PLACES

MUDAVAD

Mudavad, with 2,119 inhabitants in 1961 is a village in Sindkheda taluka, lying 8 km. (5 miles) north of Betavad. which has also a railway station. It is drained by two rivers, viz. the Tapi and the Panjhara which How from the north and east respectively. Their confluence is in the vicinity of the Kapileshvar shrine for which the village is renowned. Being situated in the Tapi valley the soil is very fertile and besides the principal crops of cotton, jowar and wheat, gram and lentils are also grown. Mudavad has a gram-pa nchayat. a branch post office, a primary school, a multipurpose society and a crop protection society. Drinking water is obtained from the wells. A motorable road connects it with Betavad which is also a railway station.

The ancient temple of Kapileshvar Mahadev, reported to have been built by Ahilyabai Holkar, stands on a high bank of the Tapi, overlooking the confluence of the Tapi and the Panjhara. To prevent the erosion of the high bank on which the temple stands, it was revetted with masonry but the entire work including the courtyard wall was washed away by the devastating Hoods of the Tapi which took place some eleven years ago. Fortunately this lovely monument escaped the fury of the floods. A stone-masonry ghat leads up from the river base to the temple at the end of which is a 7.620 metres (25 ft.) high dipmal, broad at the base and tapering towards the top. In the courtyard there is a dharmashahi in a ruined state.

The 4.58 x 3.04 metres (15 feet X 10 feet) temple mandap has one front and two side passage-like entrances, each flanked on either side by two pillars. Though small the mandap shape and decorations exhibit a high order of architectural taste. It has in all 23 pillars including those flanking the entrances, bearing some kind of designs or the other. In the front wall of the gabhara are sunk two richly decorated but vacant niches, each having above the top two figures of elephants with entangled trunks carved in relief. A few human figures are also depicted as stooping down. Likewise the entrance to the 3.04 x 3.04 metres (10 feet x 10feet) vestibule is gorgeously decorated with lovely patterns. In its centre is installed a large-sized linis with two more smaller ones flanking the sides. In the back-ground are images of Parvati and Ganapati. A marble immage of nandi installed on a pedestal in the courtyard faces the ling inside. A tapering shikhar artistically decorated with niche-like designs and proportionately shaped divine and animal figurines, crowns the vestibule. The mandap is also crowned with a big dome-like structure; there are like replicas, but smaller ones, crowning the above mentioned mandap entrance. While the shikhar and the domes are of bricks and chunam, the temple is of solid stone masonry.

Within the same campus there is a small shrine dedicated to Dattatraya shaded by a few neem trees and an umber tree. The village has also a temple honouring Purnanand Svami.

On Magh Vadya Trayodashi a fair attended by over a lakh of persons is held in honour of Kapileshvar Mahadev. It is one of the biggest fairs held in Dhulia district and lasts for twelve days. Merchants dealing in brass and copper ware, agricultural implements and timber figure prominently. A yatra committee formed for the purpose looks after the arrangements. Taxes are collected by the Mudavad grampanchayat.

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