Chaturshringi Temple, Pune Overview

One of the revered temples of Pune, the Chaturshringi Mandir should be on your list of places to visit when you’re in Pune. Located on Senapati Bapat Road near Pune University in Gokhale Nagar, this temple has been the place for the devotees of Mahakali and Shri Chaturshringi for ages. The word “Chaturshringi” is derived from the word “Chattu” which means “Mountain with four peaks” and represents faith and power. The main temple also includes idols of Goddess Durga, Ashtavinayaka and Ganesha.

The temple is placed on a slope, 90 ft high and around 125 ft wide. It is looked after the Chaturshringi Mandir Trust and has been well-maintained for ages. In 2013, a proposal for a ropeway to the Mandir was made in order to enable a smoother 100-step journey till the Mandir for the elderly and the physically challenged. This proposal was rejected by the Charity commissioner’s officer a few times. It is now that the Mandir Trust has finally decided to make escalators till the Temple. Chaturshringi Mandir is not only one of the largest and well-know Mandir’s in India, but it is also one of the most sacred places visited by hundreds of devotees.

More About the Temple

The Chaturshringi temple is around 250-300 years old and has been renovated many times since its establishment in order to ensure that each part of the temple seems brand new. Till date, thousands of followers offer pilgrimage and prayers to the deity here. One of the most fascinating features of this temple is that it has a smaller version of the Mandir placed right at the entrance of the temple. That way, devotees can conveniently pray and give their offerings at the mini-temple if they wish to.

The Mandir Trust has come up with a new development plan that makes it easier for the visitors to do Sadhana (disciplined learning practice), Darshan (opportunity to see the deity), Kath-keertan (devotional songs and stories) and Devadarshan (familiar with gods).

Goddess Chaturshringi and Lord Ganesha are the patrons of divinity in Pune. The temple is often seen as the place of utmost positivity and spirituality. Hence, people from all over the world come here every year in order to pray and offer pilgrimage. This has led to a lot of donations made by devotees, which goes into the maintenance of the Mandir.

History

The history of the Chaturshringi Temple can be sourced back to the Maratha era, from the story of Durlabsheth Pitamberdas Mahajan. He was a devotee of goddess Chaturshringi. He was a very religious and rich Peshwa merchant. It is said that he used to travel from Pune to Vani on the full moon day of Chaitra just to pay his devotion to Saptashringi Mata. however, a few years later, he stopped paying his regular pilgrimage. As a result, the supervising Deity came in his dreams and asked him to bring her the idol from the Northwestern Mountain of Pune so that she could stay near his devotee. In order to fulfil the goddess’s wish, Durlabsheth went to the aforementioned mountain and to his surprise, he found the idol of his goddess.

Out of sheer happiness and content, he decided to create a temple at the spot in order to mark this moment. This led to the origin of one of the oldest temples of Maharashtra. Even today, the story of Durlabsheth is an essential part of stories which are heard throughout

Festivals

Even though the temple is open to people on all occasions, it is mostly crowded during the festival of “Navratri”. This festival is a 9-day festival devoted to Goddess Durga.

Each year, a fair is held on the day of Navratri at the foothills of the temple. The entire Chaturshringi Mandir is lit up with lamps in a traditional Indian style. Devotees come here especially to see the silver Murti (idol) yatra where the statue is carried in a silver chariot. This event takes place on the last day of the festival which is also known as Dussehra.

Every year, the temple has a highlight event on Navratri. Last year, it was said to have been the flowers that were dropped from flying helicopters. The helicopters are expected this year as well. Along with that, images of the deity on LED Televisions are going to be aired at the entrance of the temple so that the awaiting expecting devotees can start their Darshan there itself. Moreover, speakers, as well as FM channels, will be placed across the premises of the temple with public announcements and devotional songs being played on request. With that, the Mandir Trust is also planning on making the temple a Wi-Fi enabled zone. Having said that, 18 CCTV cameras, fire brigades as well as ambulances with a constantly available doctor squad are going to be regulated in the temple in order to ensure a safe event on the auspicious days.

Architecture

The temple is placed on a slope 90 ft high and 125 ft wide. Since the name signifies “four peak mountains”, the temple was created across the four ranges. The Ganesh shrine includes eight miniature idols of Lord Ashtavinayaka, which are spread across four mountain peaks. The 100-steps till the temple are well constructed, with sitting and resting spots placed after every six steps. The uphill destination is made easier with numerous stopping places on the way with drinking water available throughout the temple area. Waterfalls, dharamshalas for people who wish to stay overnight, nagarkhanas, fountains and water banks have been created and maintained by the Mandir Trust. This has enabled a more convenient and peaceful journey for the devotees who take out time and put in the effort to visit this famous religious place.

Timings and Notices

The Chaturshringi temple is open on all days from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. However, timings are subject to change on festivals and/or on holidays.

The temple closes at 12:30 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is because these two days are dedicated to the goddesses and have a maximum number of devotees visiting the temple to worship them.

There is no entry fee and the temple is open to everyone. It is important to note that photography and videography are strictly prohibited inside the temple.

How To Reach Chaturshringi Temple

For those who live in Pune, Cabs, autos, buses and car rentals are available from any part of the city. For tourists, the nearest airport is the Pune international airport which is around 14 kilometres away. The nearest railway station is the Shivajinagar Railway Station which is around 4 kilometres away. Pune Junction is around 7 kilometres away from the temple. Car rentals, cabs, autos and buses are available from these points till the temple.

Tourists can also look for online “yatra buses” from their respective cities to Chaturshringi Temple, especially during festive seasons.