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Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

IN QUEST OF ĀḶANDĪ-MĀHĀTMYA
Author(s): Irina Glushkova
Source: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 78, No. 1/4 (1997), pp.
199-213
Published by: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41694947
Accessed: 12-03-2019 06:43 UTC

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IN QUEST OF ÃLAND1-MÃHÃTMYA

By

Irina Glushkova

Now Alandi is almost completely associated with the name ef Dnyan


shvar, the author of the famous commentary on the Bhagavadgítã, who
along with his " Bhävärthadlpikä," has become a kind of a national symb
of Maharashtra. There is a vast amount of information about Alandi of the
pre-Dnyaneshvar times in the abhaňga s of saint-poets of the Vãrkarí tradi-
tion, and particularly in those of Namdev who was the first, and to some
extent ( in the sense of providing new details ) the only biographer of Dnyane-
shvar. Namdev mentioned that Vitthalpant, the father of Dnyaneshvar, came
to Alandi after he had visited other ti riha- s ( 889 );1 that the place was chara-
cterised by the confluence of three rivers - the Indrãyani, Bhãgirathi and
Manikarçikã, which created the special auspicious nature of this place ( 977 );
that it was " the Vaikuntha on the earth, " possibly excelling even tne auspi-
cious Pandharpur ( the main sacral town of the VSrkarl tradition ) and remov-
ing countless sins of previous and future generations ( 1007 ) ; that it was one
of eighteen pitha-s, where numberless sacrifices and austerities had been made
and performed by ancient rsi-s (981 ). Namdev named one of the main attrac-
tions of Alandi, the Ungarn bearing the name of Siddhešvara ( 996, 997 ),
and described the bonds of this place with BrahmS, Visnu, Rudra and Indra
who had performed stoic deeds in this blessed spot ( 996 ). There are men-
tions of such names as Siddhabef and Chakratirtha in his abhaňgass ( 1044,
1054 ). Similar mentions are scattered in the abhaňga-s of Sena Nhavi, EknSth,
Niloba and other renowned adherents to the Vãrkarí tradition.

It would have seemed natural for the grandeur of the pre-Dnyane-


shvar Alandi marked by its " mythological involvement," to be reflected in
the genre of sthala mãhãtmya, too. It sesms, also, that nobody connected
with Alandi by spiritual or religious ties, has had doubts about the reality of
2 land! -mãhãtmya and its existence within SahySdri-khanda of Skanda-purãna.

1 I am deeply indebted to Dr. V. V. Vertogradova and Dr. Mrs. Sucheta Paraojpe for their
help in the interpretation of the Sanskrit Aiahkn-mahatmya. My thanks to Prof Erik
Sand, Mr. V. L. Manjul, Prof. Anne Feldhaus and Dr. R C. Dhere who read the first
draft of this article.
Enumeration of abhahgas is made according to Šrisakalasantagatha. Pune ;
Shrisantavangmay Prakashan Mandir, 1967 ( Second Edition ).

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200 Annals BORI, LXXVIII ( 1997 )

In any case, this kind of reference appears in all publications re


Alandi as the place of Dnyaneshvar's samãdhi. It was mentioned
Khare in his small booklet1 ( " Shree Kshetra," ) published in 1931,
ted in a iloka from the 64th chapter of Sahyãdri-khanda. One com
a similar reference in " Dnyandev's Alandi " by S. K. Neurgavkar3
historicocultural section of " Our Alandi " by Sadananda-maharaj A
which was published oa the occasion of the centeaary of the Aland
pality.4 Along with this, almost all publications contain the same q
( with slight variations ), which had been already used by G. H. Kh
which enumerated different names of Alandi in different epochs
Ãnanda in Krtayuga, of Vãruça in Tretãyuga, of Kapila in Dvãpara
of Alakãpurl in Kaliyuga .5 An earlier evidence of the existence of an
dent text of Alakõ-mãhãtmya is met in the diary of Charles D'Ochoa,
scholar who travelled around Maharashtra in 1843-44, collecting
other things, data for his book entitled " Poetry and Theosophy of
ttas.''# After he had visited Alandi, he made the following entry in his
"There is a volume of Âlandí-mãhãtmya in existence, which contain
tailed description of Alandi ; one cannot buy it, but can order a copy

