Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

YAKṢA WORSHIP IN ANCIENT MAHARASHTRA

Author(s): Brahmanand Deshpande
Source: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 91 (2010), pp. 91-104
Published by: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
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 YAKS A WORSHIP IN ANCIENT MAHARASHTRA

By

Brahmanand Deshpande

1. Ãmukha: Around 1971, my attention was arrested by a short

inscription found at a village called Apegaon (Tq: Ambad, Dist:
popularly known as Apegaon Khurd or Vijñánesvarache Ape
differentiate it from the other Apegaon where Jñanesvara, the gre
poet of Maharashtra was born. It seems that the temple of Vijña
was destroyed by the iconoclasts and was renovated in C. 15th
century AD. In this process a stone beam brought from elsewhe
fixed horizontally as a threshold of the temple. Inscribed on th
side of this beam, the record purports to register, in archaic Marat
Nâgarï script, the construction of, Siva temple called Vañkanatha.
Chakradhara, the founder of Mahãnubhãva sect had visited this
around Saka 1190 (1268 AD) and hence finds mention in LTlãcha
biography of Chakradhara, compiled by his disciple, Mhäim
around Saka 1210 (1288 AD). Chakradhara venerated the Vijňán
liñga with traditional offerings.' So the deity in sanctum c
Vijñanesvara and not Vankanãtha.

2. Vankanatha: The record was discovered and edited by S.G. T

and is included his corpus volume of Marathi epigraphs called
Marathi Koriv Lekha (PMKL).2 The record begins with the exp
Srí Vankanãtha devãche charana olagao - salutations at the
Vañkanatha

M.G. Dikshit has read the line as follows: Sri Vañkanatha

devãche chama olagatu ase3.

On the name Vañkanatha S.G. Tulpule observes: 'Both

Vijñanesvara and Vañkanatha are the appellations of Šiva.
Vañkanatha can be derived from Vaňka (a wanderer) and hence

1 Mhairhbhata, LTlãcharitra, (Ed.) V.B. Kolte, Third Edition, Púrvãrdha Lflã No.532.
2 S.G. Tulpule., Prachin Marathi Koriv Lekha (PMKL), pp. 376-378.
Marathi Sanshodhana Patrika, year 10, number 1, pp. 36-37.

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92 Annals of the BORI : Vol. 91

Vankanãtha becomes a deprecatory name. It was rightf

replaced by Vijñanesvara, a suave appellation. (Translated fr
original Marathi).

This contention of the learned scholar cannot be accept

reasons noted below:
a. Vijñanesvara and Vankanãth are not the names of the same
litiga. The original temple was known as Vijñanesvara and enshrined the
liňga of the same name, Lïlâcharitra has preserved this name for the
posterity.
b. This temple was destroyed and was reconstructed around 15th - 16th
century AD. In this process a beam of a ruined temple from nearby was
brought and fixed as threshold.
c. Vankanãtha in no way is a deprecatory name. To the contrary it
was a very popular appellation of Siva.

3. Vañko - Tummãna: Tummãna (modern Tummain, Tq and Dist.

Koraba, Chhattisgad) was the capital of the Chattisgad branch of the
Kalachuris. The Ratnapur inscription of Kalachuri Jãjalladeva I
(Mãrgasirsa Suddha navami, Ravivãra, Kalachuri Samvat 866,
November 8, 1 1 14 AD) extols the town as follows4:
Srí Vatikesa - surãlayo - prabhritayo
Rãtnesvar = ãdyas = tathã '
yatra = odyãnam = asañkhya - pushpa - suphalaríi
chärüch - chain = ãmram vanarii ||
Ratnešena sa - saudha - sadma - nichitas =
charu - sriyã bhüshitah '
Tummanah samakari lochanasukhah
Samvikshyamãnah janaiah || 10 ||

Thus there existed in Tummãna, a splendorous temple of Siva

called Vaňkeša or Vañkesvara. The Sheorinarayan plates of Kalachuri
Ratnadeva II (Bhãdrapada Suddha 5, Ravivãra, Kalachuri year 878,
August 14, 1 127 AD contains the following verse)5
Tripurïsasy = ãnujasy = ãsid
Vañko - Tummãna bhübhujah '
Kaliňga - rãjas - tat = sünur =
ãsid - Kamalarãd - nripah || 6 |

4 CIL, IV, part ¡;,p.411.

5Ibid.,p.421

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 DESHPANDE: Yaksa-worship... 93

Thus the temple of Vaňkešvara was so venerated that Tum

came to be called as Vaňko - Tummãna.

