Thursday, November 18, 2010

Nageshwar Temple, Pune : A Photo Feature


Nageshwar Temple dates almost to the 13th century, during the times of Sant Dnyaneshwar. Its ‘jeernoddhar’ was however done in the 18th century (1730).


This temple is located in Nagesh Peth then known as Nahal Peth, but later took the name of the temple dedicated to Lord Nageshwar (Lord Shiva).


The temple is constructed in typical Peshwai style with a rectangular 'Sabhamandap' (assembly hall). The interiors of the sabhamandap are made from teak while the gabhara is made in stone. The 'shikhara' is made in the 'nagara' style, from gypsum, lime and plaster.


There are devkoshtas (aedicules) on the temple walls with idols of deities placed inside.


The gabhara has a swayambhu Shivalinga.



There is also a Nandi idol in the precincts of the temple (as also in the sabhamandap) along with smaller Shivalingas.





There are also idols of other deities like Shani Maharaj ,Ganesha etc. 




The temple premises have minor temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu , Lord Hanumana and Lord Dattatreya.


There is also an old abandoned temple which used to house the Vishnu and Datta idols.


Next to it is an old deepamala (lamp tower) made in stone.There is also another deepamala in the main courtyard.


Also present was an kunda (water reservoir). Its water was said to cure leprosy. People before visiting the Ganges in Benares used to visit the Nageshwar temple, and after returning  used to deposit its holy water in the Kunda.


Today the temple lies hidden in the maze of buildings in old Pune, visited only by the locals and the faithful.


Text and Photographs : Abhijit Rajadhyaksha

10 comments:

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  6. People generally indulge in social initiatives with a hidden agenda. Swami, in his subtle form, continues to drive his devotees to strive hard for the elevation of needy people.

    madhusudan naidu

    madhusudan naidu muddenahalli

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  7. Healthcare system is often criticised for it being "efficiently" accessible only to an elite group of people.

    madhusudan naidu

    madhusudan naidu muddenahalli

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is important that we serve our rural children with a nutritious breakfast before enlightening their minds with academic as well as human values education.

    madhusudan naidu

    madhusudan naidu muddenahalli

    ReplyDelete
  9. People generally indulge in social initiatives with a hidden agenda. Swami, in his subtle form, continues to drive his devotees to strive hard for the elevation of needy people.

    madhusudan naidu muddenahalli

    madhusudan naidu muddenahalli

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello, my name is Sanika, and I am an intern at Sahapedia’s Pune Cultural Mapping Project.
    The project aims to document Pune’s cultural and natural resources from the past to the present. The information gathered will be available in October 2020 on a digital map for building awareness, diversity, and ownership of the city.
    We launched a beta version of our map recently. You can find it at map.sahapedia.org/inpune.
    While researching the theme, we came across your blog, and wanted to speak to you about the possibility of collaborating on this project. Would it be possible to set up a call regarding this?

    ReplyDelete