Pancha Ganga Temple, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra

Pancha Ganga Temple, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra

Pancha Ganga Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located at Mahabaleshwar Town, a famous Hill Station in Satara District in Maharashtra, India. The Pancha Ganga Temple is constructed at the confluence of five rivers Krishna, Venna, Savitri, Koyna and Gayatri. It is believed that five rivers originate from Gaumukhi (cow’s mouth) carved out of stone inside Pancha Ganga Temple. The Temple is situated in Old Mahabaleshwar. It is one of the popular Mahabaleshwar tourist places.

Legends

As per legend, Lord Brahma along with the Vishnu and Shiva decided to perform a Yagna (religious ritual) at this place. However, while performing the yajna, his wife Savitri (Saraswathi) could not be present at the designated time to perform the essential part of the yajna as she was waiting for her companion goddesses Lakshmi, Parvati and Indrani. Annoyed, Brahma requested god Indra (the king of heaven) to find a suitable girl for him to wed to complete the yajna.

Indra could find only local maiden Gayatri (a milkmaid) who was sanctified by passing her through the body of a cow. Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and the priests certified her purity as she had passed through a cow, it was her second birth and she was named Gayatri (goddess of milk). Lord Brahma then married Gayatri and completed the yajna with his new consort sitting beside him, holding the pot of amrita (elixir of life) on her head and giving ahuti (offering to the sacrificial fire).

But when Savitri finally arrived at the venue she found Gayatri sitting next to Brahma which was her rightful place.  She got enraged and in her fury transformed Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Gayatri into rivers. They also retaliated, turning Savitri into a watercourse as well. Thus, Brahma became the Venna river, Gayatri and Savitri became the rivers of their own name, Lord Vishnu became the river Krishna and Lord Shiva got transformed into river Koyna.

History

The temple was constructed by Raja Singhandeo, the Yadava ruler of Devagiri in the 13^th century CE. The Temple was renovated in 16^th and 17^th Century CE by Chanda Rao More of Jaoli and  Maratha Emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The Temple

The Pancha Ganga Temple is constructed at the confluence of five rivers Krishna, Venna, Savitri, Koyna and Gayatri. It is believed that five rivers originate from Gaumukhi (cow’s mouth) carved out of stone inside Pancha Ganga Temple. The temple is constructed predominantly using black stone and the roof is supported using few stone pillars constructed around a pool. This pool of water is formed by the water from Gaumukhi. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and has a beautiful idol of him.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 7 Kms from Mahabaleshwar Bus Stand. Mahabaleshwar is located at about 33 Kms from Wai, 66 Kms from Satara, 71 Kms from Satara Railway Station, 120 Kms from Pune, 130 Kms from Pune Airport and 231 Kms from Mumbai. Mahabaleshwar is connected by the National Highway 4. Bus services by state-run MSRTC and private organizations connect Pune, Miraj, Mumbai, Sangli and Satara to Mahabaleshwar.

Location