4. Baňkešvara of Rästraküta Record: Kandhar (Tq. Kandhar, Dist.

Nanded) was an important metropolis of the Rästraküta empire. In the
Bahadarpura area of this town was discovered a long Sanskrit inscription
belonging to the reign of Rãstrakuta Krsna III.6 The record gives a vivid
description of the town and the temples therein. Here the temple of
Baňkešvara is extolled as follows:
a. Jagattuňga -samudrasya pâli -patishtita - sagarešvara
purobhãge udichya - digvarti Baňkešvara - samïpe
b. Tathã Baňkešvara - Chhallešvara - Gojjiga - Somanãtha -
Tumbešvara - Tudigešvareshu panch = ãyatane

5. Vaňkanátha in Lïlâcharitra: Lïlâcharitra alludes to two more

Vaňkanátha temples. Chakradhara, during his sojourn in Mahar
visited a village called Sekutã (Modern Shekta, Tq: Gevrai, Dist.
Lïlâcharitra informs:7 Tethauni Gosãvi Sekuteyãsi bïjem kelerii
Gosãviyãsi Vankanãthi paficharãtri eki avasthãna jãlerii from
(Ambã Ekvírã, modern Chakalamba, Tq. Gevarai, Dist Beed),
(Chakradhara) went to Seku ta and stayed in Vaňkanátha temple f
nights (brackets ours).

Chakradhara, during his stay in a Siva temple called

Vaňkanátha at Vãsan! (modern Rangãr VãsanT, also known a
Asadpur, Tq: Achalpur, Dist. Amraoti) blessed a dumb boy calle
Saraňgo with speech.8

6. Vaňkanátha in Govindaprabhucharitra: Govindaprabhu is sup

to be the preceptor of Chakradhara. He resided at Riddhipura (m
Ritpur, Tq. Morshi, Dist. Amravati). The places of his regular vi
compiled in a work called Sthânapothï. It alludes to Vaňkan
follows9
Lakshmï - nãrãyana -pasime Sankhanãtha :
Saňkhanatha nairitya koni Lankanãtha
pürvamükha : Tethachi Vaňkanátha Uttar =

6 EI., XXXV, pp. 105-1 14, Shrinivas Ritti., Inscriptions of Nanded District, Text of
Inscriptions, pp. 3-4.
Mhaimbhata., op. cit., Uttarardha Lila, pp. 570.
8 Ibid., Purvardha Lila no. 83, p. 77, f.n. 2.
Sthanapothi (ed.) V.B. Kolte, second edition, p. 79.

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94 Annals of the BORI : Vol. 91

ämükha: -

- To the west of Lakshmï Nãrãyana is Saňkhanatha : To the south west of

Sankhanãth is Laňkanatha facing east. Just nearby is Vankanãtha facing
the north.

7. Vankanãtha - a honourable term: That Vaňkanatha was not a name

of low taste can be conclusively proved. Once Chakradhara was residing
in the Govardhana temple at Hiradapuri (Tq. Paithan, Dist. Aurangabad).
The mahãjanas of Balhegaon (modern Balegaon, Tq. Ambad, Dist. Jalna,
2 kms to the east of Hiradpuri) came to pay obeisance to him and wished
to hear from him the duties of house holders ( grhastha dharma). After
hearing the lucid discourse of Chakradhara they praised him as follows10
-ŠrT Chãngadeva rãula GosãvT sãkshãt Vankanãthu
-Sri ChãAgadeva rãuja gosãvl is Vankanãtha incarnate.

It follows that there was a temple of Vankanãtha at Balhegaon.

This temple was ruined by the iconoclasts and the beam bearing the
inscription ( Srl Vankanãtha - devãche charana olagatu ase

lying in the ruins. When the temple of V

reconstructed this beam was taken there and fixed as a threshold.
Incidentally Balhegaon is only a km to the east of Apegaon.

