Yamai Devi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Lohegaon airport in Pune is 123 km from Satara town, and Aundh lies about 26 miles southeast of Satara.

• By train

  Satara station, on the Pune-Miraj line, has regular trains from Mumbai and Pune.

Why devotees come here

Yamai Devi Temple stands in a hill complex in the town of Aundh, Satara district, Maharashtra, about 26 miles southeast of Satara. For a large number of Marathi families it is the family shrine. The town and the temple have long been linked with the Pant Pratinidhi family.

The temple is the family shrine, or kula-daiwat, for a large number of Marathi families. Devotees know the deity as Devi Yamai. Legend says the name comes from Devi Mahalaxmi, Jyotiba of Kolhapur and Shri Rama, who each called her Ye Mai. Yamai Devi is also considered the elder sister of Tulja Bhavani.

The town and the temple have been associated with the Pant Pratinidhi family for many centuries. The temple sits in a hill complex in Aundh, and its top carries images and idols of various Hindu deities. The temple complex also houses the Shri Bhavani Museum, whose collection came from the private holdings of the Maharajas of Aundh.

Visitors can reach that museum both by steps and by road, so the climb is not the only way up. Many devotees still visit Mulpeeth Yamai Devi after Tuljapur's Tulja Bhavani temple, following an old tradition.

Tips for your visit

• The Shri Bhavani Museum holds paintings by Dhurandhar and Raja Ravi Varma.
• The museum can be reached either by steps or by road.
• The museum collection comes from the private holdings of the Maharajas of Aundh.

Questions people ask