Ranjeshwar Temple – Shivaji’s Defining Moment and Ingenious Architecture

India

By kevinstandagehotography on September 29, 2023 • ( 1 Comment )

Ranjeshwar Temple at Ranje, 20km south of Pune city

Despite having visited Pune city on twenty-five separate occasions over the years, it never ceases to amaze me how many interesting sites and locations there are to explore. I constantly feel like I’m only scratching the surface, and unsurprisingly I usually leave Pune with a longer list of “want to see” places than when I started. Often I get to know of new destinations via social media while I am staying in the city, and Ranjeshwar Temple is a great example of that.

Located just 20km south of Pune city, Ranjeshwar Temple sits at the western extent of Ranje village, and is somewhere steeped in Maratha history from the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji, as well as having both ingenious and curious architectural elements.

Ranjeshwar Temple is approached via a narrow lane that leads past an impressive ruined Wada, marked as “Holikar Wada” on google maps – more on that later. Before descending the steps that lead into the temple compound, it’s worth exploring the arched colonnade on your left, most likely provision for horses for visitors to the temple and Wada. Also at this upper level is an ancient banyan tree and a Hanuman temple.

This is known as Chapatdan Hanuman, named because of Lord Hanuman’s pose to slap the devil that is at his feet, there’s a similar image at Tikona Fort (and no doubt in countless other places!).

The approach down to Ranjeshwar Temple via a long flight of steps into the compound is simply unforgettable. The foundations of the temple have been cut into the side of a natural low hill, and from this vantage point the only other thing you can see are paddy fields, unblemished countryside, and hills off in the far distance. It’s a paradise for photographers.

The front facade of this east-facing temple was until recently of natural stone. Now however, some “restoration” efforts have resulted in the temple being brightly painted, and judging from pictures I have seen on Google this seems to happen at regular intervals. I’m not a massive fan of this kind of treatment, but one has to be thankful that the temple is clearly cared for and is being maintained, that is so often not the case with sites that don’t attract many visitors.

Having negotiated the steps, the first structure you reach is a small assembly hall housing three Nandi’s of diminishing sizes.

The entrance to the main temple is richly carved (and painted!), quite a contrast to much of the fabric of the existing temple. The detailing here to me is very reminiscent of decoration one can find on bhumija style temples of the Yādav Dynasty.

I suspect the current temple, which is probably around 350-400 years old and built during the Maratha era, has recused material from a pre-existing temple that was in a ruinous state.

The sanctum houses a marble Shiva Linga, with a coiled snake around the center. Locals say that many snakes frequent the area around this temple during the festival of Mahashivrati.

I couldn’t help but notice what appears to be a carved column from a ruined temple being repurposed and inserted into the wall at 90 degrees. So my initial hunch about a much earlier temple existing on or near to this site could well be the case.

Immediately to the north of the main temple but still within the main compound are three square tanks, with some ingenious design to facilitate water management. The eastern-most tank is fed by a natural spring and is used to fetch water for pujas. An underground channel from this tank feeds the middle tank when water levels reach a certain height, and this tank is used for devotees to bathe. Similarly, a further underground channel feeds the third and final tank, which is used for washing clothes.

It’s a very clever design, but it doesn’t stop there. When water in this final tank reaches a certain level, it exits into a stone-lined covered drain that channels the water around the western end of the main temple, under the compound wall, and empties into the paddy fields south of the temple. What a wonderfully clever design, having the same water used for puja, bathing, washing, and irrigation.

Above the water tanks and outside the temple compound is another Shiva temple worth exploring, which offers some nice views looking back at the main temple.

The village of Ranje is closely associated with one of the most character defining moments in Shivaji’s early life. When Shivaji was barely fifteen years old, the Patil (village head) of Ranje was accused of raping a local woman in front of her husband and children. His name was Babaji Bhikaji Gujar, and reports of the crime soon reached Shivaji in Pune.

The Patil was summoned to Pune, but he refused to go – he thought no crime had been commited and he was right to do as he pleased. He was subsequently escorted by guards to Pune, where a trial took place in the courtyard of Lal Mahal filled with people who had come from near and far to witness the court proceedings.

With his mother sitting next to him and with Dadoji Kondadeo (administrator of Pune) standing behind him, young Shivaji gave his verdict, pronouncing the Patil ‘guilty’ and handed over the punishment:

‘Patil of Ranjhe, Taaraf — Khedebare, Babaji Bhikaji Gujar, has committed an act of offence, while serving in his office as a Patil. The report of his actions has reached us — and his guilt has been proved beyond doubt. Thereupon, as per our orders, chop off his limbs, all four limbs.’

Stories of this event are not entirely consistent, some say that only his hands were cut off. I can think of another body part that perhaps should have been subjected to such a punishment. In case you’re wondering, the Patil’s family were taken care of after the punishment had been dealt out.

That was considered a landmark judgment by the young Shivaji, for never before had any (poor) man or woman of the region felt so safe and protected. Shivaji was to become well known for administering justice swiftly and fluidly.

The far (western) end of the temple compound has some interesting ruins. Locals say this is where the priest lived, and from here a doorway leads into those paddy fields that are being constantly fed by the water management system here, and from these fields there are some great views looking back at the temple again.

It’s here that one gets to appreciate just how large the adjacent Wada is, with the imposing high walls, an intact Laxminarayan temple within, and surrounded by further ruins. Locals claim that Shivaji’s mother, Jijabai, once lived for some time near to this Wada, but I have failed to find any evidence for this claim.

Before leaving Ranjeshwar Temple proper I took it upon myself to try and explore the wada. The most obvious access point is through a door next to the flight of steps that lead down to the temple, but that was firmly locked. I have since discovered that it mainly open between 6;30am and 9:30am. Another access point is further up the narrow lane and through some imposing gateways. Here there is a modern Swami Samrat temple, a dwelling that is clearly occupied, all surrounded by ruined walls. In order to get to the Laxminarayan temple I would have had to essentially trespass (I probably already was guilty of that!), so I backtracked and gave up on my attempts.

Visiting Ranjeshwar Temple was a great experience, with so much history associated with this area and some fantastic techniques for managing the water supply, I’m surprised it isn’t more well known about. Being so close to Pune city, one can easily explore this temple as a half day excursion, and I imagine during the monsoon it is even more special.

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Categories: India, Maharashtra, Ranjeshwar Temple - Ranje

Tagged as: Hindu Temples