PLACES

DHANORA

Dhanora (Jalgaon T., p. 1,828): A village in Jalgaon tahsil is situated four miles from the motorable road leading to Jalgaon. It lies four miles to the north of Asalgaon S. T. stop which is 13 miles from Nandura on Nandura-Jalgaon road and 5 miles to the west of Jalgaon tahsil headquarters. The village is approachable from Asalgaon by a cart road. The nearest bus stop to Dhanora is Asalgaon above referred to. The State Transport and private buses are run on this road during the period of the fair. The pilgrims from neighbouring areas, however, mostly come on foot or by bullock-carts.

The village is famous for an annual fair held in honour of a saint Mahasiddha Buva to whom a temple has been dedicated. According to a legend the saint came to this place in the train of two deities, who selected the spot and vanished, leaving him invested with full miraculous powers. The shrine is noted for its healing power over snake-bites and scrofulous symptoms. Cure from mad-dog bites are also ascribed to the shrine. As per the old Buldhana District Gazetteer published in 1910 the peculiarity of the ceremony was that persons favoured by the deity were required to bark like dogs in the temple and through the fair. After this ceremony a dinner consisting of bread and meat was partaken of by all those present on the occasion.

" The temple of Mahasiddha Buva is situated Jo the extreme north of the village gaothan. It is said the temple was built about 400 years back. It is built with bricks in lime mortar and measures 50'x30'. The front wall of the temple has got three arches. The spire of the temple is approximately 50' high. The construction is an old one. The entrance to the shrine is through an eastern door at the left of which a replica of Mahasiddha Buva is installed for the Harijan.s to worship and pay homage to the Saint. An open space is provided on all the sides of the temple. A ' linga' of Mahadeva and an image of Nandi are installed under a ' pimpal' tree. At the north of the temple there is a well. The lamp-pillar in the temple compound is about 30' in height.

The image of Shri Mahasiddha Buva is 3½' in height and 2½' in width and is believed to be a self-existent one. It is made of stone and is besmeared with red lead.

The hereditary priests of the deity, four in number, are of Maratha caste. They worship the deity by yearly turns.

The deity is worshipped twice a day at about 5-30 a.m. which is followed by an " arati" and distribution of " prasad" amongst those present. In the evening at about 7 p.m. only an " arati" is performed. On every Shravana Sunday ' bel' leaves are offered to the deity. On other Sundays the leaves of ' nilgul' tree are offered.

On every Sunday in the month of Shravana as also on every ' ekadashi' day a programme of ' bhajan' is also performed by the villagers. Occasionally ' namasaptah' for a day or for 7 days is celebrated at the temple and ' bhajan' and ' harikirtan ' are performed during this period.

It is not customary to offer a ' naivedya' of cooked food to the deity daily but it is offered occasionally and that also by the devotees. On Magha Sud. 15 (full moon day) 'naivedya' of sweet dishes like puran poli is made to the deity by the priest.

Mahasiddha Buva is believed to be capable of fulfilling the desires of his devotees. People, therefore, make vows before the deity by applying red lead and offering coconut or 1¹/4 seers, or 5 seers or 5 payalis of grains. Some also release cows, bullocks or goats in the name of the deity. The images of the deity, horses, etc., of gold or silver are offered to the deity in return on fulfilment of the vows. The vows are made on Sundays. Before a vow is uttered the devotee applies red lead to the deity. He/ She places the leaves of ' nilgul' tree on the left and right side of the bosom of the deity, gives expression to his/her desires and the vow to be offered. It is believed that the desire is fulfilled if the leaves on the right side of the bosom of the deity fall on the ground. If the leaves from the left side of the bosom of deity fall, then it is believed, the desire will not be fulfilled.

On the first day of the fair, i.e., Magha Sud. 11, the priest worships a bamboo pole called ' kathi' about 40' to 50' in height. Flags are wound around the pole and a turban is tied at its top. The pole is then carried to the temple in procession and is tied to the lamp-pillar. One stanza () of a religious song in praise of the deity is recited at this time. Specific stanzas are for the different days of the fair which are recited on those days.

On the 5th day (Magha Sud. 15), which is the last and important day of the fair, the priest and his wife take bath early in the morning and put on new clothes. Materials of worship such as ' kumkam', turmeric powder, red powder, grains of rice, coconut, flowers, camphor, incense sticks, etc., are placed in a plate. Jingling bells are tied at the ankles of the priest who takes a bunch of peacock feathers in his hand. The priest and his wife then carry the materials of worship along with a ram and a goat both of the same colours, to the temple in a procession. The procession is headed by musicians. A large number of pilgrims participate in the procession.

On reaching the temple the couple pour cold water on the goat and the ram and they are made to run towards the deity. They are later released in the name of the deity.

An ' arati' is then performed before the deity. The programmes of releasing the goat and the ram lasts from 11-00 a.m. to 3-00 p.m.

On this day it is customary to cook the food offered to the deity in earthen pots. Hence the earthen pots required for cooking the food are carried in procession to the house of the priest from the house of the village potters—" manache kumbhar". The food cooked is called "bhandara". This programme takes place at about 7-00 p.m.

The priest and his wife then carry materials of worship and cooked food comprising five " chapatis'', " puranpolis ", " rodgas " of 1.25 payali gram, etc., to the temple in procession to worship the deity and offer cooked food at the gathering of the pilgrims. The food so sprinkled is called " mahaprasad" and every one is eager to get a bit of it. The programme is called " bhandara phutane ".

After this all return to the house of the priest in procession and a dinner is given to all the pilgrims at about 9 p.m. It is believed that the cooked food is not exhausted until the last pilgrim has taken his meals.

The pilgrims then return to the temple and pay homage to the deity.

The pilgrims worship the deity with leaves of " bel" tree, flowers, incense sticks, etc., and offer coconuts and coins.

The pilgrims are mostly from Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal and Jalgaon districts and belong to Kunbi, Maratha, Leva Gujar castes. The Gonds, Korkus and Banjaras from Madhya Pradesh also attend the fair in large numbers. The aggregate congregation at the fair is approximately 30,000 to 40,000.

No " dharmashalas" or sheds are provided at the side of the fair or in the village to accommodate the pilgrims. They are accommodated in the village school and in private houses. Some pass the nights under the trees in the open. River and well water treated with chlorine, etc., is provided for drinking purposes. Three new wells are constructed by the Gram Panchayat for this purpose.

The main items of entertainment at the fair are " tamashas ", cinema-shows, swings, merry-go-round, etc.

The Panchayat Samiti collects ground rent from the holders of the stalls erected by traders at the rate of 35 to 50 paise per square foot.

During the fair " damanis" are brought and sold at the fair. The price of a " damani" ranges from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 approximately. Brass utensils, toys, sweet-meats, flowers and other materials of worship are the other commodities sold at the fair."[ Fairs and Festivals, 1961'.]

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