Popular Temple
Khandoba Temple, Jejuri
Jejuri, Pune district, Maharashtra
The turmeric-showered hill shrine of Maharashtra's most widely kept family deity
At a glance
- Location
- Jejuri, Pune district, Maharashtra
- Presiding deity
- Lord Khandoba (Shiva as Martanda Bhairava)
- Temple type
- Popular Temple
- Tradition
- Shaiva
- Nearest railway station
- Jejuri railway station (~2 km); Pune Junction (~50 km)
- Nearest airport
- Pune International Airport (~60 km)
- Best time to visit
- October to February; Champa Shashthi (November-December) is the main festival.
History
Jejuri is a temple town on a hill about 50 km south-east of Pune. Khandoba is understood as Shiva in the form of Martanda Bhairava and is the most widely kept kuladevata in Maharashtra and northern Karnataka. The present complex carries Maratha-period construction and endowment inscriptions.
Spiritual significance
The distinctive practice here is the throwing of bhandara, turmeric powder, which covers the whole complex in yellow on festival days, accompanied by the cry "Yelkot Yelkot Jai Malhar". Khandoba is kept as a family deity by farming communities, the Dhangar shepherds and many others. Reaching the shrine involves climbing some two hundred steps.
Plan your visit
Darshan timings
Open from morning to evening. Somvati Amavasya, Champa Shashthi and Dussehra draw very large crowds.
Timings change on festivals and special occasions. Confirm with the temple's official source before you travel.
About an hour and a half from Pune by road, with regular buses. The shrine is on the hill, so there are steps to climb.
Continue your Shiva bhakti
Devotional texts for this deity, already on the site.