Chapter I I IKIRQUUCTIQN In this chapter, districtwise and placewise account of the places that the author has visited is recorded. The total number of places recorded is three nundred and two. Gut of these one hundred and fifty five places the author has visited. Other places have been included to maice the information complete. There are 201 places mentioned in various inscrip­ tions (see Table below) out of which 130 places were visited by the author. In addition 25 places though not mentioned were visited and an account of all such is recorded. Thus this is a Gazetteer-like account of the places which cover the period from 500 A.D. to 1300 A.D. having some antiquarian importance. In giving the account of a place the following points are elaborated. Inscriptional name, geographical, socio­ logical, and material remains are noted. Places having a|(^ mark were visited by the author. 23 Table I Dynasty Places mentioned Visited in inscriptions Badami Chalukyas 33 20 Rastrakutas 66 41 Kalyani Chalukyas 14 8 Yadavas of fleogiri 70 51 Silahara of N. Konkan 2 2 Silahara of Kolhapur 16 8 Total 201 130 Table 11 a District Information recorded Visited Ahmadnagar 69 19 Dhulia 16 3 Jalgaon 40 15 Kolhapur 28 18 Nasik 28 16 Poona 62 41 Sangall 12 9 Satara 27 12 Sholapur 30 23 Total 302 165 S Places from Ahuiadnagar, Jalgaon, and Satara district con­ tain Hemadpanti temples and wells, and they have been al­ ready sui'veyed; so not visited but are recorded. hkm% o t Flactii ia ttMi AhaaUnftgor ulatrlct 1 KftJl«£»oa 18 Kaiaa 35 XakXl 2 Hu;»t>barl 19 i«atan»a(Si 36 > Kothftl 20 Harifib*gad 37 JalgaoQ 4 KokfuBlhan 21 JdbOA* 3a i«i<x.ii4uigaos 5 M«i<lhftvaa 22 airapur 3i ftagaon 6 tlamr* 23 ShinchoXl 40 itaiilo 7 KfLVfttht.K«fltal«iihvmr24 O*ajl<-Bhoy«r« 41 Kort^aon 8 Koicangfton iCoXagaon 42 Araogaoa 9 >1anoii 26 KoihuX 43 ftXaogaftl 10 Kochi 27 Sorja 44 BhaXttgaon 11 ifadgaoa 28 Itheragaon 45 UhotAO 12 Jorv« k9 SevaXgaoQ 46 Goudsgaon 13 Qhlii^hall 30 Mirajgaon 47 £al«ifaoa 14 JavalaKaoiag 31 jalvaii(ii«l(.oiar 4ii Pra van»*>«u ^aa 15 ^tajapur 32 Maianjan 4i XoiLa 16 ^•Ib a ia 33 Gvirav-iriupri 50 ikiciiohan 17 Xahacarl 34 iimbbul»(tmoa 51 Ghar^^aon 2 ? . AHMKDNAGAR Akola • Akola is situated on the banks of the river Pravara, sixty miles to the North-west of Ahmadnagar. To the east of the town, a little distance up the river is an old 1 temple of Siddheshvar Mahadev. The sculptures and the fact that the linga shrine is not on a lower level but on the general floor level, seem to show that it originally 2 was a Vishnu shrine. Certain things in the shrine strike as rather peculisu*. This shrine has a door on the back side and the nandi is seated near it, instead of, in front of the linga as usual. The temple is assigned to the first half of the thirteenth centurylF Arangaon This place, ten miles from Jamkhed, is notable on account of a rather plain Yadava temple belonging to the 4 fourteenth century, known as Araneshvar Mahadev. 1 Cousens H . , Mediaeval Temples of the Dakhan. 53* 2 Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency (District Ahmadnagar), Vol. XVII, 712. 3 Naik A.V., Structural Architecture of the Deccan, N.I.A., Vol. IX, Nos. 7-12, pp. 272-276. 4 I b i d ., p. 296. i 28 O Babhulgaon Babhulgaon, a small village on the Ahmadnagar-Karmala road, some thirtytwo miles to the south-east of the former, has been identified with Vavulala mentioned in the inscrip­ tion of the Rashtrakuta King Govind III of ^aka 730. The inscription records the grant of the village Rattajjuna (Ratanjan in the same district) in the Rasiyanabhukti and the name of Vaulala occurs while delimiting the boundaries of the grant. The population of the village is 550 which includes several communities. The surname of the patil is Puarne. Others are Pabale, Kapre, Toradnial, Kadam, i)abade, Berad ana Bakure. Among Mahars - Kamble and Zogade; Chambhars - Udamale. There are temples dedicated to Maruti, Shiva and Bhairavanath, but none of them is old. The village is en­ circled by a mud and stone wall and at the gate stand two big slabs of stone as are at Bhosari, district Poona. Other monuments are a naga-stone, Vishnu image and some hero stones. Belvandi-Kolhar Belvandi-Kolhar is four miles north of Shrigonde, has a well preserved Hemadpanti well, with a Hemadpanti 5 Kielhorn F., Radhanpur plates of Govind III, :5aka-Samvat 73 0, 6.2 3 9 . ^0 temple projecting into it on one side. "This temple and others so called Hemadpanti temples from this district