PLACES

PATESHVAR

Patesvar (Satara T; RS. Rahimatpur, 9 m, E) a peaked hill rising above the rest of the range about seven miles south-east of Satara, has on its north-west face close to the junction of the villages of Deganv, Nigdi and Bharatganv and within the limits of Deganv a series of cave temples. The easiest way for a visit on foot or horseback is to take the track to Deganv which branches from the tank in the village of Godoli south and east of the cantonment. From Deganv a path strikes to the south-east and winds up to a khind or gorge from which by steps in places it proceeds at a very gentle incline for about three quarters of a mile along the hill side till the temples are reached.

Cave Temples.

Another way is to drive to Bharatganv on the Kolhapur road whence a two-mile walk leads to the khind by the south side. Half-way [Compare Fergusson and Burgess' Cave Temples, 427.] up the path the steps on the right lead to a large image of Ganapati coloured red. At the end of the path is a hollow in which is a masonry pond measuring fifty-five feet by eighty with steps leading down to it from the middle of the north side. The hill slope runs close down to it at the north-west corner in which is a small cave ten feet square much choked up and containing a small image called the Margal mhas of a lying buffalo with a ling on its back. To the east of the pond are some houses and a math belonging to the resident Gosavi. From the south-east end of the pond a series of thirty-five low steps lead up a slight incline to a temple of Mahadev. The temple stands in a courtyard one hundred and thirty-five feet east to west by sixty-five north to south, partly if not entirely cut out of the hill side to a depth of ten feet. The entrance is on the north from the steps above mentioned and is flanked by four chambers each ten feet square. The chambers next to the doorway are empty and the further ones contain images, the east chamber of the god Rodkoba and the west chamber of the man-eagle Garud. The door-way is a small pointed arch about six feet by three. Immediately opposite the doorway is the Nandi canopy, ten feet square and twenty-seven high, facing the temple which fronts east. The latter is a modest structure, forty-eight feet long, consisting of an image-chamber and a hall. The hall is twenty-six broad and the image chamber (gabhara) eighteen feet broad, the sides of the mandap projecting about five feet on each side beyond those of the gabhara. The front is a plain balustrade about five feet high and six feet broad, on each side of a three feet passage for entrance. The walls on each side are 5' 6" thick. The roof is of the lozenge pattern and supported by four pillars in the centre, a plain imitation of the Hemadpanti style. The whole is raised on a plinth three feet high. The wall to the roof is thirteen feet high with a three feet parapet. Over the image-chamber is the octagonal spire or shikhar of brick and stucco thirty-eight feet from the roof, and with a total height of fifty-four feet from the ground. The image—chamber, ten feet square, is entered by a low doorway with a stone tortoise in front. In the centre is the ling of Patesvar. Behind in the east corner is the water drain. In the centre of the north side are images of Ganapati and Dasmaruti both facing south, and on the south side facing north are images of Jatashankar and Sheshashayi or Vishnu reclining upon the serpent Shesh. On either side of the east end of the temple are small shrines of an eight-handed Devi on the south and of Bhairav on the north. Behind the Nandi shrine to the north-east is the tulsi or basil platform and to the east two temples each eighteen feet high. The whole temple and courtyard is of good stone work but all modern, the work of Parashuram Narayan Angal the great banker and temple-builder who lived in the time of Shahu (1682-1749) [See above.]. In this group the only object of any age would seem to be the Margal Mhas cave. Passing about a hundred yards east four caves are reached all about ten feet square and facing about north-west. They have flat roofs about ten feet high and no signs of building in them. A number of lings are scattered about without any order. A little east of these is a small modern temple of Balibhadra or Agni with a curious image of which the body from the neck back is a bull, tail and all. The face from the mouth upwards is human, the chin that of a bull. It has four horns growing lout of the head, four hands on the right and three on the left, and three legs, two of a man and one of a bull. This image is typical of Agni or the god of fire who is represented in the Shastras as having three legs, seven hands, two mouths, and four horns. On an oblong stone near the image are some well carved figures in relief of men and women. Next to Agni's temple on the east is a temple of Satvai Devi containing two small images of goddesses. Both the temples are modern. Five hundred paces east is a curious cave or group of caves known as the Varadghar. The southern side has a shrine about ten feet square. In the three sides are arched niches prettily sculptured with bead decorations. The southern niche contains a ling three feet high. The eastern niche has some figures of Rshis, and in the western niche is a long shaped stone with eight figures in relief though what the figures represent cannot be made out. Two pillars support the roof, one with a club figured on it in relief, the other with some indistinct letters of which va sa and ha can be made out. The part which opens west contains only a ling. Much of the original cave remains. It is about thirty-five feet deep, but too dark and impenetrable for taking exact measurements. A little to the east of this group is a small pond known as the Bhim Kund, The caves are plain flat-roofed cells without benches and originally without pillars.

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