Ambika Devi Temple

Tondoli, Taluka Kadegaon, District Sangli

It is believed that Ambika Devi is a form of Parvati. Many forms of Parvati are worshipped across the country. In Maharashtra, especially in Western Maharashtra, Parvati is worshipped in forms such as Kalamma, Kalika, Yamai, Ambabai, and Ambika. In this very lineage, a famous temple of Ambabai is located at Tondoli in Kadegaon taluka. This temple is said to date back to the fourteenth century. Devotees have deep faith that the divine and self-manifested (Swayambhu) goddess here grants wishes and rushes to the call of her devotees.

The legend associated with the temple is that in ancient times, the villagers of this village would take their bullock carts to Mahad, Chiplun, and Ratnagiri for the trade of jaggery, chillies, and grains. After procuring goods from those places, they would return to the village of Tondoli. Once, as usual, the Goddess entered the village in the form of a sacred stone from the right hoof of one of those cart bullocks. Appearing in a vision to a devotee in the village, the Goddess revealed that she had arrived in the village of Tondoli and was situated beneath the ground. Acting upon that divine vision, the villagers dug at the spot indicated by the Goddess. The stone located there had manifested into the form of an idol. During that excavation, the face of the Goddess emerged from the ground first, and because of this, the village came to be known by the name Tondoli. Later, the villagers built a large temple for the Goddess at this very place.

On the road leading from the village towards the temple, right in front of the temple, there is a welcome arch featuring carved square pillars on both sides with a balcony (sajja) resting on them. These pillars, approximately twenty feet in height, are divided into three tiers. The bases of the pillars are square and wider. On the balcony of the arch, there are three shikhara spires—one in the center and two on either side—with kalashas placed upon the amalakas atop them. Through this arch, the temple Entering the courtyard, the temple architecture is three-storied. On the platforms on both sides in front of the temple, there are two statues of royal elephants with decorative cloths draped over their backs and victory garlands held in their trunks. On the large platform to the right of the temple, there is a Deepamal.

In the front hall (mukhamandapa) of the temple, there are four square pillars connected by arched curves. There are twelve steps to come from the front hall into the assembly hall (sabhamandapa). There are railings on both sides of the steps. On both sides of the front hall, there are staircases to go to the upper floor. On the second floor, in the balcony, there is an enthroned statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. On the roof, in a pavilion featuring a spire (shikhara) and pinnacle (kalasha) supported by four pillars, there is an idol of Ganesha placed on a vajrapitha.

There are ventilation windows in the walls of the enclosed assembly hall (sabhamandap) to allow light and air. There are about forty square pillars in the assembly hall. On some of the pillars here On the upper side, there are sculptures of Simhamukha (lion-face) and Gajamukha (elephant-face). All the pillars are connected to one another by cusped arches. At the top of the pillars are lintels, and upon the lintels rests the balcony of the upper floor. The balcony features an ornate, latticed safety railing about four feet high, adorned with Gajamukha sculptures. All the pillars on the balcony are interconnected by cusped arches. The roof resting upon the pillars of the balcony is made of concrete, while the dome-shaped roof in the center of the Sabhamandapa (assembly hall) is semi-transparent. Because of this architectural design of the roof, the Sabhamandapa is filled with abundant natural light during the day. A glass chandelier is suspended from the center of this ceiling.

There are three steps to reach the Antarala (ante-chamber), which is situated at a higher level than the Sabhamandapa (assembly hall). In the Antarala, directly in the front of the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) entrance, there is a tortoise sculpture on the floor. Further ahead is the ancient Garbhagriha of the temple, featuring stone construction in the Hemadpanti architectural style. The doorjambs of the Garbhagriha are adorned with floral and leaf carvings, and an idol of Lord Ganesha is present on the Lalatabimba (lintel). Inside the Garbhagriha, placed on a Vajrapitha (pedestal), is a four-armed, black stone idol of Goddess Ambika, approximately three and a half feet in height. In her two right hands, the Goddess holds a sword and a trident, while her two left hands hold a damru (drum) and an amritapatra (vessel of nectar). On her head is a crown, with earrings in her ears, various ornaments around her neck, bangles on her wrists, armlets on her upper arms, anklets on her feet, and a kamarbandh (waistband) around her waist. The Goddess is attired in fine garments. The serene expression on the face of the Goddess and the curly hair peeking from beneath the crown highlight the exceptional skill of the sculptors. On the back-slab (prabhavali) of the idol, a Kirtimukha is carved in the center, flanked by foliage and floral vine motifs on both sides. On the silver halo (prabhavali) behind the idol, at the bottom on both sides, is a lotus flower; in the middle are Ganga and Yamuna holding lotus flowers in their hands; towards the top are conch shells and makaralata (crocodile-creeper motifs); and at the top center is a Kirtimukha.

On the roof of the temple, there is a safety railing all around, adorned with decorative Bashinga motifs. On the roof near the Mukhamandapa, there is an idol of Lord Ganesha, and on the roof above it, on both sides, two There are small dome-shaped shikharas adorned with amalakas and kalashas. In the central square shikhara, there is an amalaka at the top, surmounted by a kalasha. In the shikhara above the roof of the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha), the lower square tier features twelve devakoshtakas (niches) on all four sides, while the upper dome-shaped tier is decorated with vertical ribbed patterns. The shikhara has an amalaka at the top, topped with a kalasha. At a short distance beside this temple is the Annachhatra mandapa. Near the temple, on the right side, are shrines dedicated to Rameshwar, Mahadev, Hanuman, Vitthal-Rakhumai, Dattatreya, Nageshwar, and Bhairavnath, among others. 

Vaishakh Purnima, the main annual festival of the Goddess, is celebrated here with great enthusiasm. On this day, the rituals begin early in the morning with the Mahabhishek of the Goddess. The ceremonial throne-mounted idol of the Goddess is adorned and beautifully decorated. Throughout the day, thousands of devotees arrive to seek the Goddess’s darshan and fulfill their vows (navas). After the Gondhal ceremony concludes at night, the palanquin (palkhi) of the Goddess sets out for a procession around the town. Devotees rush eagerly to offer their shoulders to carry the palanquin. Married women (suhasinis) holding five-flame lamps (pancharati) stand at various spots to wave the auspicious light (ovalani) before the Goddess. On the day following the town procession, cricket matches, wrestling arenas (kushtyanche phad), and bullock cart races are held with great fervor. Dipotsav is celebrated in the temple on Kartik Purnima. Festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Chaitra Padwa, Sharadiya Navratri, Dussehra, and Diwali are also celebrated in the temple. A large number of devotees visit the temple for the Goddess’s darshan on Tuesdays, Fridays, Purnima, and Amavasya.

Useful Information

• At a distance of 11 km from Kadegaon and 67 km from Sangli
• Bus facility available from Kadegaon and Pusesawali
• Private vehicles can come up to the temple
• Breakfast facilities are available in the surrounding area, but accommodation is not available.