Vajreshwari temple
Encyclopedia
The Shree Vajreshwari Yogini Devi Mandir is a Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 temple dedicated to the goddess Vajreshwari, located in the town Vajreshwari
Vajreshwari
Vajreshwari is a town near Mumbai, famous for its goddess Vajreshwari temple and hot water springs. It was called Vajreshwari after reincarnation of goddess Vajreshwari or Vajrayogini,the presiding deity of the temple, in the area....

, 75 km away from Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. The town, earlier known as Vadvali, was renamed Vajreshwari in honour of the presiding deity of the temple.

Location

The town of Vajreshwari - on banks of river Tansa - lies in Bhiwandi taluka, Thane district
Thane District
Thane is a district in northern Maharashtra state in western India. As of 2011 it is the most populated district in the nation. The headquarters of the district is the city of Thane. Other major cities in the district are Navi Mumbai , Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar,...

, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and 31 km away from the nearest railway station of Vasai. The temple is located near the post office of Vajreshwari town, on the Mandagiri hillock, which was formed out of a volcanic eruption and is surrounded by hills on all sides.

Legends

The region of Vadvali is mentioned in the Puranas (Hindu scriptures) as visited by Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....

s (incarnations) of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 (Hindu god of preservation): Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

 and Parshurama. The legend has it Parshurama had performed a yajna
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...

 (fire offering) at Vadvali and the hills of volcanic ash in the area are its residue.

The primary deity of the temple, Vajreshwari , also spelled Vajreshvari, also known as Vajrábái and Vajrayogini, is considered as incarnation of goddess Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...

or Aadi-Maya on earth. Her name literally means "the lady of the Vajra
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...

 (thunderbolt
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt is a discharge of lightning accompanied by a loud thunderclap or its symbolic representation. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors, or, as Plato suggested in Timaeus, of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies,...

)". There are two legends about the goddess' origins, both associated with the Vajra.

Thousands of years ago, a Rakshasa
Rakshasa
A Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...

 (demon) named Kalikala or Kalikut troubled the rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...

s (sages) and humans in the region of Vadvali and waged a war against the deva
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...

s (gods). Distressed the gods and sages headed by Vashishta performed the TriChandi yagna, a fire offering to the Goddess
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...

, to please Her. An aahuti (offering of ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

 in yajna) was not granted to Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

 (king of devas). Enraged, Indra hurled his Vajra - one of most powerful weapons in Hindu mythology- at the yajna. The terrified gods and sages prayed to the Goddess to save them. The Goddess appeared in all her glory at the site and not only swallowed the Vajra and humbled Indra but also killed the demons. Rama requested the Goddess that she should stay in the region of Vadvali and be known as Vajreshwari. Thus, the Vajreshwari temple was established in this region.

Another legend says that Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

 and other devas went to goddess Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...

 and requested her to help slay demon Kalikala. Goddess Parvati assured that she will come to their aid at the right time and ordered them to fight with the demon. In the battle, Kalikala swallowed or broken all weapons thrown at him. Finally, Indra threw the Vajra at the demon, which Kalikala broke into pieces and from the Vajra, emerged the Goddess, who destroyed the demon. The devas extolled her as Vajreshwari and built her temple.

The 7th canto of Navanath
Nath
The Sanskrit word nāthá or नाथ, is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge"...

 Kathasar
states that Machindranath served goddess Vajrabhagawati (Vajreshwari) for a month by giving her a bath of the water of hot springs.

History

The original temple of Vajreshwari was at Gunj - five miles (8 km) north of Vadavli. It was moved to Vadvali after its destruction by the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

In 1739, Chimaji Appa - the younger brother and military commander of Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...

 Baji Rao I
Baji Rao I
Shrimant Baji Rao Balaji Bhatt , also known as Baji Rao I, was a noted general who served as Peshwa to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu from 1719 until Baji Rao's death. He is also known as Thorale Baji Rao...

 - had set camp in the Vadvali region on his way to capture the Portuguese held Bassein Fort
Bassein Fort
Bassein Fort is a large fort in Vasai village, in the Vasai taluka of the District of Thane, Konkan Division, Maharashtra State, Republic of India...

 of Vasai. The fort was unconquerable even after a three-year war. So Chimaji appa prayed to goddess Vajreshwari that if he could conquer the fort and defeat the Portuguese, he would build a temple to the goddess. According to legend, goddess Vajreshwari appeared in the dream of Chimaji Appa and told him the way to conquer the fort. On the 16 May, the fort fell and defeat of Portuguese in Vasai was complete. To celebrate his victory and to fulfill the vow taken in front of goddess Vajreshwari, Chimnaji appa ordered the new Subhedar (governor)
Shankar Kasav Phadke to build the Vajreshwari temple. The temple' architecture is based on
Bassein Fort.