8. Vaňka - Yaksha: The earliest occurrence of Vaka (or Baka) can be

traced to Mänavagrhyasütra where it comes as the synonym of Kube
Nearly all the Sanskrit and Prãkrit lexicons (viz., Pãisaddamahanna
Abhidhãna chintãmanl) give the meaning of Vaka, Vaňka, Baka, Ba
as Yaksha, Kubera, a deceitful person, dhürta or a crane. The yaks
who put questions to Yudhishtira, appeared in the form of a baka (crane
So Vaňkanatha is a befitting appellation of Siva as He is the suprem
master of the folk deitiels viz., yakshas, bhütas, pretas, pisãchas, dãkini
sãkinis, pramathas, kusmãndas, gühakas etc. Their grotesque figures
depicted in the panel of Kalyãna sundara Siva12 in cave No.
(Ramešvara cave) at Ellora (in the left hand chapel as we enter the ca
and in the Rãvana anugraha panel13 in cave no. 29 (Sita kl Nahãni). T
names Bhutanãtha and Pramathanãtha are still popular in Beng

10 Mhaimbhata., op. cit. Purvardha Lila no. 555.

1 Monier Williams, A Sanskrit-Enelish Dictionary
12 R.S. Gupte., Ajanta, Ellora and Aurangabad caves, plate cxxll and cxxiv.
13 Ibid., plate cxxxii

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 DeSHPANDE: Yaksa-worship... 95

Vãyupurãna14 gives prominence to the Yakshas in the

anucharas, while Matsya purãna'5 extols.
Pisãcha - rãkshah pašu - bhüta -yaksha '
Vetãla - rãjan tv = atha - sülapänim ||

-Hence Vaňkanatha means Šiva, the master of the Vañkas i.e

9. Yakshas in Jãtaka kathãs : The Jãtaka kathãs are rep

references to the Yakshas. Ãpannaka jãtaka, Vannupath
Balãhassa jãtaka throw welcome light on the deceitful natu
Yakshas. The story of Ãpannaka jãtaka'6 runs as foll
Bodhisatva was born in the family of lamãnas (the traveling tra
started on the trade route with commodities loaded on five hundred
bullock carts. Another trader ( Sãrthavãha putra) also took the same route
but proceeded earlier. En route they met some yakshas who were
disguised as gentlemen. They were wearing wet clothes, and sporting
fresh lotuses on their ears. They told the stupid merchant that they were
drenched by heavy rain and all the ponds on the route are overflowing.
The merchant was easily convinced and threw away his stock of water.
His team entered into a dry forest where all of them died of extreme
thirst and their bodies were devoured by the yakshas. Bodhisativa, of
course, was wise enough, not to be beguiled by their deceitful rouse and
reached his destination safely.

Thus the Yakshas were wicked, deceitful and master actors expert
in changing form and appearance.

10. Yaksha and the Banyan Tree : Yaksha worship was extremely popular
in ancient India. Unartistic Yaksha figures were drawn on rough and
slightly flattened stone blocks and were placed on raised platforms.
Panini alludes to these platforms as Ut = thitãh ãsakãh Vaišravnasya
Gãthãsaptasati compiled by the Sãtavãhana ruler Hãla around 1st
century A.D. contains the following gãthã 17
Jo sisammi vi-inno majha - juanehim Vatajakkho ãsi '
Tam vvia enhim panamãmi haajare hohi santuthatha ||

14 Vayupurana, Adhyaya, 69
Matsyapurana, Adhyaya 121.
C.V. Joshi, Jatakatil Nivadaka Goshti, Prathmardha, pp. 3-8.

17 Hala Satavahana., Gathasaptasati, (ed.) S.A. Jogalekar, gatha no. 372 (also see
introduction, pp. 180-182).

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96 Annals of the BORI'. Vol. 91

In the prime of my youth, I used the vata - jakkha as

the love act) and now I am paying obeisance to the same.
age! Be pleased (bracket ours)

Thus the gãthã extols the following facts.

a. Rough and flat stones (smeared with vermillion) were w
the yakshas
b. These stones (called tãndalã in Marathi) were placed o
platforms ( utthitãh ãsakãh ) under the banyan tree ( Ficu
Linn.)
c. The platforms were constructed under the banyan tree on the outskirts
of the village (where the love act could be performed).
d. The reading ganavai occurring in some MSS of Gãthãsapasatf 8 is
rather not acceptable as the yakshas are firmly associated with the
banyan trees.