Stages of the Search

Nobody in the temple of the samãdhi of Dnyaneshvar in Alandi


the existence of A landí-mãhãtmya. Temple trustees, priests and kir

8 G. H. Khare. Sri ksetra s I and t. Pune : Bhãrat Itihäs Saihšodhak Mandai


27, s'ake 1853, 14.
3 S. K. Neurgavkar. Sridnyãnadevãnci alandi . Alandi ; Shri dnyaneshvar
Samsthan Alandi, 1988 ( Third Edition ), 25.
4 Aplï alandi . Alandi nagarapãlika - sthapanâU. s, 1869, Alandi : Sarjer
Ghundre 1974, 9.
5 Khare, 10 ( Kr te cãnandavipinam tretãyam vãrunam smrtam I dvãpãre
jneya alakakhyam kalau yttgell)', Sadananda-maharaj Alandikar, 9 K
oa Unandam tretãyam, vãrunam smrtam I dvãpãre kapilam jneyam alankã -
khya kalau yuge // ); Sri. H. Bh. P. Rangana th-raahararaj Kharat. Alandi devaci.
Alandi: Sri. H. Bh. P. Ranganath-maharaj Kharat, 1992, 14 (Krte cãnandávipi~
nam tretãyã vãrunam smrtam / dvãpãrt kapilam jneyamt alakãranyam kalau
yuge II ).
6 A. R. Kulkarni. " A French Orientalist of the Mid-Nineteenth Century." History in
Practice. Historians and Sources of Medieval Deccan-M arathas. Editor A. R*
Kulkarni. New-Delhi : Books & Books, 1993.
7 M Alandi mãhãtmya mhanUn ... granth ãhe tyãt õlandicã savistar vrittãnt
lihilelã ohe te pustak lihivile a s ata milel vtkát milat nãhi ... " I am thankful
to Prof. A. R. Kulkarni for providing me with the xerox copy of D'Ochoa's notes of bis
visit to Alandi and Dehu. D'Ochoa's diary and manuscripts collected by him are kept
in the National Library in Paris. There is no entry of Ãlandi-mãhãtmya among
( Continued qn the page )

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Glushkova s In Quest of Alandï -Mãhõtmya 20t

stated the idea that the text has been kept with the temple's library or in some
priest's house, and mentioned concrete names. But it was found neither in
the library, nor at any priest's house, nor in the library of the VSrkari áikçaç
Samsthä in Alandi.

The search resulted in the discovery of " The Essence of Ãlctndi-mãhã-


tmya," a 36-page booklet written by Eknath Pandharinath Kulkami and
published in 1 965.3 The author of ths prose "glorifications" of Alandi in
pre- and post-Dnyaneshvar times announced on the back cover of the book-
let the forthcoming publication of the complete text of the mShätmya, consi-
sting of eighteen chapters in ovï metre. I failed to trace this publication and
could not find evidence that it had been published at all, because the Chitra-
shala Press publication-house closed more than 20 years ago. In the intro-
duction to his *' Essince " E. P. Kulkami reported some interesting details of
his genealogy. According to him, his forefather Antajipant had lived in
Alandi at Dnyaneshvar's times. It is believed that Dnyaneshvar and his
brothers got a hereditary position of kulkarpi from their maternal grand-
father Siddhopant ( Shidopant ). After Dnyaneshvar had taken samõdhi and
his brothers had left this world, the kulkarpl' s responsibilities and rights in
respect to Alandi and some other settlements went to Antajipant and the
family of which E. P. Kulkami was a dîscsndmt. And though the latter did
not mention that he had used concrete sources while writing his " Essence,"
there is nothing illogical in an assumption that a version of mShätmya existed
and was transmitted, and that he composed " The Essence " in the spirit of
family legends. E. P. Kulkarni, too, quoted the same Sanskrit šloka (with
minor changes ) about the different names of Alandi.9

Sadananda-maharaj Alandikar, one of the authors of " Our Alandi, ''


explained to me that while preparing the historico-cultural section of the
work, he had at his disposal an old manuscript of Ãlandi-mãhãtmya
which contained 18 chapters. According to him, each chapter contained
from 100 to 200 ovl- s. He had borrowed the manuscript from an acquain-
tance of his who later passed away, and he could not say anything definite

( Continued from p . 200 )


Marathi manuscripts in the Index, compiled by Dr. S. G. Tulpule ( Marath i Manu -
scripts in the Charles D'Ochoa collection of the Bibliothéqué National , Paris •
Bulletin de l'Ecole Française D'Extrême-Orient, Tome LXXV, Extrait, p. 105-23).
8 Eknath Pandharinath Kulkarni Atandimahütmyasar. Pune : Chitrashala Press
Prakashan, 1965.
9 Krtayuge ca anandam tretñyñrh varunam smrtam I dvupure kapilath jneyaih
kalau brate'lkapurï // 2.
26 (Annals BORI]

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202 Annals BORI . LXXVIII (1997)

about the fate of the manuscript. In any case, besides the San
mentioned above and used in a number of other publications, som
small fragments with a reference to Sahyädri-khanda ( as far as Sa
tations go ) and to Aland! -mãhâtmya and Dnyandev-lilãmrt
Marathi quotations ) áre quoted.10

On page 17 of the Index of manuscripts kept in thz coll


Bharat Itihãs Samšodhak Mandai, published in 1960 by G. H. K
author of the historical booklet Sri Ksetra Alandi >, there is a m
two units with the title of Alakã- mãhâtmya kept under the numbers
(in Marathi ) and 47,141 ( in Sanskrit ) respectively in the Manda

The manuscript marked as 22,494 is not found in the deposit


one can get some idea about it from a short report of S. B. Jog, p
the quarterly edition of the Mandai in 19J9.U There were seven
7, 13, 16, 27, 45, 46 ) available ihen. The first chapter ended at p
consisted of 162 ovi-s. The author of the text called himself Balmukunda
Kesri, but Jog found it difficult to supply any definite information about him.
Balmukunda was, as he called himself on the existing pages, a pupil of
Kesrinath, who had taken samãdhi in Alandi and who in turn had been a
pupil of Udbodhnath, famous for his performance of kirtan and Dnyane-
shvar-purãna.n Proceeding from the assumption that Balmukunda was a
representative of the so-called Shivadin-Kesri tradition and from the fact
that Kesrinath took samãdhi in 1646 Shalivahana, i. e. in 1724 A. D , the
Alakã-mãhãtmya under discussion may be believed to be composed not
earlier than the beginning of lhe 18th century. The unfailing attention of
Udbodhnath, one of the gurus of the tradition, to Dnyaneshvar, and devotion
to Dnyaneshvar on the part of Kesrinath, the direct guru, might have stimula-
ted Balmukunda to compose or to reproduce a " glorification * of Alandi.

