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PLACES
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RENAVI
Renavi, about 8 km (five miles) east of Vite, with 1,901 inhabitants as per the 1961 Census, is a village in Khanapur
taluka situated to the cast on the Khanapur plateau.- There is a primary school teaching up to seventh standard, a branch post-office, a multipurpose co-operative society and a vasatigrha. Among the crops taken, jowar, bajra, udid and groundnut figure prominently.
Revan siddh Temple.
Renavi is celebrated for an old temple dedicated to Revan Siddh, a local saint of repute, said to have been under the special favour of Dattatraya and lil a great favourite of the Lingayats. It was built in the' 16th century and lies hardly
three furlongs away from the village. The temple consists of an image-chamber and a mandap all. walled in but without a spire, the whole being about 9.29 m2 (100 ft. square). The mandap with six open pillars, is 0,14x12,19 metres (30'x40') and has at rhc entrance an image of nandi housed in a canopy. The image-chamber containing the image of Re van Snddh is. 4.57 x 4.57 metres (15' x 15'). It is in a standing posture and made of cloth stuffed with cotton. It wears a facial plaque of brass and its hands and feet are clothed in solver sheets. Nearbv there is a stum-slab about 3.04x1.21 metres (10'x 4') from below which water trickles. This water is used as firth and hence the stone is considered to be holy. Within the compound there is one dipmal and two more outside. The cloisters that arc sesn near the temple are supposed to have been built by the devotees of the saint. The temple is a conspicuous object on the south side of the Ciphin-Karhad-Bijapur road as soon as the plateau is reached. To the easi of this sacred shrine is Urul Siddh and to the west in a tunnel is Visvaradya. The story runs that the Revan mountain was formerly composed of five metals. White crystals are found in abundance on the mountain and these are used as bhasma by the devotees. Besides, soils of various colours are also found. As many as 84 tirhas or holy centres were believed to have been situated on this sacred mount but all except six have disappeared. Those now in existence are a gomukh, two haranayake and three flower gardens. Among other miracles with which the saint is credited, it is said of him that while staying at the house of a Brahman in Vite who had lost all his seven children, he commanded the Brahman's wife to cut the last child into seven pieces from which he created seven new children, lie is said to have attained immortalitv and is still believed to hover round the place. A yearly fair is held in February which attracts thousands of devotees from places like Barsi, Solapur and Karnatak. A majority of the disciples of this saint are spread over Maharastra and Karnatak.
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