PLACES

KINHAI

Kinhai (Koreganv T; 17° N, 74° E; RS. Satara Road, 5 m.p. 2,200) seven miles almost due north of Koreganv is a village which belonged to the Pant Pratinidhi. It was a village of the former princely State of Aundh and was included in Koreganv taluka after the merger of the princely States. Kinhai is best reached from Koreganv by following the Pandharpur road for a mile and then taking a track which branches off due north and passes by Cinch village on to a made road originally built by the Pant Pratinidhi. The village lies on either bank of a feeder of the Vasna which always holds water. The soil is good and the country round thickly studded with mangoes. To the north and north-west is a spur of steep hills at the end of which rises the ancient fort of Nandgiri (3,537). On the south-east are two small hills divided by a gorge to the east of which is the temple of Yamnai Devi, the patron goddess of the Pratinidhi family. This temple of Yamnai Devi has a fortified appearance and with its battlements and towers is visible for many miles on all sides throughout the Koreganv taluka. The village consists of a broad street running north-west and south-east and crossing the stream into the Peth or market quarters and thence continuing to the road mentioned up towards the temple and on through the small gorge between the two hills to Koreganv. The Pratinidhi had a handsome mansion or vada in the village, the lower part of stone and the upper part of brick with an enclosure or court surrounded by strong walls. The mansion contains some reception rooms of handsome size and proportions in the local style. Usually one of the wives and a son of the Pratinidhi resided there. The mansion now houses the office of the vahivatdar of the Kinhai Wards' Estate and a District School Board School. On the right bank of the stream behind the Pant's mansion is a small temple of Mahadev about thirty feet by fifteen with a flight of steps leading down to the stream. It consists of an open sided mandap and an image-chamber with a spire. The pillars are imitations of the early Hindu style. The spire is of brick with stone ornamentation. The temple of Yamnai Devi lies on the summit of a somewhat pointed hill about 350 to 400 feet above the plain. The way up to it is by the road before mentioned which close to the gorge is left on the right for a flight of 300 steps with a stone balustrade on each side. The steps are made of slabs quarried from the surrounding rock and are in excellent repair. Numbers of people may be seen ascending and descending the steps on Tuesday and Friday, the holy days of the goddess. The temple court, irregular and nearly oval is entered from the west by a pointed archway with a music chamber or nagarkhana on the top. The rock is fenced with a solid masonry wall about twelve feet high from inside, and outside in places from thirty to forty feet high. At the eastern end is a small entrance from a path communicating with a spring half-way down the south slope of the hill. There are cloisters with a terrace on the left or south side of this entrance and on the north a large solid but plain lamp pillar or dipmal. The pillar was broken years ago by lightning and as this was said to be the third time of its being struck, it was thought ominous to repair it. The temple is a plain structure about forty feet by twenty feet with a flat roofed hall or mandap supported on three rows of four pillars about eighteen inches square at the base and plain imitations of the early Hindu style. The image-chamber or gabhara is square and contains an image of devi in black stone ornamented with jewels and embroidered apparel and displayed with much pomp by means of a mirror casting light upon it from outside. The courtyard is paved and immediately in front of the mandap is a stone embedded in the pavement and containing vents made to receive coins to be laid in them for presentation to the goddess. A yearly fair is held, in her honour from Kartik Paurnima onwards for 15 days, when about 10,000 people attend.

The Pratinidhi family were hereditary kulkarnis or accountants of Kinhai and several of the neighbouring villages and it was from that position that Parashuram Trimbak raised himself till he was appointed the third Pratinidhi in 1,700.

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