On 187th death anniversary of my ancestor- King Serfoji II, i present a very interesting article on my blog, on his pilgrimage to temples in Tamilnadu.
Thanjavur Royal Pagdi. This is my Pagdi (also told as headgear or turban) made by Pune based Pagdi maker, Sailesh Yadav.
In 1801, King Serfoji II went on a two-month pilgrimage, covering more than one hundred temples situated along the Cauvery river. The king performed the ritual consecration of 108 shiva lingas in a colonnade of the 11th century Brihadeshwara temple after the pilgrimage.
As a tribute to this pilgrimage, a court poet called Siva wrote a poem in Marathi titled “Sri Maharaj Sarabhendratirthavali” (sequence of king Sarabhendra’s sacred places).
In Sharabhendratirthavali, poet Siva traces King Serfoji’s journeys to the sacred places of Cholanadu (Tamilnadu) , travelling from Thanjavur along the banks of and criss-crossing Cauvery and other rivers up and down the coast. He weaves into this account narratives of the features of each pilgrimage and shrines, its local legends and glories, and detailed descriptions of the king’s activities there.
In addition to worship of deities, King Serfoji’s rites at each pilgrimage included bathing and other water-rituals, including ancestral offerings.
All the kings of Thanjavur, including the Marathas, who arrived in 1674, and the Telugu Nayaks before them, styled themselves as ‘monarch of the Chola realm’ and the association of the Chola region with the sacred river Cauvery is an old and persistent one. But no ruler of Thanjavur before King Serfoji had undertaken a pilgrimage covering the Cholanadu heartland in its entirety.
The set of 108 siva lingas installed by King Serfoji II from 1801 to 1803 situated in the colonnade of the temple were brought by him from different temples in cities surrounding Thanjavur. King Serfoji IIโs decision to include such a vast number of lingas in conjunction with the main stone linga in the garbha grha shows the obsession with the Brihadisvara site as the premier religious center of Thanjavur.
Reference: Article on King Serfoji II’s biography by Indira Peterson.
Paying homage to my great great grandfather- King Serfoji II at Raja Dinkar Kelkar museum, Pune.The king who preserved Tamil culture, heritage and also was the patron of Tamil literature, scholars and art forms. The King who developed and built Sarasvati Mahal library with rare collections of antiques and manuscripts. His instructions and orders of documenting the past before his era, to his employed scholars,writers and Pandits had made his future and upcoming generations to use those as a reference and sources. The only king to whom i bow and keep my forehead on his feet after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Note: View those photographs on my instagram and facebook profile for better or good pixel quality.
Shiva temple in Ashram.
Inside Ashram.
View from Temple.View from temple.Mercury shivalingam inside temple.Worshipping the mercury Shivalingam on the auspicious day of Mahashivaratri.With my Atya Raje, Guruma Shivangini and Kaka Raje, Yogiraj Siddhanath.
With my nephew.
Mercury Shivalingam.
Book written by my Atya Raje Guruma Shivangini, on her life journey titled ‘A master stroke by Divine- Destiny’. This is a very interesting picture depiction book narrates her life journey and experience from Thanjavur Sadar Mahal Palace to Gwalior Sardar Shitole family to Guruma.The book is available at Ashram.๐
Click the below link to watch Indian Classical Performances performed on the auspicious day of MahaShivaratri at the Ashram๐
Images of Antique Portraits of my Ancestor, King Serfoji II at my Atya Raje’s Residence published in my book ‘Contributions of Thanjavur Maratha Kings-2nd edition’๐
King Serfoji l, the ruler of Thanjavur from 1712 to 1728 A.D married a princess from the Pandharpur area and brought her to Thanjavur.The princess missed worshipping Panduranga on a regular basis and also the abhangs that were performed for the Lord there. In order to satisfy her, the King built a tiny replica of the original shrine, on the banks of the Kaveri (Cauvery), thereby making it the local equivalent of the Chandrabhaga River at Pandharpur. Bhajans were regularly performed there, as were abhangs. Panduranga temple was established around 300 years ago in TamilNadu (Thiruvaiyaru).
Saint Tukaram is best known for his Abhang. His poetry was devoted to Vitthal or Vithoba, an avatar of Hindu god Vishnu. Vithoba temple at Dehu in Maharashtra is the home town of Saint Tukaram Maharaj who is one of the greatest exponents of the bhakti in marathi culture.
Mural of Vithoba at Maratha Darbar hall, Thanjavur. ๐
The Parvati hill is an observation point that offers a panoramic view of Pune.
The Parvati temple on the hill is considered to be one of the most scenic locations in Pune. It is the oldest heritage structure built during the rule of the Peshwa dynasty. The hill has 103 steps leading to the top of the hill where the Parvati Deviโs temple is situated. The holy ashes (angara) of the Devi temple was believed to be able to cure Kashibai, Bajirao (I) Peshwaโs wifeโs injuries. Since then, Peshwa was the regular visitor of this temple.
They later built the bigger temple โ Devdeveshwara โ made entirely of blackstone. It was completed under Balaji Baji Rao, in 1749. Other temples are dedicated to Vitthal and Rukmini, Vishnu and Kartikeya.
Peshwa museum, Samadhi of Nana Sahib Peshwa exist there.
My Photography ๐
Note: See those below photographs in good quality/pixel on my instagram and facebook profile.
Samadhi of Nana Saheb Peshwa
About Nana Saheb Peshwa
Entrance to Nana Saheb’s samadhi.
Peshwa museum
Teapot used during Peshwa’s period.
Peshwa museumStone sculpture
Entrance to Peshwa Museum
View from Parvati hill
103 steps to Parvati hill
Old type machine for preparing Shev and kurdaya, displayed at Peshwa Museum.
Weapons used during Peshwa’s reign.
Women I admire a lot, Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore and Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.
Mural of Shahaji Maharajah (my ancestor), father of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Cholasimhasanathipathi Venkoji Maharaj (alias King Ekoji).
Wall paintings and folkart of Peshwa Period (18th century).
Peshwa museum.
The old version of 10 Rupees note. It was a fresh print. I m so proud that in some part of Pune, still such notes are commonly used.
Do tag your photographs on Thanjavur or use hashtag #PrincelyTanjore on Instagram to get your photographs featured on our instagram and facebook page.
Submitted by Hemanth Arjun (Instagram: hemanthmn) ๐
Our Instagram page on Thanjavur and on its Maratha Royal Family, named as PrincelyTanjore was started in the year 2016 and so far 650+ posts has been posted on our insta page.
Suggested an idea to P.M Narendra Modi (screenshot attached) for a talk on my ancestors in his program ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 24th February, 2019. Hope my suggestion will get selected by his office or set of officers who are working for him to select or nominate ideas or suggestions from the portal and wish our Honourable P.M will deliver a small talk or speech on my ancestors and Thanjavur in his mann ki baat program.
We have chosen the best photograph and the photographer will get a surprising gift soon.
Use hashtag #MeRaigadMeMaharashtra to explore fort of Raigad on all social media platforms.
It is our duty to protect, preserve and safe guard our Raigad fort, as it is not just a historical monument- It is like a temple to all Marathas and Maharashtrians.
Jai Shivaray, Jai Maratha, Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj ki jai.
Congratulations Suyog Parab (instagram: @psuyog). Your photograph has been selected as the best photograph and your gift is on its way. Wish you success in all your future endeavors. Jai Shivaray. Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jay.
Use hashtag #MeRaigadMeMaharashtra. Best photographs on Raigad fort will win surprising gifts on the special occasions of Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj.
