Pal or Pali is in
Satara district in the state of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, India
Pal is known for its shrine to
Khandoba
Khandoba (IAST: Khaṇḍobā), Martanda Bhairava, Malhari, or Malhar is a Hindu deity worshiped as a manifestation of Shiva mainly in the Deccan plateau of India, especially in the state of Maharashtra. He is the most popular Kuladevata (family ...
, who is reincarnation of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. It is situated south of
Satara. Thousands of devotees visit the shrine and in January there is an annual
yatra
( sa, यात्रा, 'journey', 'procession'), in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated w ...
, or pilgrimage when Shiva marries
Mhalsadevi.
Distance from Pune to Khandoba Pali is 135 km (84.00 miles) and traveling time by car is 2 hours 15 mins. (On NH4 while coming from Satara to Karad, at Kashil town take left turn for Pal).
About the Temple
The Khandoba temple is on the left bank of the river Tarli and was built about 500 years ago by a Vani named Aba bin Sheti Padhode.
The temple lies on the site of a legendary appearance by the God Khandoba to a favourite devotee, a milkmaid named Palai in whose honour the village name was changed, from Rajapur to Pal.
Quite a few families make an annual pilgrimage to Pal-Khandoba and Aundh-Yamai-Devi.
{{coord missing, Maharashtra
Satara district
Hindu temples in Maharashtra