Mahadeva Temple, Parali, Maharashtra

Mahadeva Temple, Parali, Maharashtra

Mahadeva Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Parali Village in Satara Taluk in Satara District in Maharashtra, India. The temple is situated on the banks of Urmodi river and dam. The temple is situated close to Sajjangad Fort. The temple is one of the state protected monuments in Maharashtra declared by Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The temple is believed to be built by the rulers of Seuna Yadava Dynasty of Devagiri. The temple was renovated by the Marathas. The southern temple might have been vandalized by the Mughals in 17^th century CE when they captured Parali.

The Temple Complex

The temple complex consists of two main temples namely southern and northern temple. Both the temples are built in Hemadpanti style of architecture and facing towards east. The southern temple is completely in ruined state and might be the older than the northern temple. The sculptures and stones from the southern temple were re-used in the construction of the northern temple. The northern temple consists of sanctum, antrala and sabha mandapa. The sabha mandapa is square on plan.

The flat roof of the mandapa are supported by four rows of four pillars. Nandi can be found in the circular raised platform in the centre of the mandapa facing towards the sanctum. There are two niches in the interior of the mandapa. The interior is carved with geometric motifs. The sanctum enshrines a Shiva Linga. The exterior of the temple are carved with erotic images, geometric patterns and floral motifs. There is an unusual Shiva Linga can be seen in the temple premises.

The Shiva Linga has three equal sized faces on the outside with an invisible face of the same size in the center and additionally two other smaller faces on the outside. In front of the two south-facing temples are the remains of a number of structures. Nandi, a headless Nandi, Ganesha, hero stones, sati stones, Lingas and Deepa Sthamba can be seen in the temple premises. There are few ruined shrines and structures in the temple premises. There is a 40 X 40 m square tank to the northern side of the temple complex.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 13 Kms from Satara Bus Stand, 14 Kms from Satara, 19 Kms from Satara Railway Station, 64 Kms from Mahabaleshwar, 124 Kms from Pune, 130 Kms from Kolhapur and 133 Kms from Pune Airport. The temple is situated on Satara to Urmodi Dam route.

Location