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Khandoba

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Khandoba

Khandoba, also known as Khanderao, Khanderaya and Malhari Martand is a regional Hindu deity, worshipped by all communities including Muslims, exhaulted as Mārtanda Bhairava, an incarnation of Shiva, having linkages with Vaishanva and Jain traditions. [1] He is the most popular family deity in Maharashtra, the patron deity of farming and herding castes, [2] the hunters and gatherers, of the hills and forests (like Mallanna in Andhra Pradesh and Mallaya in Karnataka) of western Deccan. The worship of Khandoba developed during the 9th/10th centuries from a folk deity into a composite god pocessing the attributes of Shiva[3], Bhairava, Surya[4] and Karttikeya (Skanda).[5]He is depicted either in the form of a Lingam[6][7], or as an image riding on a bull or a horse.

Malhari Mahatmya

Malhari Mahatmya, a Marathi work consisting of 22 chapters, narrates the legend of Martanda-Bhairava or Khandoba. It recounts how Shiva assumed the avatar of Khandoba to kill the demons Malla amd Mani (referred to in some accounts as a single giant named Manimalla). It further describes how two Lingas appeared at Prempuri, the place where the demons were killed.

Wives of Khandoba

Khandoba and Mhalsa killing demons Mani-Malla - Lithograph c.1880

Khandoba is a much-married god with wives from many communities, who serve as cultural links to the communities. His first wife Mhalsa is from the Lingavat merchant caste; his second wife Banai is a Dhangar (shepherd caste); the third wife Rambhai is from Terror caste; fourth wife Phulai is a gardender and fifth caste Candai is a Muslim or described as a Telin (oil presser caste).[1]

The Malhari Mahatmya also gives an account of the two wives of Khandoba, Mhalsa and Banai.

Mhalsa is believed to be a combined avatara of Mohini and Parvati. Mhalsa was born as the daughter of a rich merchant in Newase called Timshet. On the dinine orders of Khandoba in a dream to Timshet, she was married to Khandoba on Pausha Pournima(the full moon day of Hindu calender month of Paush) in Pali(Pembar). Two shivlingas appeared on this occasion. An annual festival marking this event is celebrated in Pali every Paush Pournima.

Banai is believed to the daughter of Indra, the king of the gods. Banai was found by Dhangar shepherd, when she was abandoned on earth by an angry Indra. When Banai grew up, it was predicted that she would get her match at Jejuri. There, she felt in love with God Khandoba. Khandoba also felt in her love. Khandoba accepted a self-exile for 12 years by intentionally losing a game of chess(Saripat) to his wife Mhalsa. He took disguise of shepherd and started serving Banai's father. One day, Khandoba killed all the sheep and goats of Banai' father and promised to make them alive again if he was married to Banai. The reluctant Banai was married to Khandoba, the shepherd in disguise at Naldurg. Khandoba revealed his real form to Banai on their way back to Jejuri.

On reaching Jejuri, Khandoba was greeted by Mhalsa's fury and her strong protest of his second marriage. To avoid the quarrels of his wives, Khandoba gave the upper half of the hill to Mhalsa and the lower half to Banai. The idol of Mhalsa is placed with Khandoba in the main shrine at top of the hill at Jejuri. A separate shrine to Banai is situated halfway down the hill.

Worship

A six-day festival in honour of Khandoba is celebrated to commemorate an occasion where he fought Mani-Malla (Margadhirsha shukla first to sixth) and on the sixth day (Champa Shashti) he overcame and slew them. Khandoba is worshipped with Turmeric (Bhandār), Bel fruit-leaves, onions and other vegetables. Boys called Vāghyā and girls called Muraḹi were formerly dedicated to Khandoba, but now the practice of marrying girls to Khandoba is illegal.[8]

Khandoba is also a figure of respect and worship to Muslims, and this affiliation is visible in the style of his temples.[9] Some of these distinguishing Muslim features include his usual appearance as that of a Paṭhān on horseback, one of his wives being a Muslim, and that his horse-keeper is a Muslim in Jejuri. The Mārtaṇḍa Vijaya expressly states that his devotees mainly comprise of Muslims.[9] The worship of Khandoba had received royal patronage by Ibrahim II, which consisted of the reinstatement of the annual jatra and the right of pilgrims to perform rituals at the Naldurg temple.[9]

The twelve temples

  1. Jejuri: The foremost center of worship of Khandoba in Maharashtra [10]. It is situated 48kms from Pune
  2. Pali (Pembar) Temple situted near Satara city in Maharashtra.
  3. Shewud Ahmednagar district Maharashtra.
  4. Kamathwadi Ahmednagar district Maharashtra.
  5. Nimgaon Dawadi Pune district
  6. Palipembar Satara district.
  7. Naldurg Dharashiv Osmanabad district.
  8. Mangsuli Belgaum district.
  9. Mailara Linga Dharwad district.
  10. Maltesh or Mailar - Devargudda Dharwad district.
  11. Mannamailar Bellary, a city in Karnataka state, India.
  12. Mailarpur Penbar in Bidar district.

References

  1. ^ a b People of India By Kumar Suresh Singh, B. V. Bhanu, Anthropological Survey of India [1] p.ix
  2. ^ Courtright, p. 205.
  3. ^ 'Khandoba: Ursprung, Geschiche und Umvelt von Pastoralem Gotheiten in Maharashtra, Wiesbaden 1976 (German with English Synopsis) pp. 180-98, "Khandoba is a local deity in Maharashtra and been Sanskritised as an incarnation of Shiva."
  4. ^ Courtright, p. 205.
  5. ^ For use of the name Khandoba as a name for Karttikeya in Maharashtra, see: Gupta, Preface, and p. 40.
  6. ^ Courtright, p. 205.
  7. ^ For worship of Khandoba in the form of a lingam and possible identification with Shiva based on that, see: Mate, p. 176.
  8. ^ Underhill, Muriel Marion (1991). The Hindu Religious Year. Asian Educational Services. pp. p. 111. ISBN 8120605233. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  9. ^ a b c Sontheimer, Gunther D. (1989), "Between Ghost and God: A Folk Deity of the Deccan", in Hiltebeitel, Alf (ed.), Criminal Gods and Demon Devotees: Essays on the Guardians of Popular Hinduism, New York: SUNY, pp. 299–337
  10. ^ For Jejuri as the foremost center of worship see: Mate, p. 162.

Further reading

  • Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
  • King of Hunters, Warriors and shepherds and essays on Khandoba by Gunther-Dietz SONTHEIMER Edited by ANNE FELDHAUS, ADITYA MALAIK, HEIDRUN BRUCKNER 1997, 353pp. b&w illus., bibl. index (ISBN 81-7304-018-4)
  • Gupta, Shakti M. (1988). Karttikeya: The Son of Shiva. Bombay: Somaiya Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 81-7039-186-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Courtright, Paul B. (1985). Gaṇeśa: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN ISBN 0-19-505742-2. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Mate, M. S. (1988). Temples and Legends of Maharashtra. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

See also

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