KORADI TEMPLE( Jakhapurvanshi) - Shaktipeeth of Nagpur !

If I say, We live in an atheistic society! I am sure most of you will agree with me. Visiting a religious place is considered low fashion or let me put it this way, its an obsolete practice ! I am sure ,many millennials believe its a sport for baby boomers... or may be a exigency for the Needy / Greedy / Wealthy !
For me visiting any religious site has become like an addiction! Not only do I get to learn fascinating stories and legends , I get to witness exquisite architecture , see elegant iconography and the deep meaning behind....and the icing on the cake is the solace and peace that I always anubhav(experience) !
In this blog , I bring to you a very Jagrut temple from Nagpur -Koradi mandir . Just 15 kms from orange city, standing strong on the banks on Koradi lake. It belongs to Shree Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Mata.








Source: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=koradi+temple+nagpur&rlz=1C1ASUC_enIN726IN726&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=662&tbm=isch&imgil=TaiNJxQZwtwXSM%253A%253Bs2Jw9y5B62EHtM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.youtube.com%25252Fwatch%25253Fv%2525253D6ck45wikEHs&source=iu&pf=m&fir=TaiNJxQZwtwXSM%253A%252Cs2Jw9y5B62EHtM%252C_&usg=__hjHXNhZr4Il3MiMNKuBnPPr6FXc%3D&ved=0ahUKEwit35aEosfRAhUVS48KHXKWDdEQyjcILw&ei=Dw19WO2bDpWWvQTyrLaIDQ#imgrc=GrPrqddNVFhzDM%3A




Some call it a Lakshmi temple, while others Shakti(Durga)..lets understand why...
Science can give us the first explanation. If you recall the first law of thermodynamics, It states that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed ,It can only change forms. Same theory applies here. In Hinduism Shakti is 'energy' or 'power'. Shakti represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe changing forms. In the Navratri ("nine nights") festival, "the Goddess is worshiped in three forms. During the first three nights, Durga or Parvati is revered, then Lakshmi on the fourth, fifth and sixth nights, and finally Saraswati until the ninth night. Thus according to Tridevi concept all three are same !
As I have mentioned the Mukhya Devi is Mahalakshmi Jagdamba Mata. Let's understand the meaning of the name ( Mahalaxmi + Jagdamba) in Hindu mythology and iconography..
MAHALAKSHMI :
LAKSH meaning { Target}, making Laksmi goddess of Targets! For some this target{ Laksh} can be wealth , fame ..for each his/her own! Lakshmi Mata is a very important Hindu , Jain and Buddhist God ,worshiped for fortune and prosperity ! According to Hindu Mythology, Lakshmi was born from churning of ocean( samudra manthan ). She choose Vishnu bhagwan(God) as her consort.

Source :http://bit.ly/2jPNVNr
Indian Iconography depicts Lakshmi as a very graceful women, dressed elegantly, wearing lots of gold jewelry. Her Vahan(Vehicle) is the OWL. She sits in a yogic poster on a lotus and also holds lotus on her upper two arms. The lower two arms are shown powering fortune, good-luck into the household.Her iconography shows her with four hands, which represent the four goals of human life considered important to the Hindu way of life – dharma, kāma, artha, and moksha.

JAGDAMBA:
Jagdamba means ( Jagat + Amba). Jagat = universe and Amba means mother, Making her universal mother..Jagdamba is one of the numerous forms of shakti(Durga). In this Avatar as Jagdamba goddess takes a peaceful form of a loving mother. In this roop ma is shown having 10 arms and sitting on a lotus instead of Lion/Tiger. This makes her ( Durga + Laksmi). source: http://www.hindu-blog.com/2011/10/goddess-jagdamba.html

Source: http://bit.ly/2kqXPUL


History of Koradi.
There are around 51 Shakti-peeths of Devi Jagadamba. The Temple of Devi of Koradi – Shri Mahalaxmi Jagadamba – is considered as one of the Shakti-peeths. It has a great history and lakhs of devotees visit the temple every year.( I did a little research and found that there are discrepancies regarding Shakti peetha, According to Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Devi Bhagavata, the Kalika Purana and the AstaShakti recognize four major Shakti Peethas (centers), like Bimala (inside the Jagannath temple of Puri, Odisha), Tara Tarini (Near Berhampur, Odisha), Kamakhya Temple (Near Guwahati, Assam) and Dakshina Kalika (Kolkata, West Bengal) originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga. I am yet to find out a source to identify the actual 51/52/108 shakti peetha's of goddess.. Comming bck to Koradi, Many many years ago.. Koradi was known as Jakhapur. The King of Jakhapur, Raja Jholan, had seven children – Janoba, Nanoba, Banoba, Bairoba, Khairoba, Agnoba, Dattasur. The king was unhappy as he had no daughter. He performed Yagya and was ultimetly blessed with a beautiful daughter. After seeing his daughter for the first time, the King felt that Adi Shakti manifested in the form of his daughter. The king in his lifetime exprienced the divya shakti of his daughter many times they say...Her traits included devine beauty,wisdom, war-skills, visionary skills etc..Once in a war when she accompanied the king, she had shown great justice towards the king as well as his opponents. While returning from the war Jakhumai being the divine shakti decided to stop at the place where the sun would set. That place is regarded as Jakhapur (now Koradi). The moorti (idol) is believed to be 'Swayambhu' - manifested one, as nobody installed it. The surroundings consist of a Kund and Goumukh. There is a natural stream of cool water. Stones of Rangoli are still found in this area.

