Virabhadra Temple

Sonevadi, Shah Dongar, Taluka and District Ahilyanagar

The seven-hundred-year-old Virabhadra Maharaj Temple is situated on Shah Dongar in Sonevadi, near the city of Ahilyanagar. There are many temples of Virabhadra Maharaj in the southern part of the country. This temple was built during the construction of the famous Chandbibi Mahal in Ahilyanagar. It is said that when artisans from Karnataka arrived for the construction of the Mahal, the self-manifested (Swayambhu) idol of Virabhadra Maharaj appeared here in response to their prayers.

According to historical context and legend, Chandbibi was the daughter of the Nizamshahi Sultan Hussain of Ahilyanagar. Artisans were brought from the state of Karnataka to build the palace named after Chandbibi. The construction of this palace was expected to take many years. For this purpose, hundreds of artisans from the Lingayat and Jangam communities of Karnataka came to reside in Ahilyanagar. Virabhadra Maharaj was their primary deity. They wished to travel to Karnataka for the festival of their deity, but they were denied permission so that the work on the palace would not be interrupted. Disappointed, these artisans prayed fervently to Lord Virabhadra. The Lord heard the earnest prayers of his devotees and appeared in a dream to the local Patil and some artisans, revealing that He was present on Shah Dongar. After the idol was found as per the vision, the workers and villagers tried to bring the deity to the village. However, as the idol would not move from that spot, it was finally decided to build the temple of Virabhadra Deva on the hill itself. While the Chandbibi Mahal was being constructed, these workers also built the temple of Virabhadra Deva.

According to references in the Skanda Purana and Shiva Purana, Virabhadra was born from the matted hair (Jata) of Lord Shankara . When Lord Shankara’s wife, Sati, ended her life by jumping into the sacrificial fire (Yajna-kunda) because her husband had been insulted at her parental home, a furious Lord Shankara struck his matted hair, from which Virabhadra manifested. Virabhadra is considered the great destructive incarnation of Lord Shankara. Virabhadra slaughtered many at Sati’s parental home and reduced others to ashes. Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma took the initiative to calm him down. After Lord Shankara became calm, Virabhadra decided to reside on Earth. 

The Virabhadra Temple on Shah Dongar near Sonevadi village, on the outskirts of Ahilyanagar city, is built entirely of stone. The temple is surrounded by a magnificent fortification wall about twenty-five to thirty feet high. After climbing eight to ten steps from the ground, one reaches the entrance of the temple within the fortification. Above this entrance is a stone-built Nagarkhana (drum house). Climbing another eight to ten steps from the entrance leads into the temple premises. The temple structure consists of a Nandi Mandapa, a Sabha Mandapa, and a Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum). In front of the Nandi Mandapa is a temple of Lord Ganesha. The stone Swayambhu idol of Virabhadra is placed in a niche on a high pedestal in the Garbhagriha. To the right of the idol is the idol of Virabhadra’s consort, Bhadrakali, and a small idol of Daksha Raja, who was given the face of a goat after Virabhadra decapitated him.

The spire (Shikhara) of this temple is unique. There are minarets on all four sides of this spire, with a pinnacle (Kalash) in the center. This pinnacle is designed with hundreds of small niches, in which many deities are seated. In the vicinity, there are temples of Vardaini Mata and Danamma Mata. Additionally, there is a large stepwell (Barav). The temple premises are spacious, and festivals such as Kartik Purnima, Mahashivratri, and the birth anniversary of Virabhadra Deva are celebrated here on a grand scale. Ganpati, Kartik Swami, and Virabhadra Maharaj are considered brothers. On the day of Kartik Purnima, devotees take darshan of Kartik Swami and Virabhadra Maharaj. It is the belief of devotees that these two brothers meet each other at the local stepwell on Kartik Purnima, and taking their darshan at that time brings spiritual merit.

In every festival here, the incense ceremony holds special significance. This is also referred to as the ‘Gugul Karya’. Religious rituals of the Lingayat and Jangam communities are considered incomplete without Gugul (frankincense). Therefore, the Gugul Karya is performed during every religious ritual in the temple. At this time, thousands of devotees are present for the darshan of Virabhadra Maharaj. The death anniversary of Lingayat Mallikarjun Maharaj is also celebrated in this temple.

Useful Information:

• Eleven kilometers from Ahilyanagar city
• ST bus service available from Ahilyanagar and Tisgaon
• Private vehicles can reach the temple parking area
• Accommodation and dining facilities are not available in the vicinity