Dhamari, a village situated 50 km from Pune and 12 km from Shikrapur on the Shikrapur-Pabal road, is renowned for its Khaṇḍerāyā and Vāgheśvar temples. During the British era, Vasudev Balvant Phadke, a revolutionary striving for independence, resorted to raiding a mansion belonging to a prosperous Marwari in the village to finance his revolutionary activities. That very mansion stands to this day, serving as a testament to the event, which the villagers have diligently preserved in their collective memory. Of the village's original two gates, only one endures, christened in honor of Vasudev Balvant Phadke. 

A village gate named after Vasudev Balvant Phadke.

The Khaṇḍerāyā Temple or Khaṇḍobā Temple (18.789208, 74.098033)

The Khaṇḍobā Temple is situated on the road leading to Dhamari and features a grand Mahādvāra entrance leading to the temple of Khaṇḍobā. The temple is also called the 'Khaṇḍerāyā Temple.' Inside the temple, there are idols of Khaṇḍobā and his two wives, Mhālasā and Bāṇāi. The entrance to the sanctum sanctorum has Gaṇeśa on the ‘lalātapattī’ and a Kīrtimukha on the threshold. The Nandīmaṇḍapa in front of the temple houses the image of Nandī. The temple's roof tapers upwards, and the śikhara of the temple is new and has idols of various gods and goddesses on it. Khaṇḍobā is the village deity of Dhamari, and a fair is held here every year in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa. Also, a procession of Khaṇḍerāyā’s statue is taken out once a year.

A grand Mahādvāra entrance.

The Khaṇḍobā Temple

The Sabhā Maṇḍapa of Khaṇḍobā Temple.

God Khaṇḍobā.

Vāgheśvar Temple (18.788293, 74.095385)

The Vāgheśvar Temple, located in the 'Pandhari' area of the village, is an east-facing temple constructed in the Nandīmaṇḍapa, Sabhāmaṇḍapa, and Garbhagṛha structure. There is a ruined bārava (stepped pond) on the right side of the temple, and an old sculpture near bārava dates back to the 14th century. In this, a person is seated in ardha-padmāsana with folded hands. Her face is ruined. Along with it is a sculpture of a servant or maid. The Nandīmaṇḍapa in front of the Vāgheśvar temple is 340 X 340 cm and has a Nandī image from the 13th-14th century. 

The Sabhā Maṇḍapa of the temple is 500 X 500 cm, and after entering the Sabhā Maṇḍapa, one can see the sculpture of Gaṇeśa on one side and Mahiṣāsura mardinī on the other. The temple's sanctum sanctorum is 338 X 338 cm, with a Śiva Liṅga in the middle. Gaṇeśa is shown on the front of the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum, while a ‘Kīrtimukha’ is carved on the threshold. The spire of the Sabhā Maṇḍapa tapers upwards like a pyramid, and in the centre of the maṇḍapa, there is a Kūrma śilpa. Mr. Sandeep Dadasaheb Pachundkar (Marāthā) is the temple priest.

The Vāgheśvar Temple

Bārava

An old ruined sculpture near bārava.

A Śiva Liṅga.

Apart from these temples, there are also temples of Mhātobā, Rāma, and Madaneśvar in Dhamari village. The temples of Vāgheśvar and Khaṇḍobā in the village of Dhamari are architecturally similar to those of the Marāthā period, although there is no inscription here. These temples seem to belong to the eighteenth century. This information is being reported here for the first time.