211 CHAPIiiH V : THE awAMI'S ACTIYITIBS. i) Building Activity, ii) Fondness for Gardening, iii) Demands on his Followers iv) His Pecuniary Affairs, v) parades. 212 CHAPTER V. ft THE 3WA^iI*S ACTIVITIES. Inlh e- / Eighteenth century, Indians were religious minded. They spent more money on temples and religious sanctuaries than on private buildings and forts. In the ^laratha state, there was no government department of public works and all public works such as river ghats, mountain roads wells and rest houses were built by public spirited citizens. Brahmendra Swaml was not an ordinary ♦sanyasi'. He had amassed a fortune by sponging on the Maratha nobility and utilised part of it for building temples, wells and tanks. He personally took a deep Interest in these building works and begged cash and kind from the Maratha nobility. We will see how he Instructed Lakhmoji Havaldar at Malshiras for the building of the Bhxileshwar temple: " Lakhmoji Havaldar at Kalshlras is ordered hereby. I am satisfied with the report of the building work carried on by you so far. You should carry on the work in the following manneri-— " Get 20,000 bricks prepared at the rate of three and half rupees per 10,000. C9 X "■»o ” Near the well, in front of the peepal tree, build a trough 6 feet broad and 4 feet high with stone flooring for the cattle to drink water. « Out of the three peaks of the temple (Bbuleshwar) only one should be made artistic. The other two may be kept plain with lime plastering. If you will make them artistic I yfi;Ll be taken to task. " After completing the well, with the help of four stone-breakers complete the walls round the temple. When the bricks are ready, build the walls round the rest-house (dharmashala). ” Get the lime prepared by the charcoal burner. The temple and the rest house should have doors. The money will be paid later. ” Let me know when the well is completed.I shall personally come there and inspect everything.Keep one man to water the mango tree from the well. i " The work should be carried on in this manner. I am entirely relying on you. I am not feeling well. Money is not available. Oon*t trouble me. ^ 9 ^ <: i 4 If we visit Malshiras and Bhuleshwar today, we find the temple building exactly as the Swaiai had ordered* The well at Malshiras mentioned in the letter is a wonderful work of Maratha architecture. It impresses the visitor even today after two hundred yearsThe three peaks of the Bhuleshwar temple and the 'dharmashala' could also still be seen* The Swami was very strict in his business affairs* Ramaji Ganesh had been entrusted by the Swami to carry out the work of the tank at Talhavda* The Swami had sent him cash for payment to the workers at Talhavda. A complaint came to the Swami that the workers had not received their wages. The Swami took him/to task and called him immediately to Dhavadshi with all the account books On account of his experience of many years the Swami*s party of bxiilders - charcoal bumper, masons,stone breakers, etc* - had become quite efficient. Nimbaji Lonari the charcoal burner, prepared bricks for the Swami; Malharji was a stone breaker and Tulaji was the mason* Sambhaji Naik and Vyankaji Naik were expert architects who had built the ]^uleshwar temple*^ The Swami's men were in requisition 1. Photograph No* 2* DCHM 20/907 3* PBC p . 123. i.9 1X 'J by the Siddl, the Feshwaa, and the Chhatrapatl. A part/ of stone breakers were asked for by Viroobai in 1721 from the Swami for building i^e well at Nimb, Shahu’s private estate. The Siddi had sent for a party of stone breakers in 1727* Chhatrapati Shahu asked for ten stone diggers in 1729 for the building of his palace.^ The Swami regarded these men as a sort of his private retinue. He once wrote to the officers of the fort Santoshgad, " In place of sons which other people have* I have my factories. lou must take care of them".^ It is possible that the Swami might have used these workers to earn profit for himself. The workers too many times blocked the progress of the work by unyielding their/demands. Workers engaged from Newasa and those wording at Gothana had compelled the Swami to increase their ration and wages.^ The Swami*8 building works could be divided into three categories: (i) Temples - a) Reconstruction and repairs of old temples. b) New temples. 1. R.III ai, 17i DCHM 12/641 A, PBCL 253, PBC p.30. 2. DCHM 20/1087, PBC p.105. 3. R.III 116 , 119. 21G 11) Works of public utility such as tanks and wells* ill) Construction and repair of roadsi On all these works the total expenditure amounted to nearly 10 lacs of rupees.