PLACES

DEVAGHAR OR HARESHVAR

Devaghar (Srivardhan peta; p. 1,578; RS. khopoli, 62 m. NE) a small village about five miles south of Srivardhan, is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. In the time of Forbes (1771) the village was noted for the sacredness of the temple, and for having been the residence of the ancestors of the Pesva. [Forbes' Oriental Memoirs, I. 190.] There is a temple sacred to God Kal-Bhairav, who is said to cure all sicknesses caused by evil spirits. Three fairs are held in the year, one on the Mahasivaratra (February) for one day, the other from Kartik Suddha 11th to 15th (November) and the third on the Kalastami day. They are attended by about 11,000 persons-and on each occasion flowers, fruits, sweetmeats, toys, bangles and other sundry articles worth about Rs. 1,600 are sold. A yearly cash allowance of Rs. 1,152 (free of income-tax) is paid to the temple by the Government. The temple is under the supervision of a board of trustees in Haresvar. Epidemic sickness has never broken out at these fairs. A village pancayat was established in the village in 1951. Repairs to the temple were carried out by the grampancayat.

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