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PLACES
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MEHUNA
Mehuna (Chikhli T.: p. 2124): This small village in Chikhli tahsil is famous as a place of abode of the saint Chokhamela. A legend [ Abhangachya Gatha published by B. L. Pathak, Bombay.] informs us that there was once a Patil at Koregaon. He was a devoted worshipper of Panduranga (Vithoba) of Pandharpur. He never used to eat anything unless a part of it was sent to Panduranga. One day he sent 125 mangoes to Pandharpur through a messenger. While the messenger and his wife were on their way to Pandharpur, Panduranga with a view to ascertaining the depth of his disciple's devotion, approached them in the form of a Brahmana and asked for a mango saying that he had not eaten anything for the past few days. But the messenger refused to oblige him and went on his course. He, however, explained to Panduranga that as he was faithfully bound to his owner he could not part with a single fruit. On being requested again his wife took pity upon the Brahmana and gave him one mango. The Brahmana found the fruit to be so sour that he returned it back to her. She, instead of keeping it along-with other mangoes, placed the same in her lap. On reaching Pandharpur. the mangoes were given to the Badves. On counting, the messenger offered an explanation and narrated the entire story. When the messenger's wife was asked to produce the mango, she, surprisingly enough, found that instead of the mango, there was a small male child in her lap. The child later came to be known as the saint Chokhamela.
That the saint hailed from Mehuna was first brought to notice by one Narayan Kamble about 40 years back. He took samadhi at this place in 1965.
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