^ List of buildings constructed by the Swami. fhe temples of Parshuram at Pedha in the Konkan, the Bhuleshwar temple at lawat ( 26 miles from Poona), the Meruling temple near Dhavadshi and the Ganapati temple at Rajur near Jalna were old temples probably belonging to the Yadava period. The Swami superimposed new structure on these old temples. At Meruling, RaJur and lawat, the remains 2 of old temples can easily be traced. Parshuram; The chief temple dedicated to Bhargavaram or Parshuram 1. PBC pp. 103-104. Parasnis has produced a list of only some important building works, on p.l03. After the perusal of the modi copy of the list in the Deccan College Collection it was revealed that some of the figures of Parasnis were wrong. The detailed list with correct figures is reproduced in the Appendix. See Appendix.£. 2. See Chap* 2. n i n C i » is a central shrine surrounded by two smaller buildings. A yearly festival on the third day of the first fortnight of Vaishakh (April-May) is attended by three to four thousand people. Between the hills of Parshuram and the township of Chiplun is the creek of the river Vashisthi. The villages, Songaon, Ohamani and Parshuram are on these hills. The village Pedha is opposite Chiplun near the creek.^ The teuple of Parshuram was reconstructed. In addition the temples of Renuka, Ganapati, Maruti, »Dharma- shala* , verandahs to the dhanaashala, pillars of light, and the audience hall of wood in front of the Parshuram temple all amounting to nearly 1 lac of rupees were completed. For the buildings at Parshuram the Swami brought the mortar This mortar was said to be lying there from Mahipatgad^Ilyiiig since the days of Shivaji. Dhavadshi. Dhavftdshi is situated about eight miles to the North­ west of Satara. It cannot be said why the Swami chose this particular place for his permanent residence. The vicinity of this place to the shrine of Merxiling seems to be the main reason for the choice of the Swami. It is s a id that the village formerly belonged to the Mhavads* (blacksmiths) and was shifted to the present site by the Swami from its Q 1 p 6 i 0 from its old position near the Hanuman temple* A sum of iis.2,21,000 seems to have been spent on 3 works at Dhavadshi. The details of the expenditixre are given belowi- On wells ••• ••• ••• ••• 2^000 Main samadhi^ ... ... ... JL. 2,00,000 Rampart round the residence of the his Swami, and/two clerks. Only the gate and part of the wall survive 2 t oday^. ***• * * 9 ... ^ ^ ^ 000 The following six smaller temples were built at Dhavadshi. Some of the deities installed there appear to ^ be local deities. Jani t e m p l e it.. 500. ii) Kalkai temple - as. 500 On the west of Dhavadshi on the way to Meruling there is a small nala known as * Kalkaicha Odha’, and Kalkai temple was built near this nala. iii) Wagh.iai*s temple - iis.SOOOA.;» This is situated I.DtHM 2-0)832-^ tk fl.i-ff'S 210 to the north>east of Dhavadshi. We come across this temple on our right n«hen we proceed towards BhargaTarama Mandlr. iY)Maruti temple - Hs.ZOOOA This is situated to the south-west of Dhavadshi. v) nanflpati temple - Hs.SOOA Meruling temple has two ascents - one from Kalkai*s temple and the other through the Ganesh pass to the north of the village. The temple of Qanapati was built on the hill at the entrance of this pass. vi) Ekvira temple - i^.500/».:- The deity installed here appears to be the local deity of the *dhavads*. Meruling temple - 10000 • Meruling is about three miles from DhaTadshi. The hill is about 40^4 feet high and the temple is surrounded by natural beauty* The temple appears to be an old one^ probably belonging to the Yadava period. Remains of the old temple are scattered near about the temple which could be seen near the holy bull (Nandi). The ancient temple of Mezniling near Dhavadshi is situated cA one of the loveliest sites in Maharashtra, and the view of the tank from the temple is very attractive. 220 A wall like a rampart was built round the temple and three tanks^ were also constructed there. This temple is built on the bank of river Krishna at Hardhe near Satara, Shrl Ehuleshwar temple near Malahiras fia, 1.00.500» One mile south-east of lewat railway station and 27 miles east of Poona on Poona-Sholapur Hoad has three miles south on a hill a ladava temple of ^uleshwar of 2 remarkable stone sculpture and carvings and an ancient well* This original temple was superimposed by a new structure by the Swamy.