Shree Vyadeshwar Temple, Guhagar — Attraction in Maharashtra

Shri Dev Vyadeshwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located at Guhagar, in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra State in India.1 It is considered to be the Kuladevata or clan god of many Chitpavan families from Konkan region.According to Hindu mythology, the sage Parashurama created the land of Konkan from the ocean.[3] He then requested various deities to settle in the newly created land and protect diffferent clans. Parashurama, being a devotee of the god Shiva, requested to appear to him daily so Shiva appeared in 60 places where temples were built. The sage Vyad installed the linga of Shiva at this temple in Guhagar. The Shiva icon and temple was thus called Vyadeshwar (the Lord of Vyad).

Vyadeshwar was lost to time and rediscovered in the era of King Sakuran, when the current temple structure was constructed.[4]

Style of Construction

Plan of Shri Vyadeshwar temple The temple style is called 'Panchayatan'. A Panchayatan temple has four subordinate shrines in four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which comprises their base.[5] Here, Shiva as Vyadeshwar in the central shrine, while the deities Surya, Ganesha, Ambika (Shiva's consort) and Vishnu with his wife Lakshmi at South-East, South-West, North-West and North-East respectively. Nandi (the vahana of Shiva) sits in front of the main shrine.

There are three temple entrances: East, West and South. Garuda (the vahana of Vishnu) and the god Hanuman are installed on the inside of the East entrance.

Recent Modifications This 'Panchayatan' temple is very old and so also are these all deities. Due to ageing effect, four shrines were found to be little bit tampered. Hence it was decided to replace them with new ones. In May 2015, the shrines of Shri Parvati (Ambikamata), Shri Garud and Shri Hanuman were ceremonially replaced by new shrines. All the required rituals of reinstating them were systematically performed. Even old entrance facing due East was very small in size and not that convenient. Hence that entrance (Mahadwar in local Marathi language) is also drastically modified and today we can see completely renovated form of the temple[6]. The new deities can also be seen in the gallery.

Incarnations of Shri Vyadeshwar It is said that once upon a time, three small pieces were chipped out from the main or Core part of the Pindi. One piece reached at Borya Adoor,[7] the second piece went to Asgoli and the third one reached Anjanwel.[8] So three Shiv Temples were erected at those locations. These temples are known as Talkeshwar, Balkeshwar (Valukeshwar) and Udaleshwar (Uddalakeshwar)[9] respectively. Also these three Shiv Pindis are called as 'Incarnations of Shri Vyadeshwar'. The photographs are available in the gallery. It is said that the devotees of Shri Vyadeshwar should visit these three...

Shree Dev Vyadeshwar temple is a temple dedicated to the God Shiva. It is located in Guhagar town from Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra State in India. The deity is considered as the Kuladevata (Clan-deity) of many Chitpavan families from the Konkan region.

It's a very beautiful, neat and clean temple. You can feel the positive vibes as soon as you enter the temple. Not very crowded so one can sit and medidate too. One must definitely visit the temple if you are visiting Guhagar.

History:

Sage Parashurama created the land of Konkan by shooting his arrow into the sea and commanding the Sea God to retract the waters to the point where his arrow landed. This new land came to be known as Sapta-Konkana, meaning "piece of earth", "corner of earth", or "piece of a corner", derived from Sanskrit words: koṇa (कोण, corner) + kaṇa (कण, piece).

Shree Parshurama also requested 60 rishis to settle in the newly created land and protect the resident clans. He, being a devotee of the God Shiva, requested Shree Shiva to meet him daily. Sage Vyadi installed the lingam of Shiva at this temple in Guhagar. The Shiva icon and temple was thus named as Shree Vyadeshwar (the Lord of Vyadi). It is believed that Shree Shiva stays here in the invisible form.

Shree Vyadeshwar Deity was lost to time and is rediscovered in the era of King Sakuran, when the current temple structure was built. The temple is constructed between the 1st and 2nd century, which makes it around 2000 years old.

The architectural style is called 'Panchayatan'. A Panchayatan temple contains four subordinate shrines in four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which forms the base. Here, Shiva is Shree Vyadeshwar, the central shrine, with Surya, Ganesha, Amba or Ambika (Shiva's consort) and Vishnu with his wife Lakshmi as the South-East, South-West, North-West and North-East subordinate shrines respectively. Nandi (the vahana of Shiva) sits in front of the main shrine.

The temple has three entrances to the east, west and south. Shri Garuda (the vahana of Vishnu) and Shri Hanuman are installed on either side of the East entrance, inside the temple.

This 'Panchayatan' temple is ancient, as are its deities. Due to aging, the three shrines were found eroded. In May 2015, the shrines of Shri Parvati (Ambikamata), Shri Garud and Shri Hanuman were ceremonially replaced by new shrines. Also the shrine of Shri Suryanarayan was replaced later. All the required reinstatement rituals were systematically performed. The old entrance facing the East was small in size and was inconvenient. That entrance (Mahadwar in local Marathi language) was replaced with a completely renovated gate, during the recent renovation...

legend:

Sage Parashurama created the land of Konkan by shooting his arrow into the sea and commanding the Sea God to retract the waters to the point where his arrow landed. This new land came to be known as Sapta-Konkana, meaning "piece of earth", "corner of earth", or "piece of a corner", derived from Sanskrit words: koṇa (कोण, corner) + kaṇa (कण, piece).

Shree Parshurama also requested 60 rishis to settle in the newly created land and protect the resident clans. He, being a devotee of the God Shiva, requested Shree Shiva to meet him daily. Sage Vyadi installed the lingam of Shiva at this temple in Guhagar. The Shiva icon and temple was thus named as Shree Vyadeshwar (the Lord of Vyadi). It is believed that Shree Shiva stays here in the invisible form.

Shree Vyadeshwar Deity was lost to time and is rediscovered in the era of King Sakuran, when the current temple structure was constructed.

The architectural style is called 'Panchayatan'. A Panchayatan temple contains four subordinate shrines in four corners and the main shrine in the center of the podium, which forms the base.Here, Shiva is Shree Vyadeshwar, the central shrine, with Surya, Ganesha, Amba or Ambika (Shiva's consort) and Vishnu with his wife Lakshmi as the South-East, South-West, North-West and North-East subordinate shrines respectively. Nandi (the vahana of Shiva) sits in front of the main shrine.

The temple has three entrances to the east, west and south. Shri Garuda (the vahana of Vishnu) and Shri Hanuman are installed on either sides of the East entrance, inside the temple.

This 'Panchayatan' temple is ancient, as are its deities. Due to aging, the three shrines were found eroded. In May 2015, the shrines of Shri Parvati (Ambikamata), Shri Garud and Shri Hanuman were ceremonially replaced by new shrines. Also the shrine of Shri Suryanarayan was replaced later. All the required reinstatement rituals were systematically performed. The old entrance facing due East was small in size and was inconvenient. That entrance (Mahadwar in local Marathi language) was replaced with a completely renovated gate, during the recent renovation...