Shree Bharadi Devi Mandir Yatra

At Bharadi Devi temple a fair is organised every February when 2 lakh people visit the temple during the fair. This is the Jaagrut devasthan situated at Anganewadi, 10 km from Malvan. Anganewadi is the small hamlet of Masure village. The Bharadi devi is famous for her wish-fulfilling(Navas) power. Her devotees express their wishes (Navas) before her and once the wish is fulfilled they come again f

or a Darshan (visit) to express their gratitude. The highlight of Anganewadi is an annual fair some time in February, the date is declared after getting approval from the goddess. Because of the wish–fulfilling powers of the goddess, the goddess has political leaders and celebrities among her devotees. All these faithful throng to the annual fair. Buses and passenger vehicles ply from Malvan and Kankavli to Angnewadi. It is possible to visit Angnewadi and come back to Malvan within 2 hours. Anganewadi is Pandharpur of Konkan. The name Anganewadi indicates a dominance of people with the surname Angane. According to a legend a goddess materialized in the village in the form of a stone plaque, 400 years ago. Since then people have been flocking to this village for 'Darshan', every year. There is no fixed day or date for the fair. It is decided by consensus. The consensus for the day of the fair is achieved via a hunt for a wild animal.It is believed that this hunt makes all existing evil powers inactive(shanti). This is not offered as a 'Prasad' to the goddess. The animal’s flesh is cooked and distributed among the villagers who then decide on a suitable day for fair. A decision is taken sitting on a mat (made by peel of bamboo) commonly known as ‘Daali’ in Malvani lingo. The villager’s decision is known as ‘Daalap’. On the day of the fair, the stone plaque is adorned by mask, ornaments and apparels. The village barber then stands outside the temple and after sunrise releases reflected sunrays over the sacred plaque. In view of the enormous crowd attending the festivity, the rituals now begin at 4am and ends at 10pm. One female member from each family joins in the mass cooking. A food thus prepared is offered as ‘Prasad’. This event is known as ‘Taate Lawane (To serve the dishes)’ in Malvani. The event marks the end of the first day of the fair. On the next day, rituals restart at 4am and continue till the afternoon. The day is called ‘Mode Jatra (End of fair)’. Though the fair thus officially lasts one and a half days, entertainment programs like music and dramas continue for the next four to five days. A theory to explain the origin of the fair is that a cow belonging to one of the villagers used to discharge milk in the green wood which turned in a stone. When the owner went out to look for the cow, he found the stone. On the same day he got a divine message in his dream and started to worship the stone. The word spread and people have since visited the place annually. Since the plaque was found in rocky soil (Bharad) the goddess came to be known as Bharadi. Over the years, the crowds have swelled to the extent where the queue found by devotees for 'Darshan' extends up to 2 km.