Here are some proofs for this contention

a. Vãmana purãna explicitly speaks about the association of yaksha
Manibhadra with the banyan tree in the following sloka 19
Yakshãnarh = adhisya = api Manibhadrasya Nãrada '
Vata - vrikshah sam = abhavat tasmin = tasya rati sadã |
Here the banyan tree is said to have originated from the yaksha -
Manibhadra

b. The VaghalT (Tcj. Chalisgaon, Dist. Jalgaon) inscription of Yädava

Seunachandra II (Saka 991, Ãshãdha, Sürya grahana, July 21, 1069
AD)20 speaks explicitly about the close relation between the yaksha and
the banyan tree. The record purports to register the lands, listed below,
donated to the Siddeša temple by the Yãdava ruler Seunachandra II, his
feudatory Govinda and the spouse of Govinda, rãjm NãvakT.
i. Vakhuli kshetra
ii. Vakhuli Kammata bhumi
iii. Vata -yakshini -vãta.

This clearly points towards the existence of a powerful yaksh

cult at Vaghalï. The image or the symbolic flat stone ( tãndalã ) of
yakshinï was placed under a banyan tree. The inscription gives the n
of the village as Vaguli which can derived as Vaka - vaga - v
( Svãrthe la or li).

18 Ibid., pp. 251-52.

V amana pura/ta, adhyav lo, sloka L.
20 EI., I, pp. 221-228.

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 DeSHPANDE: Yaksa-worship... 97

c. It seems that the cult of Vata - yakshinï was popular in Kh

region. Even today the people here worship a folk deity called
dãkhina2'.
d. The followers of the Mahãnubhãva sect pay obeisance to five
incarnations (pancha krsnas ) and Govindaprabhu of Ridhip
Morshi, Dist. Amravati) is one of the them. Mhãimbhata has c
his biography, called Govindaprabhucharitra. Once Govind
visited the temple of Vadajambhã in a small village called Bhä
(Tq. Chandur, Dist. Amravati)22

There is a small village called Vadagabhã (Vada jambhã?

Vasai (Dist. Ahmednagar).

Thus the association of Yakshas with the banyan tree is b

doubt. Obviously the pãtha Ganavai, in the gãhã No. 372 quote
cannot be accepted and Vata - jakkho seems to be the true pãtha.

11. Jambhala and HãritI: The pada jambhã in Vadajambhã arres

attention. Jambha was a deamon killed by Indra. Bhushana, the cou
of Chhatrapati Shivaji, alludes to him as follows23
Indra jimi Jambha - para I
Vãdava su-ambha para |
Rãvana sa - dambha para |
Raghu - kula - rãja haiň ||

The village folk condemn a guerrulous person or even a fer

dog as Jambhãsura.

Hâritï, the spouse of Jambha (or Jambhala) was an ogress and

to devour the children of the poor villagers. Once Buddha conce
child under his begging bowl and she realized the pains a mothe
child is dead, feels, and became a child protecting deity. She is
depicted with a plumpy child.

Panels depicting massive figures of Jambhala (also

Pãfichika) and HãritI are sculpted in the Ellora (before cave
Ajanta (Cave No.2)24 and Aurangabad25 (Cave No.7) caves.

21 Sayaji Nimbaji Pawar., Khandeshatil Grama-daivate ani Gite, p. 37.

22 Mhaimbhata, Govindaprobhucharitra, (Ed.) Brahmanand Deshpande Lila no
23 Bhushana, Sri Sivaraja bhushana, (Ed.) R.G. Kate, p. 19
24 R.S. Gupte, Op. cit., Plate no. xxiv.
25 Ibid., plate no. CXLVIII.

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98 Annals of the BORI : Vol. 91

( putra-nãsi ) who came to kill Krsna was also a child devourin

Bakï is her other appellation. Moropant, the famous Marathi poe
century has used this appellation for her in his work Šloka
follows26
Aghãsura Ajãmila Vrajavadhü Bakï Píngala '
asã hi gati tvã dili ure na trina bhetatã irigalã ||
- O Krsna! You have blessed with salvation even Aghãsura,
Ajãmila, BakT and Píngala. Really hay is totally burnt when it meets a
burning coal.

