The main sanctum houses a 3-foot-tall, eight-armed self-manifested (swayambhu) black stone deity holding various weapons. Remarkably, it is globally unique for being a Chalamurti (movable idol), which is ritually moved to rest on a silver bed three times a year.
The Shri Tuljabhavani Temple is a highly revered 12th-century CE Hindu shrine located on the Yamunachala hill in Tuljapur, Maharashtra. Dedicated to Goddess Bhavani (a powerful manifestation of Goddess Durga), it is celebrated as one of the 51 sacred Shakti Peethas across India.
The temple holds immense historical importance as the ancestral family deity (Kuldevi) of the Maratha Empire, famously patronised by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who legend states was blessed by the Goddess with the divine “Bhavani sword”.
Built in the 12th century by Māradadeva of the Kadamba dynasty, the complex showcases a seamless fusion of Hemadpanti and Dravidian architectural styles. It features massive entrance gates named after Shivaji Maharaj’s parents—Shahaji and Jijabai.