The Nagarkhana in main entrance gate was built by the Gaikwads, Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...

 dynasty of Baroda. The stone steps leading to the temple and the Dipamala (A tower of lights) in front of the temple were built by Nanasaheb Chandavadakar, a moneylender from Nashik.

Temple structure

The main gate entrance has a Nagarkhana or drum house and is built similar to Bassein fort entrance. The temple is also surrounded by a stone wall like a fort. Fifty-two stone steps are to be climbed to reach the main shrine. A golden tortoise is carved on one of the steps and worshipped as Kurma
Kurma
In Hinduism, Kurma was the second Avatar of Vishnu. Like the Matsya Avatar also belongs to the Satya yuga.-Samudra manthan :...

, the tortoise incarnation of Vishnu.

The main shrine has three sections: the main inner sanctum (Garbha gṛha), another sanctum and a pillared mandapa
Mandapa
A mandapa in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion for public rituals.-Temple architecture:...

(assembly hall). The Grabha-griha houses six idols. The saffron murti
Murti
In Hinduism, a murti , or murthi, or vigraha or pratima typically refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit . Meaning literally "embodiment", a murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, which serves as a means through which a divinity may be worshiped...

 (idol) of goddess Vajreshwari with a sword and a gada (mace) in her right and left hands respectively and a trisula (trident) besides her, stands in the centre. Murtis of goddess Renuka (Parshurama's mother) with a sword and a lotus in her hands, goddess Saptashrungi
SaptaShrungi
Saptashrungi or Saptashringi is a site of pilgrimage situated 60 kilometers from Nashik. According to Hindu tradition, the goddess Saptashrungi Nivasini dwells within the seven mountain peaks. It is located in Vani, a small village near Nashik in India...

 Mahalakshmi of Vani and a tiger, goddess Vajreshwari's vahana
Vahana
Vāhana denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular deva is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's mount. Upon the partnership between the deva and his vāhana is woven much iconography and mythology...

 or mount; are to the left of goddess Vajreshwari. On her right are the murtis of goddess Kalika (the village goddess) with a lotus and a kamandalu (water pot) and Parshurama armed with a parshu (axe). The goddesses are adorned with silver jewelry, crowns and stand on silver lotuses and are sheltered by silver umbrellas. The sanctum outside the Garbhagriha has idols of Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...

, Bhairava
Bhairava
Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...

, Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

 and local deities like Moraba devi. The assembly hall has a bell, which devotees ring when entering the shrine and a marble lion, also believed to be the goddess' mount. A Yajna kunda (a structure in which a fire offering is done) is outside the assembly hall.

Smaller shrines in temple premises are dedicated to Kapileshwar Mahadeva (Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

), Datta
Datta
Datta may refer to:* Datta, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - a Union Council of Mansehra District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.* Dutta - an Indian family name, common among Punjabis and Bengalis.* Datta - A Sri Lankan monarch who reign around 683 - 684....

, Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

 and saints of Giri Gosavi sect. A peepal tree in front of the Hanuman shrine, has assumed a form of Ganesha and is worshipped as the deity. The samādhi
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....

 (tomb) of the 17th century Giri Gosavi saint Godhadebuwa is further atop the Gautam hill, behind the Mandagiri hillock.

Temple festivals

The temple celebrates Navaratri (nine nights dedicated to worship of Hindu Goddesses) once from the first day of fortnight of waxing moon of Hindu month of Chaitra
Chaitra
Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....

 (March) to the ninth day of Ram Navami and then from the first day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Ashvin
Ashvin
Ashvin , also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the Tamil solar calendar where it is known as Aipassi and the solar India's national civil calendar. It is the sixth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It falls in the season of Shôrot, or Autumn...

 (October) to the 10th day Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...

.

A huge fair in honour of Goddess Vajreshwari is held on Amavasya (new moon day) in the month of Chaitra. The fair commences on the 14th day of fortnight of waning moon of the month with ceremonial worship of the Goddess. On Amavasya at night, lamps are worshipped. On the next day, the first day of Hindu month Vaisakha
Vaisakha
Vaishakha or Baisakha is a month of the Hindu calendar. It is the first month of the Nepalese calendar and the Bengali calendar . In the Indian national calendar Vaisakha is the second month of the year, beginning on April 21 and ending on May 20.In the Hindu solar calendar, Vaisakha begins in...