12. Mahãmãyurl: Mahãmãyãrí Vidyãrãjm is one of the five great

protective formulae of the northern Buddhists. The original Sanskrit text
was translated into the Chinese and Tibetan languages. Peacock ( mayãra
or mora), in Indian tradition, is the enemy of snakes. Mahãmãyãrí is the
charm against the snakes. Such a form finds mention in Mora jãtaka and
Mahãmora jãtaka.

Mahãmãyãrí contains a long list of towns and villages and their

presiding yakshas. This list follows a certain system. The placenames of
a particular region are grouped together. The place names in
Maharashtra are given as follows27
Pauñdreshu Meghamãlí cha '
Pratishthãne cha khandakah ||
Pittaňgalyeshu Sankãri '
Tarangavatyãm Sukhãvahah ||
Nãsikye Sundaro yaksho '
Asaňgo Bharukachchhake ||
Nandikas = cha pitã Nandï '
Viras = cha Karahãtake ||

Thus we get the following table:

Place name Presiding yaksha
1 Pratishthãna Khandaka
2 Pittangalya Sankãri
3 Nãsika Sundara
4 Karahãtaka Víra

26 Moropant., Slokakekavali, (Ed.), A.K. Priyolkar, slo

G rant ha), Marathi Sanshodhana Mandai, 1964.
V.S. Agrawala., The Geographical contents of Mahama
Historical Society, XV, part ii, pp. 24-52.

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 DESHPANDE: Yaksa-worship... 99

The temple of the Khandaka yaksha at Paithan is, of cou

extrant but at Kavsan, a village on the opposite bank of
Godãvarí, there exists a famous temple of Khandoba. Sthãn
Mahãnubhãva work, listing the places visited by Chakradhara
of Paithan speaks of a big stone, worshipped as a yakshinï.
(tãndalã) was broken in three pieces and was lying near the
called Lonãr khãndl. The text alludes to this stone as dãu as follo
Lonãr - khãndicheyã dãravatheyã
pãsauni saiga godari : pürva -
pasima : Te godariyã jakhinichã
trikhanda dãu ase :

The temple of Sundara yaksha of Nasik is also not extant but its
memory still lingers in the name of a Vishnu temple called Sundara -
nãrãyana.

Karhãtaka (modern Karad, Dist. Satara) was presided over by Vira

yaksha. Even today many a Maratha families in and around Karad sport
the surname Vïra

13. Yaksha Saùkâri of Pittañgalya: According to Mahãmãyôrí, the

presiding yaksha of Pittañgalya (modern Pitalkhore, Tq. Kannad, Dist.
Aurangabad) was SaňkarT. No image or temple of this yaksha could be
traced at Pitalkhore. The caves of Pitalkhore can be reached from a
village called Upale famous for the Devi temple there. As we approach
the caves there is a field called hankãri to the left of the steps leading to
the caves.

While clearing the debris a beautiful yaksha image was found in

front of cave No.3. The figure is short (about 2 Vi feet in height), plumpy,
with chubby checks, snub nose, elongated ears, protruding eyes, wide
open mouth, bulging tummy and is heavily decked with ornaments. It
sports a necklace of human skulls and supports some object on its head
with its hand. On the backside of the right palm there is an inscription
which reads29
Kanhadãsena hirañkarena katã
Done by Kanhadãsa the hiranykãra (goldsmith)

28 Sthanapathi (Ed.) Y.B. Kolte., p. 82

29 Ancient India., XV, p. 82.

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100 Annals of the BORI: Vol. 91

Incidentally, the Bhattiprolu casket inscription alludes to Büb

son of Hiranyakãra gamani30. This yaksha image appeared on t
postal stamp in 1961.

14. Sculptures, Paintings and Terra cotta figures: A beautifu

figure is found in the Kondäne caves. The inscription on the p
this image reads31
Kanhena antevasinã Bãlaken Katarn

- Done by Bãlaka the disciple of Kanha

A beautiful depiction of a yaksha on a pillar in cave No. 17 at

Ajanta32

Pauni (Dist. Bhandara) has yielded 2 beautiful yaksha sculptures:

a. The lower part of a yaksha : standing. The tassels of his dhoti are
intricately carved33.
b. A yaksha with head of a donkey ( Kharamukha ) standing under a
canopy34.

