Satipeeth is one of the Kannapeeths

Nashik in Maharashtra. Sixty kilometers from there is a small village, Nanduri. Here is one of the Satipeeths of Ekannapeeth. The seat is on a high hill. This Peethasthan is also called as one of the Peethas of 'Three and a half Shaktipeeths'. Now the question is, what is the reason for saying this to this bench? In fact, according to legend, the existence of four satipeeths is acknowledged at different places in Maharashtra. These four Peeths are 'Mahalakshmi Mandir' in Kolhapur, 'Tulja Bhavani Mandir' in Tuljapur, 'Renuka Mandir' in Mohr and this much discussed temple in Nanduri village in Nasik. Three of them are considered as Purna Peetha and one as Upa Peetha. So these four Peeths together are called 'Sade Trin Shaktipeeth'. The deity who presides over the hilltop peeth of our discussion, Nanduri village, is called 'Saptasringi Devi'.

The main reason for the name of the goddess being 'Saptasringi' is the location of the goddess's seat. 'Sapta' means, seven; 'Shringa' means, hill or mountain top. The hill on which the goddess is standing is the seven-numbered peak. And this seventh peak is surrounded by the remaining six peaks. It is a wonderful coexistence. As the goddess resides on the seventh peak, the local people also address the goddess as 'Saptasringanivasini Devi'.

According to legend, the goddess has been present in this Peethasthan since the dawn of time. Because, the goddess herself is 'Brahmaswarupini'. He emerged from the Kamandalu of Grandfather Brahma by creating Himself. After his appearance he asked his grandfather to fix a holy abode for him. Then Brahma requested him to sit on this peak, one of the seven peaks, considering it sacred. In the past, this seven-pointed mountain range was dense and secluded tropical forest; Also there were one hundred and eight sacred tanks. These kundas are still very sacred and a sight to behold for devotees. Some of them are named, 'Jalgumpha', 'Kalikunda', 'Shivatirtha', 'Suryakunda' etc. However, this place is highly favored by the goddess as it is very beautiful. And Devi started living here. Later, when a 'part' of the goddess was born as Dakshkanya Sati and could not bear the humiliation of her husband Shiva, she committed suicide; Lord Vishnu then split Sati's dead body into fifty one pieces. Wherever these fifty-one pieces of earth fall, a perfect and full satipeeth is formed. Sati's right arm fell into fifty-one pieces on the seven horns. Since the goddess 'Shakti' was presided over by Saptashringi in the Satipeeth of Saptashringa, she is the presiding deity of this pith.

The idol of the goddess is huge. About eight to ten feet high. This idol has been built by carving on the mountain. So the statue is attached to the mountain. The goddess in her form is 'Mahisasuramardini'. According to legend, the idol of the goddess is not carved by any man, this idol is self-created i.e. this idol of the goddess is Swayambhu. How did Swayambhu come to the public eye? There is a story behind it. The story goes that where there is an idol of the goddess, a large beehive once formed; A honey-gatherer breaking the wheel first discovers the idol of the goddess and then the goddess comes into common sight, the daily worship of the goddess begins.

Anyway, back to the matter of Devimurthy's appearance. The idol of the goddess is warrior. He has eighteen hands. All hands have weapons. They include Shiva's trident, Vishnu's chakra, conch shell, bow and arrow, jamandala, kamandalu, parashu, lotus etc. The entire body of the goddess is covered in vermilion. 'Oh' is written on the forehead with paint. The eyebrows of the goddess are painted in the shape of a bow in black. There is a carved real eyebrow just below it, but it's not so bankim. Devi's nostrils flared up. It has Maharashtrian Kalka shaped nath. The eyes of the goddess are like slits, painted in black and white. The vision is distant, but intense, yet it holds shelter for the devotee. The face of the goddess is not smooth, somewhat like the Durga statue in Atpaur of Bengal. Griba Ishat Bame Bankim. Jeweled crown on the head of the goddess. A coil of flowers and jewels in the ear. Garland of flowers and jewels around the neck. The goddess is dressed in a special way with bosana and bosom. The two feet of the goddess are covered with silver. The altar and mandap of the goddess are decorated like a court with ornate silver leaves. Devi's real feet cannot be touched by devotees. As in Tarapeeth, devotees bow down to separate silver lotus feet to pay their respects to the Goddess, here too there is a similar arrangement. Far from the altar of the goddess is the symbol of Mahishasura in the form of a metal buffalo head.

According to legend, this goddess Saptasringi was worshiped by Sri Ramachandra himself. On the hill where the goddess resides, the forest that existed earlier was famous as 'Dandakaranya'. Sri Ramachandra appeared in this Peeth while he was grazing in the forest with Goddess Sita. Here he felt the presence of Devi Shakti and worshiped the Goddess with his own hands. It is said that when Lakshmana fell unconscious in Lanka during the battle, Hanuman appeared on this hillock of the Devi in search of a distraction.

There are some peculiarities in the worship of Devi. For example, during Abhishekam, the Goddess is bathed in hot water with panchamrit (honey, sugar, milk, curd and ghee). The goddess is adorned with new clothes every day. The goddess can also be worshiped by offering coconuts, but the preferred offering of the goddess is 'Turis'. It is a special pita made with butter and flour. At night, a special folk community performs dance songs accompanied by various tantri-folk songs in front of the goddess. Fans get a chance to watch this show. This dance song is called 'Gondhal'. When a child is born in the house of someone from the local Kathar or Kutadi community during the 'namkaran' ceremony