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The Chaturshringi Temple is a Hindu temple in the city of Pune,
Maharashtra, India. The temple is located on the slope of a hill on
Senapati Bapat Road. It is said to have been built during the reign of
the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle. The temple is looked
after by Chaturshringi Devasthan (Temple) trustees, with full
dedication.
Chaturshringi (Chatur means four) is a mountain with four peaks. The
Chaturshringi temple is 90 feet high and 125 feet wide and is a symbol
of power and faith. One has to climb more than 100 steps to reach the
shrine of Goddess Chaturshringi. In the temple premises there are also
temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Ganesh. This includes eight miniature
idols of Ashtavinayaka. These small temples are located on the four
separate hillocks. |
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Legend
The legend associated with the temple is that, once there was a rich and
prosperous merchant named Durlabhsheth Pitambardas Mahajan who was an
ardent believer of Goddess Chaturshringi and visited all Her temples
everywhere. But as he grew older, he could no longer travel and this
hindered him from visiting the temples.
Then one night the Goddess Chaturshringi appeared in his dream and told
him, "if you can not come to me, I will come to you & stay near you."
She told him to come to a mountain situated in the North-West of Pune &
dig there. The place as described by the goddess was traced out and
miracle happened as he found a natural statue of goddess (Swayambhu Devi).
He constructed the temple at that place and this is the same temple
which was renovated time to time, which is the present temple.
Deity
The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Chaturshringi, also known
as Goddess Ambareshwari. She is also considered as the presiding deity
of the city of Pune. The temple is maintained by the Chaturshringi
Devasthan Trust. Every year a fair is held at the foothills on the eve
of Navratri. Thousands of people gather to worship the Goddess
Chaturshringi.
Getting There
By Air: Pune’s nearest airport located at Lohegaon,
Pune Airport, approximately
10 km from the city centre. Daily flights connect it to Mumbai and Delhi
as well as to other major cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad and
Chennai. Private cabs, auto rickshaws or city-airport shuttle buses will
cover the distance from the airport to the city centre.
By Rail: Pune is one of the most important rail junctions in the Central
railways zone of Indian Railways. Plenty of trains connect it to major
destinations in the south, north and west of the country by mail,
express and superfast trains. The Deccan Queen and Shatabdi Express are
fast commuter trains from/to Mumbai, with travelling time of
three-and-a-half hours approximately.
By Bus: Maharashtra state roadways buses and buses operated by private
companies connect the different places in the state to Pune as well as
destinations in the neighbouring states of Karnataka, Goa and Andhra
Pradesh. Most people travelling to Pune from Mumbai, Nasik or Aurangabad
prefer to do so by road as the distance between Mumbai-Pune is 170 km,
Nashik-Pune 209 km and Aurangabad-Pune is 230 km. The roads are well
maintained with conveniently located motels and service stations enroute.
Getting Around Pune
Metered taxis and auto rickshaws ply the city streets; the latter are
the most popular mode of transport in Pune as they are economical and
fast. Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) buses reach every part of the city
and the suburbs from the terminals at Swargate, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
Station, Shivaji Nagar Station, M G Bus Stand, Pune Corporation and
Saras Baug.
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