1° For example Prakatosminmahãksetre ãnatidãkhyamahãvane / nasti nõ s ti sarna -


kqetram trailokyapãvanam smrtarn I/ or (switching from Sanskrit into Marathi)
èankar m h an e ho bhavãni / alankã nãtna ksetra dhãtiya dharant / yã ãnanda -
vanì vrksapãsãnãdikaruni / rsi gani deva ãsati // devãdikãst he durlabha
ksetra / mhanUn yethe tap karitl sarvatra / atyanta uttam bhumi pavitra /
sarvaci artha purati pai // 14
11 S. B. Jog. " Älakamähätmya." Bharat-Itihas-Samsodhak Mandai Traimastk} va.
20, No. 2 October 1939, pp. 78-80.
V. L. Bhave. Mahãrãstra Sara svat, with supplement enjoined. Mumbai ; Popular
Prakashan, 1963 ( Fifth Edition ), 450. Ky the way, Udbodhnath informed in one of
his abhahga-s ( but writing about the different matter ), that Dnyaneshvar was born in
Apegav and his samãdhi is situated in Alandi (Mahãrãstra sãrasvat , 714); this
evidence is used as an argument by those who consider that Apeçav was a birth-place
of Dnyaneshvarf

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Glushkova : In Quest of Ãlandl-Mãhõtmya 203

The manuscript number 47, 141 consists of six sheets filled, except one
on both sides by Appa Joshi under the surname of Vaidya was completed on
the 10th day of the dark half of Bhädrapad in 1778 Shalivahana, i. e. in
1856 A. D. The text is a compilation : after the first 22 šloka-s ascribed to
the 60th chapter of SahySdri-khagda, a new enumeration begins ; the source
of the subsequent 123 šloka-s ( 100-1-23) is named for the first time as the
61st chapter of SahySdrikhanda. The text is characterised by a great number
of different spelling and grammar mistakes ; it has, for example : logical gaps,
failures in metre, confusion of genders and numbers, mistakes in vowels',
length, usage of the vocative in place of the nominative, etc. The '• corrupted
Sanskrit " alternates with the perfect one. One of the šloka-s at page 7 was
written by somebody else - the letters are uneven, as though they have been
written by a child or a person having no proper skill. One word, omitted
by a new scribe, was added later at the margin, by Vaidya, the main scribfe
The manuscript itself13, as it becomes clear from a note at the title-page, was
presented to the BhSrat ItihSs Samšodhak Magdal by a member of the
Vaidya family.

Mythological Information

Now, what kind of information on the pre-Dayaneshvar Alandi is


included in the available renderings and sources ?

" The Essence of Alakã mãhõtmya " informs us that the woods surro»
unding that place were called Anandavan, were linked up with the woods
adjoining Bhimashankar, and were a constant place of pastime of god Šiva;
In length, Alandi was six yojana-s, or 24 koša-s. " The Essence " tells about
the ancient nature of the local rural god Siddheshvar, established by Kubera,
who followed his master from the KailSs mount to this place, and mentions
that Alankäpür was one of the eighteen šivapítha s, especially significant for
achievement of all siddhi- s. The tirtha formed by the confluence of the Indrg»
yaçl river flowing there with a small spring called the KuberagangS is also
named after Kubera. Ablutions there on Sundays during the month of Paug*
are considered especially favourable. Close by there is a small peninsula
known as Siddhabet chosen by rsi s and slddha- s for performing austerities.
Indra's appearance there was responsible for the emergence of the IndrSyaQi
river. On:e, when ài va was performing his tãndava dance and all gods änd
sages were enjoying his art, Indra made fun of Siva's looks. Párvatl got
enraged and cursed him : From now on you will exist in the form of water,

13 To be found separately edited under the title A lamkãmahãtmya by Dr. Mrs Sucheta
Paranjape, elsewehre below in this very Volume. -Ed.

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204 Annals BORI , LXXVllI ( 1997 )

and people will stop worshipping you. " ( Since then there are no r
honour Indra. ) The Indrãyaql source is in the mountains, not far fro
vla and is considered an Indratîrtha. Among other sacred places con
with the worship of god Šiva ( Dhaneshvar, Maruteshvar, Vasishthe
etc. ), the Indreshvar Ungarn is mentioned. It was established by In
the place of the confluence of the Indrâyanî with the Bhimã near T
as supposed by E. P. iChlkarni ). From Siddhabet to the village of C
the Indrãyani flows south, and this section is considered highly aus
In AlakS (Alandi) itself ablutions in Chakratirtha (situated beh
temple of Pundalika, as indicated by E, P. Kulkami ) are especially m
ous. Once, when Šiva was meditating, an asura named Cakra cam
feeling lust, decided to kidnap Pãrvati. As Pãrvati was unable to
áiva's meditation, she called Visnu in her mind, who after a terrible
defeated the asura by his cakra . The asura happened to be a vidyãdh
had been cursed, and now was relieved of the curse with the streng
Visnu's cakra ; he asked the god to name the place after this w
Behind the temple of Dattãtreya under the pimpal-tree, ( as indicat
P. Kulkarni) there are Visnupada - footprints of Visnu. Ancestor w
is considered especially meritorious in this place.

