2 ancient shrines found in Thane

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2 ancient shrines found in Thane

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/2_ancient_shrines_found_in_Thane/articleshow/2751829.cms

 

2 ancient shrines found in Thane3 Feb 2008, 0001 hrs IST,TNN

 

THANE: The sleepy village of Gunj in Wada taluka, about 60 km fromThane, was charged up after two ancient temples in complete ruins werediscovered in the dense forest on Friday.

 

The revelation was made by senior BJP leader Om Prakash Sharma when hevisited the village recently. "I had undertaken the task of renovatingthe Parshuram temple that is located in the Mandakini Hills. As I wasclimbing the hill, I came across these two medieval temples. They werein complete ruins. It is said that they were plundered by the Moghulshundreds of years ago. One of the temples belongs to Shiva and theother to Renukamata, who was Parshuram's mother," Sharma told TOI.

 

Sharma has undertaken the task of renovating Parshuram temples in thestate. According to him, there are only two Parshuram temples, one ofwhich is at Chiplun in Ratnagiri district. Sharma had also embarked ona Parshuram yatra in November.

 

Lord Parshuram is revered by Hindus and it is believed that it was hewho created the coastal land from Kerala to Gujarat running throughKonkan. Konkan is also known as Parshuram bhoomi. There are alsoreferences suggesting that Parshuram, who stronglyopposed evil, was gifted his bow and arrow by Lord Shiva. 'Parsha', aweapon given to him by Lord Ganesh, gave him the nomenclature by whichhe is known. Parshuram is also known as the sixth manifestation ofLord Vishnu.

 

According to Sharma, the Shiva temple has carvings on its entrance andalso has a 'pindi'. The temples are located near a lake at thefoothills of Mandakini Hills, which is on the border of Wada andBhiwandi talukas. The idols from the Renukadevi temple were reinstatedin 1732 by Chimaji Appa, a warrior from Vasai, who renovated theVajreshwari temple after it was destroyed by invaders.

 

Sharma has planned a procession on February 17 to create awarenessamong villagers about monuments that lie hidden in jungles and otherremote places. The village, which has a population of around threehundred people, is gearing up for the event.