After my visit to Lal Mahal, I decided to visit the Chaturshringi temple. Temples have always held a peculiar fascination for me; I simply cannot resist visiting them. The ancient architecture and the ambience attract me, even the silence of the temples seems to be soothing and providing a much needed calming atmosphere.
The Chaturshringi temple is open on all seven days from Monday to Sunday, the timings being from morning 6.00 am to evening 9.00 pm. This temple of the Hindus is built on the hill slopes and is located in the city of Pune. During the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha king, this temple is said to have been built and till date is looked and cared after by the Chaturshringi temple trustees. The trustees have dedicated their lives for this temple work. The term Chatur means four and the word shringi means peaks, hence the temple is aptly named meaning a mountain having four peaks. Being a symbol of power and faith this huge temple is 125 feet in width and 90 feet in height. In order to reach the temple premises, one has to climb more than one hundred steps. The main presiding deity of the temple is the Chaturshringi Goddess, which is also known by the name of Goddess Ambareshwari.
Chaturshringi-Temple | Image Resource : en.wikipedia.org
Inside the temple premises, there are also temples of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Durga with miniature idols of Ashtavinayaka located on four separate hills. On the Navaratri eve each year at the foothills a fair is held where thousands of devotees gather with the intention of worshipping and pleasing the goddess. During my visit I came across a very interesting legend.
Once upon a time there was a rich merchant, who was an ardent devotee of Goddess Chaturshringi. He used to visit all her temples but as he started aging, it started proving difficult for him to go and visit all the temples. Goddess Chaturshringi was so impressed by his faith in her that she told him in his dream that henceforth, she would come and stay near him. Next day a miracle happened and he found a statue of the goddess and there he constructed a temple for the goddess. By the time I reached my hotel I was very tired but the journey to the Chaturshringi temple had made my day very pleasant and fascinating. Admittedly, my visit proved to be a rejuvenating experience.
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