Shri Mahalaxmi is also called as ‘Jakhapurvasini’ – the divine shakti which resides in Jakhapur (the historical name of the place). source: http://www.koraditemple.com/

Main Entrance


Pooja Samagri..








The path to the main temple is full of small shops selling various types and kinds of pooja samgri and not to forget plastic toys! My little one loved the place(reason being obvious).

Khekranala - Vidharba's Secret hill Station !

Reminiscing those hot coffee sips and chats at 5:30 AM on a cold winter morning....  with my bestie my Mom from room no 6 Khekranala MTDC resort.

MTDC Resort : https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/properties/property/mtdc-resort-khekranala

The morning after an adventurous day is normally lazy ! Not in our case, we were so charged up !More than the coffee in my hand, I was sipping in all the beauty of the place before leaving.....

Khekranala literally means 'ravine full of crabs'  is just 55 kms from Orange city. A pleasant 50 mins ride through 4 lane National Highway will lead you to this sleeping beauty of Vidharba(Khekranala). As you near this magical place, the view all over will amaze you at times even make you agitated! It is a Mini hill station , laden with flora and fauna,still lying secretly in Nagalwadi Jungle( Pench buffer area).

                                                                                                        First look of the resort..

                                        smiling welcome by these lovelies...

                                                           View from room no 6( best room in the resort)

                 Cotton fields + Mountains on the background can make a Nagpurian mad !

We halted at MTDC resort Khekranala. As I write this blog.I can't stop myself from mentioning the crisp hot fish fries that we had. The resort has all the basic amenities, one requires to have a decent stay ! We reached there at around 11 : 00 AM on a Saturday morning.

After settling down and enjoying the view around the resort.We were all set to see Khekranala reservoir.

Steps to the top ...

DAM from all possible angles..

Super breezy ! The lake has blue crystal clear water..We spotted schools of fish swimming at a distance( that clear is the lake). Khekranala Dam I learnt from a local is an earthen Dam.Earthen Dam's are built using soil material ( sand ,loam , clay and so on).

There was an old lady selling 'channa' on the banks of the reservoir , She had a blind date with tiger, near the reservoir, 20 years back ! 20 years was too long....I felt a little safe..but does that mean NO MORE TIGERS ?

There is a temple visible from the reservoir, steep steps lead to the temple. The lady informed that the Temple belongs to Masoba. He is a local deity worshiped in some parts of India,specially in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Masoba temples are located outside the village or near shamshan. Regarded as guardian diety , Masoba is worshiped as he wards of evil spirits.We could not go near the temple as the steps did not look that inviting.

source : http://www.mymulshi.com/mhasoba-devasthan-kharavade/

I did click pics of the temple from the reservoir.

As I have mentioned earlier, Khekranala lies nestled in the heart of Nagalwadi village. Night safari is available in Nagalwadi forest. Another exciting destination lies just 12 kms from the resort named Mansinghdeo Wildlife sanctuary. It was declared a protected site in 2014 ,making it the 42nd protected forest area in Maharashtra. Tiger , Sloth Bear, Leopard , Bisons ,Deer and a variety of birds can be sighted according to MTDC website.For us the ride to the reserve was thrilling.We hired an open jeep from the resort. The journey was through a small village and kaccha road . The forest is scary, loaded with trees ( Aranyacious). At the entrance of the forest, a forest guard joined us for the safari. We were able to spot tiger pug marks. The forest ranger/guard informed us that the tiger was out as the pug marks appeared fresh ! I was scared, as in the jeep with me ,was my 2 year old baby ! Moving further we spotted bear scratches on a tree ! Many wild birds, monkeys and in the end a Sambar( Large Deer).

 The list is not that bad !

Please note: 
Thursday -Closed
Safari timings - 6:30 AM-10:30 AM, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Best season to visit - March to June.

The term "buffer zone" gained international prominence through UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1971.