Several terra cotta figures of the yakshas are found at Brahmapuri

(Dist. Kolhapur), Newase (Dist. Ahmednagar) Paithan (Dist.
Aurangabad) Tagara (modern Ter, Dist. Osmanabad), Bhogavardhana
(modern Bhokardan, Dist. Jalna and at other places also.

15. Baúkdvãra-Benglow: It is commonly believed that the early

settlements of the Britishers were in the residential province of Bengal.
Hence their quarters came to be called as benglows. Quite obviously it is
a forced etymology and hence not acceptable. The word is definitely pre-
British. Proofs are cited below:
a. In one of her songs Mírãbãi, the great saint poetess of Rajasthan says35
Karanâfakirï to kyã dilgirï
Sadã magati ntana rahanã hai '
Koi din bãdí to koi din baAgalã
Koi din jangal rahanã hai ||
b. Kabir has also used this word in the following pada36

30 EI., II, p. 380.

31 ASWI. IV. d.9
32 Ghulam Yazdani, Ajanta, IV, plate no XXVII and LI
33 Ghulam Yazdani, Ajanta , IV, plate no XXVII and LI
34 Ibid., Plate XXXV (i)
35 Mira brihat pada sangraba, Lokasevaka Prakashan, Benares, p. 317.

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 DESHPANDE: Yaksa-worship... 101

Rãma nãma tu bhaja le pyõre '

Kãhe ko magarûrï karatã hai ||
Kachchî mãtikã baágalõ terã '
Pãva palaka me giratã hai ||
c. Manik Prabhu of Humanabad (Dit. Bidar ) has also used this wor
Here is an attempt to give the proper etymology of this word.

a. Ananda C. Coomarasvamy explicitly states that the yakshas w

protective deities38. Hence the massive figures were carved on gatew
and doors. Two extremely beautiful figures are carved on the façad
cave No. 19 at Ajanta39
b. Such a door was aptly called as yaksha - dvãra . The Kandhar (D
Nanded) inscription of Räshtraküta Krsna III40 alludes to it as follows:
tathã rãja -grih = ãntar = varti
siddhi - vinãyaka - mandita yakshadvãre
c. As we have seen earlier yaksha and baka (or baňka) are synonym
And hence the main door came to be called as baňka - dvãra.
Ulãcharitrá" tells us that when Harapãtadeva (later on came to be called
as Chakradhara) left the royal abode, his mother MälhanadevT came to
bid him good-bye upto the three bankadvãras (teen hi baňka -dvãre vari
bolavit ãli). Narindra, the Mahãnubhãva poet alludes bankdvãra in his
work RukminT svayamvara as follows42
nigata baňka dvãrã bãherí
yeti bhetalï mangal = ãrti kari
d. Bank! means door guard43
e. Raghunãtha panta Hanamante composed a lexicon giving the Sanskrit
equivalents of the Persian words called Rãjya vyavahãra kosa. The
following couplet from this kosa emphasize the meaning of baňkx given
above44.
Syãd = antar = dvãripãlas = tu darubankï prakïrtitah '
Daulat = baňkT mahã - dvãrapãla ity = abhidhïyate ||

36 From Memory
37 Padyamala Pub. Jnanaraja, 4th edition, March 1986.
Anand C. Coomaraswamy, Yakshas , pp. Vol. 1 p. 7n.
39 R.S. Gupte., Op. cit., plate no. XLII.
40 EI, XXXV, pp. 105 ff.
41 Mhaimbhata., Luacharitra, (Ed.) V.B. Kolte, ťurvardha uia no. zu.
42 Narindra, Rukminisvayamvara., Ed. V.B. Kolte., ovi. No.692.
43 Molsworth.
Raghunath Hanamante., Rajyavyavaharakasa, (Ed.) R.G. Kate, p.lo.

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102 Annals of the BORI : Vol. 91

f. Madhu Mangesha Karnik the famous Marathi writer inform

front door of his house in Konkan was called as Vãgha dãra
dvãra)45.