" Our Alandi," proceeding not only from Namdev, Parisa Bhag
Eknath and other saints, but referring also to Sahyädri-khanda ( fra
. in Sanskrit ), Alandi-mãhãtmya and Dnyandev-lílãmrt ( quotations i
thi), supplies the following information about the greatness of Alan
was the habitat of Šiva, all gods used to come there to perform aus
At a distance of about 10 miles from Alandi ( in Indori ? ) there
remnants of pits which are believed to have b^en used by Indra duri
ficial ceremonies. The rather short Indrãyaçí ( 50-60 miles long ) is
for its miraculous power. Devendrá, who had been affected with ulce
cured after he followed áiva's advice and washed himself with Indrâ
water. Because of Šiva's constant stay there, Alandi became the
Prayag, with a triple confluence of the invisible Bhãgirathi with the
Maçikarnikã and Indrãyani. This is the very place where the asu
decided to vex Pãrvati, and since the latter could not break Siva's me
she appealed to Ví§qu. Cakra was ready to die at the hand of Vis^
relieved from the curse put upon him, but as a preliminary he asked
to name the place of his destruction after him. Thus appeared Chakr
which is used for immersing the remnants left after cremation, which ar
jieved to get transformed into pure water there. The Siddhabet pen
washed by the Indrãyani and the Kuberagangã, named after Kubera
practised austerities here and satisfied god Siva. Referring to the Dn

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GlushKOVa : In Quest of Aland i - Mãhã t my a 205

lllamrty "Our Alandi" presents a fragment of a dialogue between Brahmä


and Närada, in which Brahma is explaining the uniqueness of such a tlrtha -
ksetra in all three worlds due to the availability of Visnupad - numerous
footprints of Visnu -there. With reference to the same source, it tells that
a great ancient sage, Kašyapa, cursed his wife, Aditi, because she craved
him at the time of his prolonged meditation. He said to her : " Thrice you
will be bom in the world of men ! " Then he mitigated his punishment : u I
shall be your husband in all three births, and thrice a god's incarnation will
be bom through your womb." Thus, the husband and wife appeared as
Dasaratha and Kausalyä in the Tretãyuga and gave birth to Rama ; as Vasu-
deva and DevakI in the Dvãpara and gave birth to Krscia, as Vitthalpant and
Rakhnmai in the Kaliyuga and gave birth to Dnyaneshvar, an incarnation of
Vísçlu. The author confirms this statement by a Sanskrit quotation from
Sahyãdri-khagda, stating that not only did Dnyaneshvar descend to the earth
as Visnu, but his brothers Nivfttinath and Sopandev were incarnations of
Šiva and Brahmä respectively.

It becomes clear from a few quotations from the Marathi Alakã-mãhã -


tmya cited by S. B. Jog that the mãhãtmya is linked to the Sahyädri-khanda.
The toponym of Alandi does not occur in the seven pages previously avai-
lable ; such names as Alakã, Alankã, Alakãpuri and Ãnandavana are used.
There is also no mention of the Indräyani ; the " great river " flowing in the
described place is called the KuberagañgS or the Kauberãkhyã mahânadï.
Ablutions performed on Sunday at the place of the confluence of the Kubera
(with what is not specified) leads to recovery from Ť. B., leprosy and remo-
ves sins. There are mentions of the god Siddheshvar granting siddhi-s to si -
ddha- s ; of an a tmaliñgam established by fourteen siddha s and of Siddha lake
( Siddhasarovar ) created by them in the river ; and also of Chakratirtha,
Shalitirtha, Vayutirtha and Chandikatirtha.

The greatest number of details, though loosely linked to each other,


are found in the Sanskrit manuscript of Alakã-màhdímya, now at the dispo-
sal of the Bhärat Itihäs S imsodhak Mandai. It starts with a salutation to
Ganeša, then Šiva tells about his arrival at Ãnanda. áiva's speech is interru-
pted by a dialogue between Brahmä and Närad^, which is joined by
Vaisravana, i. e. Kubera, and afterwards, Indra. The new enumeration starts
with a dialogue between Nandikesvara ( Nandî ? ) and Šiva, and then Brahmä,
completing his conversation with Nãrada, appears again. In the first 22
¿loka* s there is commonplace information about different names of Alandi in
different epochs and about the4' high qualities" of this great šivapítha.
Among other details Indra tells about the removal of sins by ablutions on the

