Baobab of Fadnavis Wada

Another discovery by my friend Vijay Menon. This time the Baobab's at Fadnavis Waada, Wai, Satara district.

This is one of the few discoveries in which Baobab fruit is seen. The fruit has high nutritious content and can be preserved for a long time. Apart from the fruit, it's leaves and bark have herbal properties and used for various health conditions.

Built in the XVIII Century, Fadnavis Wada is a historical monument. I'm quoting it's description verbatim from Nana Fadnavis Wada website: This palace (wada) at village Menavli was constructed by Rajamanya Rajashri Nana Faadnavis in 1770s and is situated on the banks of Krishna River. The 250+ year old wada structure comprises of the main stone plinth above which rises the two storeyed wooden framed structures with walls made of bricks and dried mud, hay and lime mortar. The wada has some excellent specimens of art in the form of well-carved wooden ceilings, and cypress pillars with cusped arches and Maratha style wall paintings, that are adorned with faunal and floral motifs.

Baobab originates from the African continent. Between the XIV and XVII Centuries CE, groups of Sufi ascetics travelled to the Indian subcontinent carrying Baobab seeds & saplings. The Sufis planted them wherever they camped which was usually for months at stretch. Baobab, though a rare tree in our country, thousands of trees are said to have survived in the western parts i.e. Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. Baobabs made their way interior regions i.e. the Deccan plateau and even down south to Tamil Nadu. For the reader's benefit, below is a list of known Baobab trees of India-

1. Hilltop Nightclub, Vagator, Goa
2. Cabo Raj Bhavan, Dona Paula, Goa
3. Quepem, Goa
4. Bamboo Motels, Goa
5. next to Yogapur mosque, Bijapur
6. Mahalakshmi Gudi premises, Martur, Kalburgi district
7. Dodda Hunashe Matha, Savanur, Karnataka
8. Near the aquarium in Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bengaluru
9. on the outskirts of Devadurga, Raichur district, Karnataka
10. Purana Qilla, Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana
11. Attapur, Hyderabad
12. Vansthalipuram, Hyderabad, Telangana
13. near Chappel Road, Hyderabad, Telangana
14. Ranganath temple at Nanakramguda, Hyderabad, Telangana
15. Shivalaya on Balachandruni Guttalu, Nalagonda, Telangana
16. Uppal in Chengicherla Reserve Forests, Hyderabad, Telangana
17. Nellore, Andhrapradesh
18. Theosophist Society Gardens, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
19. The American College campus, Madurai, TN
20. Chinmaya Vidyalaya's campus at Ilanthope, Rajapalayam, TN
21. Mangaliawas near Ajmer, Rajasthan
22. Vadodara, Gujarat
23. Dayapur, Gujarat
24. Kutch, Gujarat
25. Bhanagar, Gujarat
26. Baroda, Gujarat
27. Victoria Garden, Sukharamnagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
28. Mulund, Mumbai, Maharashtra
29. Byculla zoo, Mumbai, Maharashtra
30. Tilak road and Ghokale road, Pune, Maharastra
31. near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
32. inside Shirala fort, Maharashtra
33. Revdanda-Murud road near Korlai, Maharastra
34. opposite Mandvi Darwaza at Vasai Fort, Maharastra
35. Nana Fadnavis Wada premises, Menawali, Maharashtra
36. Mandavgad or Mandu, Madhya Pradesh
37. Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, Bihar
38. Purani Jhunsi, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh

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story of Kirtimukha

Kirtimukha at Ikkeri Aghoreshwara Devastana

Even after hundreds of temple visits Kirtimukha remained mysterious apart from the assumption that it's there to cast off evil eyes. Those ferocious faces popping eyes are bound to keep evil-eyes. However, the question of how it came into being stayed on.

Ikkeri Aghoreshwara Devastana

The mystery was addressed to an extent by a YouTube short video titled Kirtimukha: the glorious face at the temple gate in which Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev) narrates a story which goes like this:

Every Indian temple there is a face which is eating up its own arms which is called as the Kirtimukha. It once happened a certain Yogi too full of himself came and saw Shiva simply sitting there and he looked at him and provoked him with abuse. Shiva did not respond. Then he physically poked him and said you're simply sitting there because you're afraid of me. This went beyond point of irritation. So Shiva plucked a hair from his head and made a demon out of it. And he told the demon "Eat this Yogi. Eat him up. He should not be walking this planet."

The demon grew up within minutes and became huge and started chasing the yogi. Yogi was terrified. Then of course he came and fell at Shiva's feet and please save me. Don't let this demon eat me. Then Shiva immediately changed his mind and said "okay just leave him let him go." Then the yogi went away terrified.

Then the demon was standing there burning with hunger because he was created just to eat. So he said, "What am I supposed to do?" Shiva was already becoming still. He said, "You eat yourself." And then before Shiva could turn around and look at him, he started eating himself up. When he looked at him, everything of his body was gone. Only his face and two arms were left. So he looked at this "how quickly you ate yourself up. Only the face is left. You are the most glorious face. You are above all gods." 

It is from this that even today in almost every Indian temple there is a face which is eating up its own arms which is called as the Kirtimukha the glorious face.

Here's another example, a Kirtimukha from Bhimeshwara Devastana, Neelagunda.

Neelagunda Bhimeshwara Devastana

And a series of Kirtimukha at Aghoreshwara Devastana, Ikkeri where one tier of the temple base is dedicated to the glorious face.

Sadhguru's story has spiked my interest. During my future visits to temples, I'll surely pay more attention to Kirtimukha, it's many forms created by the ancient sculptures of our land.

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