Shree Dev Vyadeshwar temple is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

dedicated to the God

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 located in

Guhagar Guhagar (Marathi pronunciation: �uɦaːɡəɾ is a census town in Ratnagiri district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Guhagar is known for its virgin beach, coir items, coconuts, betel nuts and mainly Alphonso mangoes. The nearest city ...

town from Ratnagiri District of

Maharashtra State Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

in India. The deity is considered as the Kuladevata (Clan-deity) of many Chitpavan families from the

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

region.

Legend

Sage

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appea ...

created the land of

by shooting his arrow into the sea and commanding the Sea God to retract the waters to the point where his arrow landed. This new land came to be known as ''Sapta-Konkana'', meaning "piece of earth", "corner of earth", or "piece of a corner", derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

words: ''koṇa'' (कोण, corner) + ''kaṇa'' (कण, piece). Shree Parshurama also requested 60 rishis to settle in the newly created land and protect the resident clans. He, being a devotee of the God

, requested Shree Shiva to meet him daily. Sage Vyadi installed the

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devotional ...

of Shiva at this temple in

. The Shiva icon and temple was thus named as Shree Vyadeshwar (the Lord of Vyadi). It is believed that Shree Shiva stays here in the invisible form. Shree Vyadeshwar Deity was lost to time and is rediscovered in the era of King Sakuran, when the current temple structure was constructed.

Style

The architectural style is called 'Panchayatan'. A Panchayatan temple contains four subordinate shrines in four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which forms the base. Here,

is Shree Vyadeshwar, the central shrine, with Surya,

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

, Amba or

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...

(Shiva's consort) and

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

with his wife

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

as the South-East, South-West, North-West and North-East subordinate shrines respectively. Nandi (the ''

vahana ''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana is often ...

'' of Shiva) sits in front of the main shrine. The temple has three entrances to the east, west and south. Shri

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...

(the ''vahana'' of Vishnu) and Shri

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

are installed on either sides of the East entrance, inside the temple.

Updates

This 'Panchayatan' temple is ancient, as are its deities. Due to aging, the three shrines were found eroded. In May 2015, the shrines of Shri

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

(Ambikamata), Shri Garud and Shri

were ceremonially replaced by new shrines. Also the shrine of Shri Suryanarayan was replaced later. All the required reinstatement rituals were systematically performed. The old entrance facing due East was small in size and was inconvenient. That entrance (Mahadwar in local Marathi language) was replaced with a completely renovated gate, during the recent renovation of the temple.

Incarnations of Shri Vyadeshwar

Three small pieces were separated from the main or core part of the Pindi. One piece was located at Borya Adoor; the second piece went to Asgoli and the third piece to Anjanwel. At these locations, new Shiva temples were erected. These temples are known as Talkeshwar, Balkeshwar (Valukeshwar) and Udaleshwar (Uddalakeshwar) respectively. These three Shiva Pindis are considered to be incarnations of Shri Vyadeshwar. The said locations being very close to Guhagar, devotees of Shri Vyadeshwar may visit these three temples also.

Nearby holy sites

Other holy places reflect the presence of different deities : Shree Chandikai Kalkai Temple (Waghivare), Garamath,

Velneshwar Velneshwar is a village on the Western Coast of Maharashtra, India, about 70 km from Ratnagiri. Velneshwar is reputed for its rock-free beach which facilitates the ease of swimming. There is an old Shiva temple near Velneshwar which is fr ...

, Tarakeshwar, Taldeo, Kartikeya, Someshwar, Sapteshwar, Karneshwar, Karhateshwar, Kutakeshwar, Hrudakeshwar, Saptakotishwar, Dalbhyeshwar,

Harihareshwar Harihareshwar is a town in Raigad district, in Maharashtra, India. It is surrounded by three hills named Harihareshwar, Harshinachal and Pushpadri. The river Savitri enters the Arabian Sea from the town of Harihareshwar. Towards the north of th ...

, Bhairav, Rameshwar, Chyavaneshwar, Ufrata Ganesh, Karanjeshwari Pethmap Chiplun and Durga Devi temple, Guhagar.

Shri Vyadeshwar Mantra and Aarti

, the holy prayer for chanting is called a

Mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

while a poem that describes specialties of the deity is called an Aarti. Shri Vyadeshwar Mantra is given in adjacent picture while snap of Shri Vyadeshwar Aarti is given in gallery

Gallery

Following are the relevant photographs: File:Official shri vyadeshwar aarti.jpg, Official Shri Vyadeshwar Aarti File:Shri Talkeshwar.jpg, Shri Talkeshwar File:Balkeshwar.jpg, Shri Balkeshwar File:Uddalakeshwar.jpg, Shri Uddalakeshwar File:Shri Talkeshwar Mandir.jpg, Shri Talkeshwar Mandir File:Shri valukeshwar mandir.JPG, Shri valukeshwar mandir File:Shri Uddalakeshwar Mandir.jpg, Shri Uddalakeshwar Mandir File:Shri Ganesh Panchayatan.jpg, Shri Ganesh from shri vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Shri Surya 2.JPG, The Sun from shri vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:New Shrine of Shri Suryanarayan.jpg, New Shrine of Shri Suryanarayan File:Shri Vishnu 2.JPG, Shri Vishnu from shri vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Shri Ambika Mata.jpg, Shri Ambika Mata File:Shri amba.jpg, Shri Amba from Shri Vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Garud 2.JPG, Shri Garud File:New Shrine of Shri Garud from Shri Vyadeshwar Panchayatan.jpg, New Shrine of Shri Garud from Shri Vyadeshwar Panchayatan File:Maruti.jpg, Shri Maruti File:Shri hanuman.jpg, New Shrine of Shri Hanuman File:Shri nandi 2.JPG, Shri Nandi File:Shri vyadeshwar dahibhat limpan photo 2.png, Shri Vyadeshwar dahibhat limpan File:Shri vyadeshwar dahibhat limpan photo 1.png, Decorated Pindi with dahibhat limpan

References

External links

Velavan Beach House
Coastal Homestay at Guhagar {{Ratnagiri district topics Hindu temples in Maharashtra Ratnagiri district Shiva temples in Maharashtra Articles containing video clips