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PLACES
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TOKA
A small village on the left bank of the Pravara at its meeting with the Godavari, Toka is at a distance of seven miles to the northeast of Nevasa, the head-quarters of the taluka bearing the same name in which it is located. The village is located on the border of Nevasa taluka and Gangapur taluka of the adjoining Aurangabad district. It covers an area of 1.3 square miles and has, according to the Census of 1971, a total population of 663 souls. The river forms the main source of water-supply to the village populace. In the village, facilities exist only for primary education. The village is regarded as
a holy place and has many small temples. Many of the temples were destroyed by Nizam Ali in November 1761 at the time of his aggression against Pune after the battle of Panipat.
The objects of interest in the village are the temples dedicated to Siddheshvar in whose honour a fair is held annually. The temple of Siddheshvar belongs to the period of the Peshvas and from a worn-out Devnagari inscription at the south gate, the temple appears to have been built by one Vishnu Mahadev Gadre in 1767 (Samvat 1823) at a cost of Rs. 93,000. The temple is said to have been repaired by Nana Phadnis who also built six flights of steps (ghat) on the bank of the river Godavari which lead from the temple to the river. The temple is a solid structure built in black stone. It is Hemadpanti in style and bears some elegant carvings. On the temple building are seen pictures of the incarnations of God and also those depicting mythological themes. There are temples dedicated to Durga Devi, Maruti, Ganapati, Dattatraya, etc., within the compound of the main temple.
Siddheshvar is in the form of a linga considered to be a svayambhu one. The silver mukhavata of the deity is used in the palanquin procession of the deity. The deity is believed to be one of the eight svayambhu Mahadevas.
The compound of the temple admeasures 120'X100'. The temple of Siddheshvar admeasures 70' X 30'. The temple has its own nagarkhana (drum-chamber) from where music is played thrice a day except on Monday when it is played five times. The temple spire is in kesar style and it consists of beautiful carvings inside.
The management of the temple and the worship of the deity vest in a trust created for the purpose. The revenue of the village Mangalapur in Nevasa taluka is handed over to the trust to meet the expenses of the evening worship, the daily food offerings and daily oblations to the deity. The expenditure on flowers for the deity is met from the income of the four inam lands in the village Jalake Budruk of Nevasa taluka. An offering of cooked food (naivedya) is made to the deity everyday. On festival days the naivedya also includes sweet dishes. On Mahashivaratri day the deity is worshipped four times and food offering is made at the end of every three hours (prahar) when different preparations are offered to the deity.
The devotees believe that the deity is capable of fulfilling one's desires and they make different vows to the deity. On the fulfilment of their desire they perform ekadashni, abhishek, laghu rudra, maha rudra, etc.
A fair known as Siddheshvar fair is held in the temple of Siddheshvar from Magha Vadya Ekadashi to Phalguna Shuddha Dvadashi, the
principal day of the fair being Magha Vadya 14, i.e., Mahashivaratri day. Pilgrims within the radius of fifteen to twenty miles of the village numbering about 60 to 70 thousand attend the fair.
The pilgrims take a bath at the confluence of the Pravara and Godavari rivers and go to Siddheshvar temple with bel leaves, rice, money, coconut and other materials of worship.
The pilgrims generally camp along the river-bank and some construct small tents. Some camp beneath the tree-shades. No pandals, etc., are put up for their accommodation.
The fair is held on the river-bank and the river-water is used for drinking, cooking and other purposes. There is thus no water scarcity.
Touring talkies, folk dramas, circus, magic feats, giant wheels, etc., are the main items of entertainment at the fair. There is a fine display of fire-works during the palanquin procession of Siddheshvar.
The Village Panchayat, Pravara Sangam, levies a fee of Re. 1 for each stall from the stall-keepers. A pilgrim tax at six paise per pilgrim is also levied.
There is a brisk trade at the fair. The stalls are mainly of utensils, cloth and stationery; grocery and sweet-meats, toys, miscellaneous articles and religious books are also sold. There is a turn-over of about a lakh of rupees during the fair.
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