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206 Amais BORI, LXXVllI ( 1991 )

eighth day of each half of the month in the sacred Kaubera river. Kuber
founded the Ungarn of MahSsiva, i. e. Kaubera, at the place where alread
god Siddhešvar had been living. The subsequent lines contain details abou
the IndrSpi ( Indrãyaní ) rjver and Chakratirtha, and mention also oth
significant spots at the described place. Indra again made fun of Šiva and
was cursed by Pãrvati. Indra first mollified Pãrvati and then satisfied Ši
by a severe penance, who, though unable to nullify Parvati's curse, co
forted Indra as follows : " The river born from your body will be my fav
urite" (43). And thus the Indrãyaní came from índratirtha. Indra,
the way, established the Indresvara lingaiti at the place of his penance on o
of the Sahyãdri peaks, and this place along with ( the liňgam of) Siddhesh
( ! ) was named Devaküta ( God's peak ). The theme of a fight betw
Vi§nu and Cakra, the asura , who insulted Pãrvati by revealing his lust, i
elaborated in detail. Not wishing to disturb Šiva, who fell into deep medit
tion after their merry pastime, Pãrvati invoked Jagannãtha in her though
and Viçnu appeared there immediately. The asura was destroyed with the
cakra and asked to preserve the name of the weapon as a toponym, and t
endow the place with the same destructive poweras regards sins. Visnu s
gled out the place and made it " the king of tirtha -s," which was able to
provide all merits and in which ancestor's bones were to be immersed. Tho
sands of footprints of Visnu remained there, too, which are used for mak
offerings to ancestors. Visnu himself rejoiced at the place and decided to
stay there.

Alongside the elaboration of the two themes of the Indrãyaçl river and
Chakratirtha, information about other sacred spots of the place is included,
too. The theme of the Indrãyaní contains mentions of Vasishtheshvar and
Marut liñgam-s ; of the lake Siddha, situated in the Indrãyaní, and of
Siddhabet, situated in front of the confluence of ( probably.) the Indrãyaçl
with the Kaubera, the bathing in which cures T. B., leprosy, poisoning and
epilepsy ; of Shalitirtha, Vayutirtha, Chandikatirtha, Kamatirtha and Siddha-
tirtha, situated nearby and close to each other. Then Alakãvati, i. e. Alandi,
is identified with Chakratirtha, where three rivers become one -the Indrã-
yaní. Ablution performed in this place brings the greatest merits, which are
described at great length, and one who bathes there attains the paradise of
Visçiu and becomes one with Visiiu. Immediately after that comes the infor-
mation that god Mahešvara ( ! ) dwells in the confluence of the three rivers.
Further the greatness of Alandi is stressed once more, and then an enumera-
tion of successive tîrtha-s - Kotitirtha, Chakratirtha (! ), Bhairavatirtha,
Vasishthatirtha, Sarvatitirtha, Kapilamochanatirtha, Chagadatirtha, Gunavi-
mochanatirtha, Sandhyatirtha, Vishvatirtha, Hariharatirtha, Gokarnatirtha

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Glushkova : In Quest of Alandi -Mãhãtmya 207

and Matsyatirtha - starts. And there also Siddheša/Siddhešvara is established»


and the place is referred to as Siddhakshetra, which is a šivapítha granting
siddhis to siddha- s. Almost at the end of the text there is information that
"together with Siddhešvara this place (is known?) as Ananda. There is
(such) a river there as the IndrãyanI and a great tîrtha known as Chakra-
tirtha." ( [1] 21 ).

Älandi-mähätmya and Sahyädri khanda


The analysis of the mythological information about Alandi yielded by
four texts ( excluding saints* compositions ) helps to reveal a few stable the-
mes. The bast formulated of them are a legend of Pârvati's curse which
resulted in Indra's transformation into the IndrSyanl river, and a legend about
Viçnu rescuing Pãrvatí, leading to the emergence of the sacred Chakratirtha.
Both themes are linked to Šiva and PãrvitPs games. The participation of
Kubera is less thoroughly depicted, though it is after him that the small
streamlet Sowing into the Indräyagi is named ( and according to the Marathi
Alakã-mãhãtmya, there is no other river but the KuberagangS ). And the
thing which comes as a surprise is a very obscure narration about the Siddhe.
svar Ungarn , which is popularly regarded as the primary holy object of Alandi-
There is no clarity about the triple confluence ( as a matter of fact, it is not
mentioned in E. P. Kulkarni's The Essence " at all ) - at least, the names of
Bhâgïrathî and Manikarçikâ are absent both in "The Essence" and the
¡Sanskrit mahãtmya. The latter informs about the Indränl ( Indräyani ) and
the Kaubera, which, by the way, appears before the Indrãyaçi in the pages
of the mahãtmya and is called " the great river." The text mentions twice a
" triple confluence " ( 62, 70 ), though with no enthusiasm at all, and glori-
fies the significance of ablution at other places, such as the " great " Kaubera
the Indrâyanï, the confluence of the Indrãnl and the Kaubera and Chakra-
tirtha. S. K. Neurgavkar remarks that the IndrSyanl was called the Kubera*
gangs, too.14 In any case, it is practically impossible to get from the avai-
lable texts a clear idea of what rivers flow where and which flows into which.
None of the contemporary works dealing with the expos'tion of Alandi
mythology is supported by the results of a topographic survey of landscapes
of even today's Alandi. No information has been found regarding the exact
position of Indreshvar - whether it is situated at the source of the Indräyanl,
or on the Devakuta peak, or at the confluence of the Indrâyaçî and the Bhlma.