It is petrifying for me to even think how man can thrive so close to big cats ! but, that is the ideology( live and let live) behind buffer zones. Mansinghdeo wildlife sanctuary provides crucial buffer to Pench. One of the most commonly cited definitions of buffer zones is: “an area peripheral to a national park or equivalent reserve, where restrictions are placed upon resource use or special development measures are undertaken to enhance the conservation values of the area. source: http://www.biodiversitya-z.org/content/buffer-zones.

Forest Ranger and us.

Pench national park lies in Madhya Pradesh. We were taken to the core area of the forest, that is MP. " Jungle Jungle baat chali hai" song was continuously playing in my head. This is where my childhood hero Moogli, Bagheera lived and also the supervillan Sherkhan ! (Moogli is a fictional character from Rudyard Kiplings ' The Jungle book stories'. He is an orphan child raised by a pack of wolves in PENCH FOREST !) I also learnt that the area of present Pench has been described in Ain-i-Akbari( Detailed documentation of Akbar's empire.)

Bear Scratches on a tree...

Ghost tree ! Sterculia urens is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to India. A small to medium-sized tree with a pale-coloured trunk, it is commonly known as the भुत्या in Marathi (meaning ghost tree). source: wikepedia. I inquired from the ranger, why the name? Answer came ,because the tree shines on Moonlit nights ! It would be wrong ,if I skip mentioning that apart from being a bit scary looking, Ghost tree is economical very useful ! A natural gum known as gum karaya is exuded by the tree when the bark is damaged. It is used as a laxative, used as a thickener in cosmetics and adhesive for dentures.

                                     My entire Gang...

                           

  In trips like these, I regret not having a professional camera.

                        

 It takes almost 3-4 hours to complete the safari. Zigzagging through the forest in hope to get the grand darshan of (Sherkhan)Tiger is a feeling that I shall never forget ! We were also shown a natural cave ! Where only me out of the entire group thought a Tiger was sitting and staring us !

 The black spot visible in the pic above is the Tiger cave ! The guide said it( Cave) is so big ,that 200 people can live together inside it . wanted to go closer and have a look ! But I was not allowed :(

Sun had set , It was pack up for the villagers around but night shift workers ( Wild Animals ) had already started showing up ! we safely returned back to our cottage, satisfied and tired .By the time , we were back, It was pitch dark .The manager had set up a Bonfire for us , just outside our cottage! We had a lovely evening.Thanks to the weather, food and the feel of Khekranala....

Definitely a day well spent with my family ( my daughter, parents and maternal uncle and aunt). Would like to thank all for always supporting my crazy travel ideas....

Adasa Heritage site

Having spent almost a decade in Nagpur , I feel funny to hear from people that there aren't enough tourist spot's in and around Nagpur. So I have taken up this task to rediscover my land again, for the world to know.I reboot my journey with God of all beginnings Lord Ganesha..

           
    Just 30 kms away from Nagpur lies a beautiful Village Adasa. It is said that this village has a 4000 year old temple on a small hillock !  According to my little knowledge , temples started sprouting all over India around 2000 years back that is during vedic times, before that forces of nature like ( sun , water, mountains , air etc were worshiped) ! Local legends about Adada say that , during Ramayana , when Lakshman was Moorchit and Lord Hanuman was asked to get Sanjeevni booti from a Mountain, Monkey god got confused and could not locate the specific herb, instead he unearthed the entire mountain and carried it with him. During his journey, they say a part of that mountain fell here and still stands as modern Adasa.

Glued to all these stories, We finally landed there on the last day of 2016!

Wow! what beauty we witnessed...Its a photographers paradise...the Temple is on top of a Mini Hill...

Rocks of all shapes and sizes decorate the path to the top of the temple..definitely a great spot for selfies and profile pics...The view of the quaint little village from the top is not to be missed at any cost...Absorbing all this around we reached our destination.

 
View of Village from the temple

There is a proper parking area for vehicles. Drinking water and washrooms( though not very clean) are available.

Mukhya temple - Lord Ganesha

The main temple belongs to Ganesha, Standing 20 feet high lord Ganesha smiles at you as you enter the Garbha griha. It is a sayambhu Idol of Ganapati and is visible upto navel. Maharashtra tourism board says that this Image of Ganesh at Adasa is one of the 12 ganapatis described in Ganeshapurana. I had been to Adasa few years back, The area has been given a face lift ! But, I feel maintaining and repairing heritage sites is vital, but doing it in a proper way is a must ! They should be repaired in a way that their originality ( Ancient look) is not lost in the process...

Ruins found at temple premise.

Photography at the garbha griha is not permitted.Total 12 temples including the main temple can be found in the temple complex.

Do not forget to try local delicacy -Zunka bhakri...Definitely a great place to spend a day with family during winter vacations !

Would end this with a promise to come back again, with more on Nagpur...

Om shree Ganehshay Namah.....