A drought is never good news, but the unusual events have brought some cheer to the villagers of Chandori, located in the district of Nashik in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has no record of the temples, and the only mention seems to be in a gazette of the district dating to when the British occupied India. Many of the younger villagers have never seen the temples in their lives.
“I saw these temples for the first time in my life,” said Sandeep Tarle, the young sarpanch or head of Chandori. “Usually during summer, we can see the pinnacles of the temples or their side walls because the shrines are under the river water across the year. The elderly in the village recall having seen the temples in 1982 when the region was hit by a drought,” he added.
The temples were originally out in the open, but were submerged when the Godavari river was dammed in 1907. The river has dried up twice since then, in 1936 and 1982. The temples were revealed on both these occasions, when villagers took the opportunity to clean the mud off the temples and idols, and offer worship. The villagers have repeated process this time around too.
The temples are mostly dedicated to the deity Shiva, and the idols within the temple are in surprisingly good condition. There are also several idols spread across the entire riverbed, which the villagers are keen to collect. They say they want to establish a museum with the government’s help. Nashik district is a popular pilgrimage destination for Shiva devotees, since the Triambakeshwar temple is located here. The temple is considered to be one of the twelve holiest Shiva temples in India. Chandori is also a pilgrimage destination in its own right, thanks to the nearby Khandoba temple. The villagers believe that a museum will boost tourism and the economy of the village.
Besides the shrines, several ghats, or riverside platforms, have been uncovered which were constructed a few centuries ago by the Peshwa rulers of this region. The temples are constructed in the Hemadpanthi style of architecture dating back to the seventh century, and the villager believe these temples could date from that era. Other examples of this style include the Konark and Amruteshwar temples.