The functional vagueness of Kubera is more striking because of the


fact that Kubera plays a role in the prologues of almost all descriptions, and

14 K. Neurgavkar, 25.

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208 Annals BORI , LXXVIII ( 1997 )

one of the generally accepted names of Alaka, cannot but bring reminiscenc
of the mythological AlakS from the Himalayas, the ancestral place of Kuber
In the light of the " river problematics " and the etymology of Alaka on
may be reminded that the first flow of the Bhägirathl ( which is mention
in connection with a triple confluence ), i. e„ the celestial GaňgS, descend
to the earth due to the eflors of king Bhngîratha and became known as th
AlakanandS. The same name is attributed to one of the streamlets formin
the proper Gangã.lS

The role of Kubera attracts even more attention due to the fact that it
is he, an ardent adept of Šiva, who is considered the founder of the Siddhe
svara Ungarn. Nevertheless, according to the Sanskrit mãhãtmya, Kubera
established the Ungarn of Mahäsiva under the name of Kaubera at the pla
where Siddhesvara ( may be already ? ) had b ¿en dwelling, and the followin
iloka concludes : " This place of pilgrimage, like Alakä, alloted by Siddhesvar
possesses Šiva who is called Kaubera, and there is Nandl, a giver of wealth
( 21 ). The mäbätmya states that the Indresvara Ungarn was erected at th
SahySdri peak by the repenting Indra and that " this place, along with th
Siddhešvara liňgam, was named DevakO{a ( God's peak ). " ( 32 ). Further, th
location of Siddhesvara has shifted - it is mentioned again after the enume
ration of all other tirtha- s situated either in Alakä itself or outside it ( 75
One more touch to the ambiguities arising regarding the location of Siddh
svara is added by one of Namdev's abhaňga- s denoting Khed ( now the cen
of taluka embracing Alandi ) as a place of Siddh-'svara's dwelling ( " ... ther
is the god Siddhesvara to the north at the village of Khetak Bh igirathi //
( 996 ), and the contemporary author Sadanandamaharaj Alandikar under-
stands this as referring to the place of Rajguru in Khed).u This is wor

15 The name of tbe Manikarniks, one of the constituents of the " triple confluence,"
minds of the Manikaraa lake situated in Himachal-Pradesh. According to traditiona
belief the lake got its name after a precious stone had dropped from Siva's ear into
the lake.
M A fuller context might be helpful-#« he sivaktetra pratyakia / pürve miïtulihg
sUksa I tethehi ke'sava pratyaksa / caturbhiya rUps ase II 7 // daksin puttyekva
devo I nãgesvar tnahãdcvo I mUaJptthi nãgendri pãhTivo / trivenirïïpc vïïhata
II 8 II paicitne induriye devo / brahme'svar uttam fhSvo / uttare siddhesvar
devo I khetak grämt bhãgtrathi II 9 II. It would be unjust to omit the followin
lines - madhyasthali he indrZyant / sarsi bhãítratht v ah ini / siddhe'svar sobh
sthãnl / dnyUnadevo sahita // 10 II, Namdev is describing the location of four tem
ples, one of which - the Siddhesvara - is situated to the north of the central point
which might be understood as a point of observation. It is the Indräyaat which
situated in the middle ( or, to be more precise, a concrete spot at its bank, i. e. Alanka-
puri I Alandi ). Further Namdev mentions the Siddhesvara for the second time, bu
pow it is found in immediate proximity to Dnyaneshvar, i. e. to his samãdhi. Ther
( Continued.on the next page. )

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Glushkova s In Quest of Hlandl-Mãhã tmya 209

consideration, as generally all saints unanimously call Alandi the realm of


Siddhešvara. On the whole the situation around Siddheshvar demands more
careful study and evaluation of the efficacy of his cult at different stages. It
is interesting that all saints insist that this is an " old " ( former ? ) šivaptfha
and one of Namdev's abhañga-s proclaims that " before there was Nilkanth
here *' ( 987 ) - the meaning of the adverb and the past tense of the verb
cannot go unnoticed.17 The above-mentioned French scholar, Charles D*-
Ochoa, describing his visit to Alandi, said nothing ( failed to notice or con«
sidered unimportant?) about the temple of Siddhešvara. In any case,
temples dedicated to Siddhešvara are literally scattered throughout Mahara-
shtra, and one of them, for example, which had been located not far from
Alandi ( and at a very short distance from Debu ), was mentioned in Shailar-
wadi inscription.13

Among the tlrtha- s linked to Alandi and besides such sacred spots as
Chakratirtha and Siddhabet there are mentions of Vasishtheshvar and Maru-
teshvar in " The Essence " and the Sanskrit mãhãtmya, and of Shalitirtha,
Vayutirtha and Chandikatirtha in the ( once ) available pages of the Marathi
mãhãtmya. The names of other tïrtha-s, enumerated in greater numbers in
the Sanskrit mãhãtmya, are generally used within Indian religious geography,
and each of th;m is repeated over and over again in different parts of India
in general and Maharashtra in particular. Thus, for example, Chakratirtha,19

( Continued from b. 208 . )


