Jejuri

Published on 8th January, 2017, in Mumbai Mirror. It stands on top of a hill and looks like a fort, until you notice the temple-like structures on top, the lamp-pillars on the arches on the steps. Located about 50 km from Pune, this is Jejuri, the main centre of worship of Khandoba, also known as Malhari Martanda, clan deity of many warrior, farming, herding and priest families of Maharashtra and the Deccan region. For most the English-speaking world, Jejuri is known through the poetry of the same name by one of India’s foremost English poets, Arun Kolhatkar, that won the Commonwealth prize in 1977. He ..