Shri Durga Devi, Varacha Pat, Guhagar

Shri Navdurga Devi, Varacha Pat, Guhagar. 

Shri Navdurga Devi is trigunal, combining Shri Mahakali (the giver of power), Shri Mahalakshmi (the giver of wealth), and Shri Mahasaraswati (the giver of wisdom).

 In the Vyadeshwar Mahatmya text written by Shri Raghunath Pitre, it is mentioned that the yogi Shreedhar built the village of Guhagar and moved the site of the ancient Durga Devi temple, establishing this temple about three hundred feet inside. Where the old temple stood, a dharmasthambha (religious pillar) was set up. This dharmasthambha was previously used to hold judicial meetings in the village court and to seek the goddess’s guidance.

A new marble idol was installed in place of the statue that was burned and destroyed due to the troubles caused by the Habbashis and the Yavanas. After settling in Navagram in Guhagar, the Chitpavan families regarded it as their deity, and Shri Navdurga Devi became the family goddess of many Chitpavan families here. Shri Navdurga Devi is ten-armed and protects her devotees from all troubles.

This goddess has three forms: morning, noon, and evening. The original seat of Shri Navdurga Devi is the chief deity of the Chitpavan community in Marathwada, Shri Devi Ambejogai. Shri Navdurga Devi's temple is about 1.5 to 2 km from the Guhagar bus station. The temple grounds are spacious, and if you walk straight from the goddess's pillar on the road, the temple is about 300 feet inside. Next to the main temple, there are temples of Lakshmi Narayan and Shankar. The temple has a hall for devotees, and there's a dharmashala (rest house) beside it. In the northeast of the temple, there are large ponds.

The annual festival of this temple is celebrated from Chaitra Shuddha Pratipada to Ram Navami as the Spring Navratri, and from Ashwin Shuddha Pratipada to Vijayadashami as the Sharadiya Navratri. Mr. Chandrashekhar Joshi manages it, and his residence is within the temple premises. If devotees want to perform any service through Gurunji by sending money via post, they should send it to the President, Durgadevi Devasthan Fund, Varcha Pat, Guhagar, Dist. Ratnagiri, or to Mr. Chandrashekhar Joshi. The appropriate service will be carried out, and Angara Prasad will be sent.

Shri Yogeshwari, belonging to many Chitpavan families, has her original seat at Ambajogai, which is that of Shri Navdurga Devi. The legend goes that Shri Navdurga Devi was supposed to go to Parli Vaijnath to get married to Shri Vaijnath, but due to some reason, she was delayed, and by the time she reached Ambajogai, it was night. Since she missed the auspicious moment, Shri Vaijnath proceeded to Kailasa. As a result, Shri Navdurga Devi stayed in Ambajogai, and since she took the form of a virgin goddess there, the place was named Shri Yogeshwaridevi Ambajogai, and she became the family deity of many Chitpavans who had gone beyond Konkan.

Shri Chandrashekhar Joshi takes care of the tea and meal arrangements for the devotees at Bhaktanivas. There are also many guesthouses in the village of Guhagar.

Courtesy - Family Deity: Ajit Patwardhan