पुणेरी मिसळ: The Ruins of Ambejogai.

Thursday, 4 October 2018

The Ruins of Ambejogai.

Ambejogai in Beed district of Maharashtra is the location of the famous Yogeshwari temple- the Kuldaivata of all Chitpavan Brahmins. It is a strange anomaly, considering the Chitpavans hail from the Kokan region. No conclusive or convincing evidence has been put forward- they arguments have ranged from the origin of Chitpavans outside and the goddess shifting to Ambejogai to them being Yajurvedi brahmins who migrated to the Kokan with a major stop at Ambejogai. Whatever the tales, Ambejogai is most definitely the Kul-daivata of peoples from a far off land, as strange as it may see and sound. The temple happens to be one of the 3 and half shakti-peeths in Maharashtra. It is also one of the 3 Yogeshwari(Jogeshwari) temples in Maharashtra- the other two being at Lanja in Ratnagiri district and the other being the Tambdi Jogeshwari in Pune.

Myths and stories apart, purely from a historical point of view, the place seems to be of great importance from 10th century onwards. Ambejogai seems to have been a culturally thriving city- proof being the ornate temple construction one finds around the Yogeshwari temple. Sakleshwar Temple, Kholeshwar temple, the Mukundraj caves, and numerous other sites nearby.

I happened to visit the place in June 2017 with Uma and our families, as a custom post marriage. The place happens to be extremely rich in architectural remains, and streets- heck even dump sites are littered with archeological ruins of pillars, arches, figures or carvings of some sort. Ive read that they have discovered a new temple in the region, which wont come as a surprize, given the amount of temple "ruins" one already finds over there. I was there for a short time- a few hours, and hence could not study to my hearts content. However, I managed to have a look at the appalling Ambejogai Archeological Museum, and the nearby Shivleni Caves, also known as the Hattikhana- for the presence of 4 stone elephants in the complex . Both the places are neglected, and in a shambolic condition. This apathy towards our culture and history is really bewildering. Tourism would have been the staple livelihood of the people living there, if it was in Europe or North America. Anyway, there is a lot of scope to develop the region as a Religious- Historical tourist attraction.

The old village is otherwise very charming, with ancient houses lining up the streets surrounding the temple. The setting is idyllic, however, connectivity and vehicles is slowly increasing the bustle. Exploring the village, the temple and its surroundings for a detailed study is high on the agenda, permit to time at hand in subsequent trips back home.