Kalubai Temple Mandhardev

Getting there

• By road

  The temple is some 20 km from Wai, and the drive from Satara to Wai takes about 40 minutes.

Why devotees come here

Kalubai Temple stands on Mandhardevi Hill in Mandhardeo village, near Wai in Satara district, Maharashtra. Devotees regard Devi Kalubai as the family deity of millions, and the shrine is known for its silver masks and its January fair.

The idol of Devi Kalubai wears two silver masks and silk finery. The annual fair honours Kaleshwari Devi, whom the faithful call Kalubai. The masks are carried in procession by members of the Gurav family, who are seen as the hereditary custodians of the shrine. The temple is in Mandhardeo village, on Mandhardevi Hill, and is devoted to Kalubai, the family deity of millions of devotees.

Devotees attribute special properties to the grove around the shrine. Local lore says the temple is more than 400 years old, but no construction date is known. The Zilla Parishad Satara page puts it at around 350 years. The temple is popular among Hindus who undertake the annual Kalubai Jatra pilgrimage over ten days every January.

The January pilgrimage brings large crowds, and more than 300,000 devotees usually come. The hill overlooks Pandavgad Fort and Purandar Fort.

Festivals

• every JanuaryKalubai Jatra

  A ten-day pilgrimage. The main event is a 24-hour festival on the day of the full moon. Puran poli and curd rice are offered to Devi during the festival.

Tips for your visit

• Most of the year there is little tourist traffic, so a visit outside January is quieter.
• For medical help, the nearest primary health centre is six km away, and a major hospital is in Satara town.

Questions people ask