|| Shree Yamai Mata Prasanna ||
How did Goddess Yamai appear at Kanhersar?
This is the story of Saint Kanhuraj Maharaj of Kendur (Shirur), who was sanctified by the company of Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, and of Goddess Renuka, who was pleased by his penance.
While Kanhuraj Maharaj was immersed in samadhi, Goddess Renuka appeared before him and granted him a boon. Kanhuraj Maharaj expressed his wish: “May I have your darshan forever.”
Hearing this, the Goddess said “Tathastu” (so be it) with a happy heart. But she said, “I will not come in a revealed form; I will come in a hidden form — and I have one condition.”
“Only you will see me, and I will follow behind you. But trust my word as you travel. Do not look back out of doubt. If you look back, I will stay wherever I am at that moment and will not come any further.”
The journey began. Kanhuraj Maharaj walked ahead and Goddess Renuka followed behind him. He could hear the sound of her anklets and toe-rings — and then, suddenly, the sound stopped.
At that moment Kanhuraj Maharaj looked back, and in that very moment the Goddess disappeared on the bank of the stream of Kanhersar village. Kanhuraj Maharaj began to praise the Goddess and she appeared at once. He begged her to come to his village, calling out “Ye Mai, Ye Mai” (“Come, Mother, come”). This is how the Goddess came to be called “Yamai” here.
As her condition required, the Goddess said, “I will now stay in this very place. North of the stream there is a dense forest; there I will dwell forever. Here I will accept the service of my devotees and, pleased according to each one’s devotion, I will fulfil their wishes. I will accept your service in this place too. It is not far from Kendur, so you can come and go easily and your worship will not be interrupted.”
Following the Mother’s command, Kanhuraj Maharaj worshipped the Goddess at Kanhersar in this very place with devotion and regularity. This is how Renuka Mata, Ambabai, Jagdamba appeared here. In time, a temple was established at this place.
Traditions of the temple
- Aarti is performed here every morning and evening.
- Every Tuesday a procession with aarti goes around the temple.
- On every full moon (Purnima) the Goddess is taken around the village in a palanquin.
- The first renovation of the temple took place in Shake 1847–48.
A carving on the temple
On the stone construction of the temple there is a picture of an animal holding elephants in its mouth, its tail and its four legs. The same picture is also found at Janjira Fort in Murud, Maharashtra.
|| सर्वमंगलमांगल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके ||
|| शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरी नारायणि नमोस्तुते ||