, the ceremonial procession with a Palkhi (palanquin) carrying an image of the goddess, is taken out.

Other festivals the temple celebrates are Shiva worship in Hindu month of Shravana
Shravana
Shravana is the 22nd nakshatra or lunar mansion as used in Hindu astronomy and astrology. It belongs to the constellation Makara or Capricorn....

; Kojagiri Poornima - full moon day of Hindu month Ashvin; Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...

 (festival of lights); Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...

 (festival of colours); Datta Jayanti (birthday of the deity Datta
Datta
Datta may refer to:* Datta, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - a Union Council of Mansehra District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.* Dutta - an Indian family name, common among Punjabis and Bengalis.* Datta - A Sri Lankan monarch who reign around 683 - 684....

); Hanuman Jayanti (birthday of monkey god Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

) and Godhadebuwa Jayanti (birthday of the saint Godhadebuwa).

Administration

The temple is taken care of by the Shree Vajreshwari Yogini Devi Public Trust. The members of the Giri Gosavi sect are members of the trust and have being responsible for worship and maintenance of the shrine since its establishment in 1739.

Hot springs

There are around twenty-one hot water springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...

, in a five-kilometer radius of the temple. According to tradition, the hot water is the blood of demons and giants, slain
by goddess Vajreshwari. Though according to scientists, their proximity to the former volcano in the region accounts for their creation. Pilgrims who visit the temple also have a holy bath in the springs, which are referred to as kundas in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 and are named after Hindu deities
Hindu deities
Within Hinduism a large number of personal gods are worshipped as murtis. These beings are either aspects of the supreme Brahman, Avatars of the supreme being, or significantly powerful entities known as devas. The exact nature of belief in regards to each deity varies between differing Hindu...

 like Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...

 (sun-god), Chandra
Chandra
In Hinduism, Chandra is a lunar deity and a Graha. Chandra is also identified with the Vedic Lunar deity Soma . The Soma name refers particularly to the juice of sap in the plants and thus makes the Moon the lord of plants and vegetation. He is described as young, beautiful, fair; two-armed and...

(moon-god), Agni
Agni
Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...

 (fire-god), Vayu
Vayu
Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...

 (wind-god), Rama (Vishnu's incarnation), Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...

 (Rama's wife and incarnation of goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...

 - wife of Vishnu) and Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...

 (Rama's brother).

How to Reach Vajreshwari

By Air: Mumbai is the closest airport around 75 km from Vajreshwari.

By Rail: The nearest rail station for Vajreshwari from the Eastern Suburbs of Mumbai is Thane Station. Thane is around 34 km from Vajreshwari. The nearest rail station from the Western Suburbs of Mumbai is Vasai Road Station.

Many buses ply regularly to Vajreshwari from Thane and Vasai Road Station regularly. There are lots of extra and special buses organized by the Maharashtra State Transport during holidays and special festival occasions.

By Road: Vajreshwari is easily accessible from the national highway through all the major cities in Maharashtra.

Approachable Route from Eastern and Western Suburbs of Mumbai

People who visit Vajreshwari through the Western Suburbs of Mumbai should take the Western Express Highway – Dahisar Checknaka – National Highway no.8 – TO Shirsad – State Highway – Vajreshwari route.

People who wish to visit Vajreshwari from through Eastern Suburbs of Mumbai should take the Eastern Express Highway – Mulund Check Naka – Nasik Road – Bhiwandi Bypass Toll – Bhiwandi Junction – Vajreshwari rout

Virar, Nalasopara is the nearest Railway Station on Western Railway for Vajreshwari.
ST buses fron Virar, Nalasopara and Vasai ( West)are playing for Vajreshwari.

Other temples of goddess Vajreshwari

  • A small shrine at Gunj and Katai in Wada taluka, Maharashtra, where the original temple stood
  • Vajreshwari temple, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
    Himachal Pradesh
    Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

    : A Shakti Peetha, where a part of the body of goddess Sati
    Dakshayani
    Dākshāyani or Satī is a Hindu Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is worshipped particularly by Hindu women to seek the long life of their husbands...

     (first wife of Shiva, who was reborn as Parvati - Shiva's nominally second wife) fell.
  • Vajreshwari Temple, Chamba
    Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
    Chamba is an ancient town in the Chamba district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. According to the 2001 Indian census, Chamba has a population of 20,312 people...

    , Himachal Pradesh

External links

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