is also the mention of Induriya ( Indreshvar ? ) which is situated to the west. The
Indräyani, at least according to indications in the publications under discussion, flows
to the south until it meets the Bhïmâ, where, according to one of the versions, Indre-
shvar is supposed to be found, but in the abhxkga it is placed to the west. True, after
having a look; at the map, the western direction of the Indräyani seems more likely.
The other question arising from this abhahga is what is meant by mïïlapïthi nUgendrì
pãhãvo ?
17 It is known that the trustworthiness of sections " Adi, " TirthSvali and " SamSdhi,
which provide the main information about Dnyaneshvar and are accepted as normative,
is doubted for a number of reasons. Dr. R. C. Dhere, for example, made a supposi-
tion that all three sections had been written two or three centuries after Dnyaneshvar's
times by somebody who adopted the name of Namdev, and not by Dnyaneshvar's
contemporary (R. C. Dhere. 16. Nãmdevkrt dnyãnesvarcaritra. Kalpadrumïïciye
tali. Pune : Utkarsh Prakashan, 1990 178 ). This approach might add a new shade to
the past tense of the verb % to be.'
13 I owe this information to Dr. R. P. Goswami. By the way, the most famous temple of
Siddheshvar, still maintaining its religious importance, is situated among the Sahyadri
spurs near the place of Kanabaragi, not far from Belgaon in Karnatak.
19 " Chakratirtha " as an accepted toponym linked with Alandi is used by secular public
as well. Thus, for example, Pune's newspapers publish from time to time articles stat-
ing ecological and hygienic anxiety in regard to sewage flowing from broken sewer-
pipes straight into Chakratirtha where devotees perform traditional ablutions,
?7 [Annals BORI)

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2i0 Àìtnals BORI, LXXVIII ( 1997 )

whose legend forms one of the two stable themes, might have been
related to Chakratirtha of Kuruk§etra, which originated as a result o
throwing his cakra at Bhlçma. The most famous Chakratirthas
rashtra itself are situated close to Mahur and near Nasik. It is also almost
impossible to count the number of Kofitlrthas, explained in the light of diffe-
rent mystifications connected with áiva, such as his ten million appearances,
or water brought by him from ten million tïrtha- s, etc. One of the Chakra-
tirthas, for example, is found at the source of the NarmadS, and another
on the right bank of the GodSvarl. Gokargitirtha in situated between
Karvar and Akola, and, according to the traditional belief, it was there that
after an episode with Ahalyä the cursed Indra washed away his sin ( cf. a
similar episode from " Our Alandi, " in which Devendrá was purified by
Indrãyaç! wit¿r ). Tne information about the more renowned tïrtha- s of
the same name can be provid :d regarding almost each unit mentioned in
the Sanskrit mãhãtmya and what is more, in a number of places tlrtha-s
are enumerated in approximately the same sequence : thus, there is Kotitirtha,
situated near the above mentioned Gokarnatirlha ; Hariharatirtha, situated
near Chakratirtha at the TungabhadrS river, etc. Kurukshetra, Gaya, and
Pandharpur too, as well as many other places have their own Vi§Qupadas.
Some of these tirtha & from the Sanskrit mãhãtmya are Vaiçnava, others are
Saiva, and their combination in the framework of one " glorification, " devo-
ted to some sacred place, can be explained by two adjacent plots with the lead-
ing role of Šiva and Visiju respectively, and, in a broader, sense, by the reli-
gious history of the relationship of áaivism and Vaiçnavism in Maharashtra.

Both " Our Alandi " and the Sanskrit mãhãtmya exploit the dialogue
between BrahmS and NSrada in which the former explains to the latter the
greatness of Alandi. " Our Alandi " attributes this dialogue to Dnyãndeva •
lilãmrta. So, though there are no full coincidences in the four publications
under discussion, the parallelism of plots and a number of common toponyms
lead to an assumption of the existence of a normative source ( a meta-möAäf-
myaì ) used by the authors of all four narratives. As all of them unanimo-
usly refer to the Sahyâdri-khaçda of the Skanda-purãna, it would be natural
to pay attention to this source, in the first place, and to look for an Alakã /
Ãlandí -mãhãtmya there. As far as I am aware, the only printed edition of
SahyBdri-khagda, a mythological, historical and geographical description of
Western India, was compiled in Bombay in 18*77 by Jerson da Cunha, on the
basis of fourteen manuscripts. L0 Neither in the 21st, 60th chapters of the first

8° The Sahyadri-Khanda of the Skanda Parana ě. A Myhological, Historical an <f


( Continued on the netti page. )

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Glushkovà i In Quest of Âlandí-Mãhãtmya 211

half, nor in the 21st chapter of the second half and the supplementary
mãhãtmya-s , is there anything similar to any name of Alandi. The dialogue
between BrahmS and Närada is also absent. And, though it is generally
accepted that the Skanda-purãna , being the vastest of the Purägas, is chara-
cterised by friability and uncertainty with respect to its constituents, and that
much of what is ascribed to it exists as independent legends,21 one cannot
neglect the fact that the above-mentioned volume of the Sahyãdri-khanda
was prepared on the basis of fourteen manuscripts ! Therefore, the next stage
of research can be formulated as the search for other manuscripts of the
Sahyãdri-khanda and/or the Alakã / Ãlandi -mahatmya. True, as the SahyS-
dri-khanda contains substantial fragments dedicated to different castes and
the origin of Chitpavan Brahmans, in particular ( and to a much lesser extent
to the description of sacred places ), and is written with a distinctly negative
attitude towards Chitpavans, during the Peshvas' times copies of the SahyS-
dri-khanda were withdrawn from circulation and destroyed, and their owners
were subjected to punishment.22

But if some copies happened to be preserved, it may become possible


to check up the rather obtrusive feeling, developed during the study of the
available data - the feeling that sacral symbols somehow began to be inter-
polated into the space of Alandi or started to be attached to Alandi in the
post-Dnyaneshvar epoch, when the place had already been recognised due
to the location of the samãdhi of Dnyaneshvar. But certainly this feeling
needs to be checked by a cross-disciplinary examination.

