Tuljapur

Tuljapur is a city in the Osmanabad District of Maharashtra. It is home to the famed Tulja Bhavani Temple, which is dedicated to the mighty Hindu Goddess Bhavani. The legendary Maratha leader Shivaji was a great worshipper of Ma Bhavani, and so, the city enjoyed much privilege during the reign of Shivaji. Bhavani is also the family deity of the Bhonsale family and as such, is worshipped through generations of Bhonsales. However, with Shivaji, it was something special – he used to visit the city always before battles with the Bijapur dynasty or the Mughals because he believed that her blessings were essential.

Incidentally, Goddess Bhavani is also worshipped by people from many states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. You will thus find that not just Marathas, but a lot of other people also throng the Bhavani Temple during the Dusserra festival every year to pay homage to the Goddess. Moreover, during the kojagiri Purnima Navaratri every year, hundreds of devotees come to Tuljapur from Sholapur, covering the distance of 45 kilometers simply by walking. You can choose the way you visit Tuljapur. But you should certainly come here once. You can do so on any weekend. Of course, the festivals are the most religious events, but remember, there will be a lot many people in these times of the year. But you might still want to visit during the festivities, for the experience.

There are some important temples close to Tuljapur town as well. So you could visit them too. There are also the Dharashiv caves and the Naldurg fort. You could see them all in just a couple of days.

How to reach: Tuljapur can be visited from Solapur – that is the closest big city. And obviously there are many ways to reach Sholapur. There is a busy railway station and an airport too. You may even drive all the way from Pune if you so want. It will take between five and six hours.

Finding a place to stay at Tuljapur is not a problem at all. You can choose from many hotels in Tuljapur, resorts in Tuljapur, and home stays in Tuljapur.