioned into Sapthashrunga Devi. This is the enforcer form which is fearsome to the evil. In this form, she killed the Mahishasur and his forces. Folklore says that this place became the Devi’s home - Khandesh.