Afterword

Having unconsciously retold some mythological statements concerning


Alandi of a general nature and commonly accepted by public opinion in one
of my papers dealing with the shifting values of a religious centre;23 I made

( Continued from Page 210. )


Geographical Aocount of Western India . First edition of the Sanskrit text with
various readings by J. Gerson Da Cunha. Bombay : Thacker, Vining, 1877. Da
Cunha informed that he had translated the text into English and that the translation
was under preparation for publication, but it looks as if this intention failed to be
materialized.
21 See for detailed account Ludo Rocher, A History of Indian Literature : The PurU -
nas . Wiesbaden ; Otto Harrassowitz, 1986, 228-37.
M S. A. Joglekar. ( Mahctrastra-stotra ) Sahyãdri. Pune : Shubhada-sarasvat Prakashan,
1993 ( Second Edition), 490.
aa My paper '• Shifting Values of Sacred Places. A Case-Study of Alandi " was prepared
for the Bhakii Conference in Seattle ( Summer 1994 ), which I was unable to attend.
( Continued on the next page . )

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212 Annals BORI , LXXVIll f 1997 )

myself a good target for " shooting " questions like those of P
Bakker, whom I had asked to read the paper : " Where does this infor
come from ? is there an Ãlandi-mãhãtmya in existence ? When it is
etc." Launching the search for the Ãlandí-mãhãtmya, I did not
that its results would turn out to be so scant. I do not think, never
that it is time to lose heari, and I am positively sure that search sho
continued. Many times Dr. R. C. Dhere, an untiring scholar of
rashtrian sacral literature and folklore, has come out with the same
Stating an important idea that Álandi is not an " old " šivapitha onl
devï pít ha too, he could not but exclaim : " What sense there could
speaking about other places, if even Alandi has not yet become an o
intense search ! At the same time, by the way, R. C. Dhere men
odd pages of the Marathi Alakãmãhãtmya available at the Bhärat
Samsodhak Mandai, probably being unaware that they are not there an

After this article had been written I visited Alandi again and co
a few pieces of new information. I met Vijay Eknath Kulkami, son of
Eknath Pandharinath Kulkami, and a freelance priest in the temple co
of the Dnyaneshvar samãdhi. He confirmed the existence of Alandi
mya in the form of a chãpll pot hi ( a printed book ) and added tha
been borrowed by somebody after his father's death in 1980 and never ret
ed it. He eventually succeaded with the help of his old mother to re
the identity of the borrower, and now is trying to get that book b
also made an attempt to identify some Ungarns mentioned by his f
" The Essence of Ãlandí-mãhãtmya'9 by locating Dhaneshvar in D
( about 6 km to the east of Alandi ), Maruteshvar in Markal ( about
to the east of Alandi ), and Vasishtheshvar under the name of Vaghes
Charholi.

( Continued from p*21U )


Prof. H. Bakker kindly agreed to read and comment on the paper during our meeting
at the International Symposium in Prague ( Summer 1995 ). He posed a few impor-
tant questions which, eventually, have aroused my interest in the search of A landi -
fnñhatmya. He was also curious whether some other evidence exists, besides the Vãr-
kart tradition, confirming the location of the samãdhi of Dnyaneshvar. One piece of
such evidence is a karinã referred to by V. L. Bhave in Mahãrãsjra Sara svat in the
footnote on p. 109 ( the exact source is not mentioned ). While specifying the date of
some vatan donation as sometime in between 1220 and 1225 Shalivahana, it was made
more exact by adding that this happened one or two years after Dnyaneshvar had taken
samãdhi in Alandi.
M Prastavna. Dny and ev and Dnyandevi. Editor R. C. Dhere. Pune : Shrividya
Prakashan, 1991, 18.

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Glushkova : In Quest of Ãlandi-Mãhãtmya 2l3

Sadananda-maharaj Alandikar complained of weakness and said that


be was unable to bring any memories in respect to Ãlandi -mãhãtmya, but
assured me that both Ãlandí -mãhãtmya and Dnyandev-lilamrta he had
referred to in " Our Alandi " were one and the same.

Chakratirtha of modern Alandi is situated in the river-bed behind the


Puggalika temple. Vishnu Dnyaneshvar Chakrankit, one of the most respec-
ted Alandi kîrtankâr-s, told me that during the days of his childhood
Chakratirtha in the fcrm of a kunda had been situated on the bank of the
IndrSyani in front of the Pundalika-temple.

There are two spots which are habitually percepted as the points of the
triple confluence in Alandi. One of them is located close to Pundalika-
temple and Chakratirtha and Í3 known as " Triveçï Bhäglrathl Kuçda. "
Nothing like actual confluence can be traced there, but, according to general
belief, it takes place underground. The other spot at the place traditionally
called Siddhabet is marked by the actual confluence of the IndrSyanI and the
KuberagangS. V. L. Manjul suggested that the triple confluence might be
related to the confluence of the BhlmS, BhSmS and Indrãyagl at the place of
Tulapur, situated some 7 km from Alandi.

Vishnupad together with the pimpal-tree behind the DattStreya temple


is no more in existence. It was destroyed as a part of development works at
the banks of the IndrSyani, and the pimpal-tree was cut about a year ago.
The undergoing construction activity has also become the cause of destroying
many kunda-s remembered by the older generation in Alandi.

Nobody has ever heard of anything like Siddhasarovar, Indreshvar or


Devakuta.

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