are plain, simple and uninteresting structures, being the least expensive, became very popular and a vast number of temples of this type were built in the Deccan during the 6 period 1300 A.D. and onwards." Bhalegaon Bhalegaon is twenty-six miles north-east of Jamkhed, has a temple of Bhaleshvar, and the remains of a ruined 7 temple, which belong to Hemadpanti period. o Ghikhali Chikhali is four miles to the west of bangamner on the bank of a small rivulet Adhala. This village is identi­ fied with Chikhaligrama mentioned in an inscription of the Yadava king Bhillama ^aka 922. It is to the south of the donated village Rajapura and on the bank of the river _ 9 Ardala. The name of the river is changed from Ardala to Adhala. The village has changed its habitation and moved southwards. There is a mound on the original place. The population of the village is 693i which includes several communities. The surname of the patil is Sahane; others are Hashe, Shinare, Memane and Kavade. Among Kahars ■ 6 Naik, op.cit., p. 295. 7 B.G., op.cit., p. 713. 8 Kielhorn F., "Sangamner copper plate inscription of the Yadava Bhillama II", E»I« 2.216. 9 ibid. Jamdhade, Chambhars - Satpute; and Rokade among Bhils. There are Maruti, Mahadev, and Ganapati temples, and a mosque. Shiva and Ganapati temples are built in brick with stone plinths and having no decoration. These temples are all new. Other monuments are only Samadhi stones (Described in Chapter 111 P- 2^ ). Ghincholi Chincholi village is six miles to the west of Parner and has fragments of ancient sculpture, the most notable 10 being a seven headed cobra or naga on a grave-stone. Devalgaon Devalgaon is eight miles to the north of Shrigonda and the only antiquarian object remaining there is an old 11 well belonging to the 13th century. Dhergaon This village is sixteen miles north-west of Karjat, has a ruined Yadava temple of Maliikarjuna, with four well carved pillars adorned with cobras on the capitals. This 12 temple belongs to the 14th century. Dhoke Dhoke village is twelve miles north of Parner, has. 10 B.G., op.cit., p. 714. « 11 See ’ Taklibhan’ for description of Hemadpanti or Yadava style wells. 1 1 U J l . a . _____________________________ 3 on the east side of one of the two rugged hills rising from a stony plateau, a group of early Brahmanical caves of about a .D. 550-600. JJhor.la Dhorja is at a distance of eight miles to the north of Shrigonda. In the village there are two Hemadpanti 14 temples belonging to fourteenth century. Gan.ii-Bhorya This village is five miles to the south-west of Parner, has a Hemadpanti temple of Mahadev, surrounded by numerous ruins. The temple has cobra bracket capitals and near it are the remains of a Hemadpanti well with a pillared verandah. The temple belongs to the first half of the thirteenth century. o Ghargaon This is a small village on the Mula river, about twenty miles south-west of 3angamner. The soil deposits on either banks of the river yield series II tools. The present habi­ tation is nearly half a mile away from the river, on its southern bank. 13 Fergusson J. and Burgess J . , Cave Temples of India, p. 429. 14 Naik, op.cit., p. 296. 15 Ibid., p. 274. The population of the village is 1600, which includes several communities. The surname of the patil is iiher. Others are Pisal, Gadekar, Kanhore and Bhor. Among hahars, Gaikwad, Kharat and Shinde. There are temples dedicated to Vitthal, Shiva and Maruti, but they are newly built. Other monuments are, a fragmentary Gaja-Lakshmi a hero stone of 18th century date and a greatly corroded Shiva-Parvati - murti. Ghotan Ghotan is six miles to the north of Shevgaon. In the centre of the village, there is a temple of Kahadev, which belongs to first half of the thirteenth century. It is a 16 three shrined temple. Gondhegaon Gondhegaon is in Nevase taluka and there are three Hemadpanti temples and a well at this place. They belong 17 to the fourteenth century. Gurav-Pimpri It is eight miles north of Karjat. Here is a Hemad- panti temple of Pimpreshvar Mahadev. The temple belongs to 18 the fourteenth century. 16 Ibid., p. 287. 17 Ibid., p. 296. 18 Ibid., p. 296. 0 J Hari schandragad It is eighteen miles to the south-west of Akola. There are some Erahmanical caves to the north of the fort. The caves face north-west and consist of eight excavations. 19 A little below the row of caves is a large Hemad- panti reservoir and below this is a small temple in a pit. This temple belongs to the twelfth century.