Kolhapur: The traditional “khete” at Jyotiba temple – known as “Dakshin Kashi” – located in Wadi-Ratnagiri started on Sunday with a strong turnout from devotees. Some people climbed the hill from the ‘gai mukh’ area, while many preferred to walk directly from the Shivaji Bridge over the Panchaganga River and from Japhale, the villages of Male on the other side of the hill.
According to the Hindu calendar, the five Sundays of the month of Magh are celebrated as ‘khete’, where devotees from western Maharashtra and northern Karnataka arrive in large numbers.
This ritual of visiting the Jyotiba temple during the five Sundays is called “khete”.
Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti Secretary Shivraj Naikawde said, “The temple will remain open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. for devotees. During weekdays, to conduct the “abhishek” ritual, devotees could not take darshan between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. While on Sundays taking darshan will not be allowed between 8-9pm as the palanquin is out at that time. Through the temple administration, I urge devotees to follow all Covid safety standards and take darshan peacefully. Children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to enter the temple.
During this time, devotees were happy because they could visit the temple on the occasion of “khete”. Janaki Mane, a devotee from Warna-Kodoli village, said, “We walked to the temple from our village early in the morning. For the past two years, we have not been able to visit the temple, so we are grateful to the district administration.
According to the Hindu calendar, the five Sundays of the month of Magh are celebrated as ‘khete’, where devotees from western Maharashtra and northern Karnataka arrive in large numbers.
This ritual of visiting the Jyotiba temple during the five Sundays is called “khete”.
Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti Secretary Shivraj Naikawde said, “The temple will remain open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. for devotees. During weekdays, to conduct the “abhishek” ritual, devotees could not take darshan between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. While on Sundays taking darshan will not be allowed between 8-9pm as the palanquin is out at that time. Through the temple administration, I urge devotees to follow all Covid safety standards and take darshan peacefully. Children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to enter the temple.
During this time, devotees were happy because they could visit the temple on the occasion of “khete”. Janaki Mane, a devotee from Warna-Kodoli village, said, “We walked to the temple from our village early in the morning. For the past two years, we have not been able to visit the temple, so we are grateful to the district administration.
