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Tuljapur
is home place for Goddess Tulja Bhavani. As one enters the temple
complex through the Mahadwar, on the way there is the Kallol tirth to
the left and after a descent of nearly 30 steps the Gomukh tirth on the
right with a small shrine dedicated to Vitthal Rakhumai nearby. Both
these tirths receive perennial water flow from gomukhs. To the left near
the main entrance gate leading into the courtyard is a shrine dedicated
to Siddhi Vinayak.
The
imposing gateway is ornamented with flower and creeper patterns carved
in relief. To the right of the gate is a shrine dedicated to Dattatraya
and to the left residential houses of the temple priests. Occupying a
central position in the courtyard, the temple mandap has two side
entrances right opposite each other flanked by small columns. Supported
on quite a few rows of pillars the mandap hall is 7.62 × 4.57 metres
(25' × 15') beyond which is the middle part wherein is installed a
marble statue of a lion in a standing posture.
Herein to
the right there is a small chamber housing the silver palang or bedstead
of the goddess. Inside the Garbhagriha is a silver, four-arched canopy
holding the delicately carved stone image of the goddess Bhavani. The
entrances leading from the mandap to the middle part of the chamber
containing the palang (bed) and that of the Garbhagriha are all plated
with silver bearing beautiful carvings and are fine pieces of sculptural
ingenuity. The Garbhagriha is crowned with a beautiful tapering sikhar
having figure-filled niches.
Figures
set-in in the niches are mostly those of sages and deities and are very
shapely. Its four corners are fixed with temple replicas also set-in
with deity figures each temple replica in turn being flanked by two lion
statues. The space in between is filled with elephant statues. In the
front and right opposite the main entrance gate there is the homakund
also crowned with a similar sikhar. Installed here and there at
convenient places there are quite a few small Deepmalas or lamp-pillars.
On either side of the temple, cloisters have been provided in some of
which are installed idols of different deities.
Getting There
Tulja Bhavani Temple is situated
on Solapur - Aurangabad Highway, 18 km from Osmanabad.
Osmanabad is well connected by good
roads to major cities in Maharashtra. National Highway 211 (NH211) connects
Osmanabad to other major cities of Maharashtra.
Osmanabad has its own Railway
Station named as Osmanabad Railway Station which is connected to the major
cities of Maharashtra. It is linked with the cities like Mumbai, Pune, Miraj
Kolhapur, etc.
Osmanabad has its own domestic airport named as
Osmanabad
Airport.
Currently there are no
scheduled airlines operating at this Airport. The nearest domestic /
international airport is Pune
International Airport, roughly 261 km from Osmanabad.
Pune International Airport
is well connected to major cities in India.
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