Saptashrungi Temple, Vani – Festivals
Chaitrotsav:
The most important festival of the Saptashrungi temple
is Chaitrotsav, the Chaitra festival. The festival starts on Rama
Navami (the ninth lunar day in the bright fortnight of the
Hindu month of Chaitra) and culminates on Chaitra Poornima
(full moon day), the biggest day of the festival. The festival is also
attended specifically by childless women making vows seeking blessings of
goddess for children. About 250,000 attend the festival on the final day and as
many as 1 million gather on the last three days of the nine-day festival.
The devotees come from states of Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Many devotees also walk all the way
from Nashik, Dhule
and other towns. Devotees often circumambulated the whole hill. Hindus
generally circumbulate the deity or the sanctum, however since the goddess's
icon is carved on the hill side, the whole hill has to be circumbulated.
The goddess is bathed with Panchamruta
(Panch meaning five and Amruta meaning nectar of immortality), a mixture
of usually honey, sugar, milk, yogurt, and ghee, every day
during the festival. On the penultimate day (the fourteenth lunar day), the
goddess' banner is worshiped and then paraded through the village in attendance
of the village head-man (Gavali Patil) of Daregaon village and finally hoisted
on the hill peak at midnight. On the last day, devotees visit the hill top to
take darshan (pay
respects to) of the holy flag.
This ceremony is reported to be held at least since the
15th century. Devotees who used a navas (vow) fulfill it during the festival. On
this occasion grain, flowers, coconuts, money or ornaments are the offerings
made to the deity. After the daily service of abhisheka (ritual bath) to the
deity with water brought from the Surya Kund, offerings of kheer made by
boiling rice, milk and sugar is made to the goddess. Cakes made of flour and
butter known as turis are also offered. All the offerings, except the
ornaments, are then taken away by the Bhopas, who are
the hereditary guardians of the temple.
Shukla Paksha Dashami:
In Ashwin (Hindu calendar month) Shukla
Paksha Dashami a big utsav (festival) is
held at this place.
Other
Festivals:
Dussehra and Navaratri are
major festivals in the temple when, for nine days, the temple is flocked by
thousands of devotees. According to the Hindu Lunar Calendar followed by the
temple, Tuesday, Friday, eighth, ninth, fourteenth days and full moon day are
particularly special days for offering pujas (worship) to the goddess. Other
festivals celebrated are the Gudi
Padwa, Gokulastami, Navratrotsav, Kojagiri, Laxmipujan, Hari
Har Bhet and many more, which are attended by a large number of devotees.
Pachvi
ceremony:
The Kathar or Kutadi community of Maharashtra while
observing the Pachvi ceremony, after delivery of a child in the family, offer
worship to their family deity Saptashrungi and also offer a sacrifice of a goat
following this they hold the naming ceremony of the child on the 12th day.
Gondhal:
Gondhal, an ancient folk
dance-drama is presented before the deity by devotees belonging to Gondali, Bhutye, Aaradhi and Naik
communities. Gondhalis who
perform the Gondhal dances are also invited to perform the Gondhal during
weddings and many major family festivities. The Gondhali performance, usually
held at night, is accompanied by singing with accompaniment of cymbals, small
drum, Sambal and Tuntune or a single string instrument.
Rituals
& Offerings:
The rituals followed by the devotees are in the form of
offering coconuts and silk cloth and
also Sari and Choli (blouse)
to the goddess. Other traditional offerings made to the deity are eyes made of
silver and making a circle of Kumkum in
appropriate design around the inner ambulatory passage of the Goddess during
Navratra. The Saptashati, which is the biography of goddess, with seven
hundred verses, is also recited by many devotees.
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