A Replica of Shaniwar Wada - Nimgaon Wada

Nimgaon is a village famous for its Khandoba temple. As Nimgaon is a village with many villages, it is customary to add this name to identify it. In the old days, there was a village called Nagna near Nimgaon. The village came to be known as Nimgaon-Davdi after another village called Davdi near Nimgaon. Now this village is becoming known as Nimgaon-Khandoba. The village is situated on the banks of the river Bhima. The ruined ghats and forts are witnessing its former glory.

Nimgaon – Khandoba is a village located at a distance of 6 km from Rajgurunagar, the main place of Khed taluka on Pune-Nashik road in Pune district. Khandoba temple is located on a hill 1.5 km north of Nimgaon. Here the direct train route goes near the temple. It can also be reached by foot.

The fort can be reached by climbing about 100 steps on the south side of the fort. At the beginning of the footpath is an east-facing temple of Bhairavnath

This is the footpath on the east side of the fort. On the south side of this footpath is the west facing temple of Hegdi Pradhan on the east side of the fort. There is a stone idol of Hegdi sitting in the temple.

The nagkhana is built on the east entrance of the fort of the temple in front There are small mandapas on both sides of the east gate with idols of Lord Ganesha on the south side and Hanuman on the north side. The coat of arms of the temple is of strong stone construction and has bastions on all four sides. The height of this wall is about 25 feet. The west gate of the fort is permanently closed. There are 76 overs on the inside of the fort. The pavement is 195 feet long and 118 feet wide. This fort was built in 1769 by Sardar Malharrao Gaikwad of Baroda.

Entering the fort through the east gate, there are two horses and a Vrindavan on the north side of the gate.

In front of the temple is a clouded image of Nandi. Seen in front is the east facing main temple of Khandoba. The structure of the temple is Sadar, mandapa, sanctum sanctorum.

The pavilion is domed and without pillars with eight arches. The south and north gates also have two rooms each. On the south side is God’s bed.

On the west side of the mandapa is the sanctum sanctorum. In the center of the sanctum sanctorum are the vaginas of Khandoba, which are covered with brass masks. There are large idols of Khandoba and Mhalsa sitting on the back wall of this festival idol.

This temple is the third place of Nimgaon Khandoba, the deity is believed to have first appeared at Dhamantek in Arudmal and then on the hill behind the main temple and from there. At this place on Sunday. On 26th November 1424, Margashirsha 5, God appeared in the form of Lingar and built a temple in the village. Later, in 1738, Gangadhar Yashwant and Baji Gangadhar Chandrachud rebuilt this temple. There are peaks on the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

On the circumnavigation of the temple, there is a west facing porch on the back wall of the sanctum sanctorum and it has a stone idol of Mhalsabai Shila and Mahishasur Mardini Bhavani.

There is a tomb on the south side of the temple in the vicinity of the temple which is said to belong to Muruli who is an ardent devotee of Khandoba.

There is a footpath on the north and south sides to reach the fort of the temple. There is a panoramic view of the area from the fort and the town hall.

There is a small hill to the west of the fort of the temple. On this hill there is an east facing porch with a punchling and Nandi in front. This Devdis Kadepathar is called Khandoba’s place in the temple. It is believed that God came to the place of today’s temple from this place.
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