Saptashrungi Temple, Vani – Festivals

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.