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Communication professional demystifies temple names in Pune
Patrya Maruti, Sotya Mhasoba, Dadhivala Datta, Bhikardas Maruti, Jilbya Maruti, Upashi Vithoba, and Khunya Murlidhar are among many such seemingly bizarre names of temples effortlessly cited as landmarks, especially by true-blue Punekars
Patrya Maruti, Sotya Mhasoba, Dadhivala Datta, Bhikardas Maruti, Jilbya Maruti, Upashi Vithoba, and Khunya Murlidhar are among many such seemingly bizarre names of temples effortlessly cited as landmarks, especially by true-blue Punekars.
A novel keepsake-cum-Hindu calendar (beginning from April as per the Gregorian calendar), which explains the cultural significance of these names, has been selling like hotcakes in the city. Tejas Gokhale, a visual communication professional, is the man behind this calendar, aptly titled Dev- Bhiv.
The calendar features 12 distinguished temples dotted around the nooks and by lanes of old Pune (including the peth areas), and each of these has a tale to tell, about its name.
“Every Punekar has known these temples since childhood. We’re also aware that the names are slightly odd, but we don’t really stop and contemplate about the history behind them. Through Dev-Biv, I have made an effort to get people to understand the city, its heritage and the Marathi culture better,” informed Tejas, who has spent more than a decade in the field of media and animation.
In a free-wheeling and resourceful conversation, Tejas threw light on a couple of interesting stories and history of the temples. Patrya Maruti on Kumthekar road is the first ever temple in Pune to have been stationed under the shade of roofing panels (patra).
“Actually, the panels were bought for some construction work at the city’s Sassoon hospital. But there was a surplus, and that’s when the idea of using those extra panels to build a temple was implemented, and the foundations of the Patrya Maruti temple were laid,” he explained, exclaiming how back in the day, even some things as simple as roofing panels were considered to be objects of splendour.
Another rather engaging nugget of information shared by him was about the famous Dadhivala (bearded) Datta temple in Narayan peth.
“The deity- Datta does not have a beard. So why would this age-old temple be called Dadhivala Datta? I wondered, and found out,” smiled Tejas. Apparently, the temple was built by a devotee called Dattatreya Ghanekar, who had a beard. “And so, the Datta’s temple he built came to be called the Dadhivala Datta Mandir,” he added.
Dev-Biv is the pilot product that Tejas has launched under the aegis of his brainchild initiative called “Khalbatta,” a forum that has been formed to promote, preserve and celebrate Marathi, as a language, and culture. Khalbatta (mortar and pestle), for Tejas, represents ancient wisdom, tradition and customs. His idea is to launch videos of Marathi food recipes, in addition to spearheading a range of other stints under the canopy of Khalbatta.
Speaking about why he decided to begin with launching a calendar, he stressed, “We are living in a super-fast world, where even an Instagram story becomes outdated in 24 hours and vanishes. With this kind of pace and the diminishing attention spans of people, I couldn’t think of anything better than a calendar to hold people’s attention for a year. Also, the calendar is replete with short poems and information about the temples, which is sure to serve as a piece of art after the year has passed.”