The main gate of the famous fort Raigad is known as Vãgha

darvãjã. Baňka - dvãra changed to baňga - dvãra - baňga - lãra (da
changes to la) and finally to bangalã. The Gonds of Madhya Pradesh call
the front room of their house as bangalã46

16. Ganapati: Ganapati is a very popular deity of Maharashtra. That

Ganapati is a yaksha is a widely accepted fact. The yakshas were called
rãja and Kubera their supremo, was called rãja rãja47. Hence the names
of towns and villages with Ganapati temples begin with the pada rãja
e.g., Ranjangaon (Dist. Pune), Rajasadana (Sendurwãdã, Tq. Gangapur,
Dist. Aurangabad) Navagana Rajuri (Dist. Beed), Rajur (Dist. Jalna).
The last one is alluded to as Bhivã daüväche Rajur in Lflãcharitra.4* Dãu,
according in Desinãmamãlã means Ganapati pratimã višesah. We have
noticed earlier the dãu of yakshinï in Paithan. Bhiu (Bhivu or Bhimu)
means of colossal size.

17. Jãkhada Jâkhadï: The yakshas were expert in changing their

appearances. Pötanä, the yakshinï (baki) came to devour Krsna disguised
as a beautiful damsel. Hence actors and actresses came to be called as
yakshas and yakshinïs or Jãkhada and Jâkhadï respectively. Vidyãpati
the famous poet of Bihar uses, in his work Kírtilatã, the word jâkhadï for
an actresses. V.S. Agrawala has derived it from yaksha (yaksha > jakkh
> jakha > jãkhada. Feminine jâkhadï)49

Saitavade (Dist. Ratnagiri) is famous for the jâkhadï dance

festival50 Shri Balaramji Jakhad probably belongs to this tradition. Sinnar
(Dist. Nasik) has more than fifty families with the surname Jakhad.
While on Konkan tour we saw a big digital hoarding announcing the
jâkhadï nrtya festival at Devarukh. Thus yaksha seems to have some
connection with yakshagãna and Vaga nãtya (baka - vaga)

45 Mandhu Mangesa Karnik, Šakala (Marathi daily) Divali issue, 2002.

Ram Bharosa Agrawal., Gadha Mandala ke Gond Raja, p. 164.
Kalidasa., Meehaduta , purva - me glia, sloka 2.
48 Mhaimbhata, Lilacharitra, (Ed.) V.B. Kolte, Purvardha lila
49 Vidyapati., Kirtilata (Ed.). V.S. Agrawala, Sahitya Sadan Prakashan Chirgaon, Jhans
1962.
5 Chitralekha., Marathi weekly, 14 May, 1993, p. 30.

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 Deshpande: Yaksa-worship... 103

18. Epilogue: Yaksha worship is, thus, deeply routed in th

Maharashtra. In the famous temple of Khandoba at Jejuri (Di
there is yaksha image with the inscription51
- Dhaullakena Yaksha-pratim = eyam Kãritã

A yaksha image found at Kaulapur (Dist. Sangli) is now pr

in the museum of Bharat Itihas Sansodhana Mandai, Pune52.
image (findspot unknown) kept in the Victoria Garden, Mum
been shifted to the National Museum, Delhi53.

The Nasik cave inscription (cave No.3) of Gautamiputra Sã

speaks of a field named after the yaksha, Ajakãlaka (
AjakãlakTyam)54. The inscription of Vâsithïputra Pulumâvï (N
No.3) alludes to village named after the yakshitil Sudarsana55.
The towns and villages with yaksha or yakshanl as presiding
( grãma -devata) are listed below:
a. Sangamešvara56 (Dist. Ratnagiri)
b. Tulsani57 (Tq.Sangameshvara, Dist. Ratnagiri.)
c. Mahad (Dist. Ratnagiri)
d. Karad (Dist. Satara)

A small temple of jãkhamãtã can be located on the banks

river Garuda near Mahur (Dist. Nanded)58 and on the fort of Morg
Maval, Dist. Pune)59. A hamlet of the town Gangapur (Dist. Au
is known as jãkhamãtã. The mountain near the ancient vill
Agara (Tq. Shrivardhan, Dist. Raigad) is called as jãkhamãtech
Jakhinvãdl is a village in Ahemadnagar District.

In addition to this jãkhamãtã temples can be located at

a. Mavalange Tq. Sangamešvara, Dist. Ratnagiri
b. Dhamanase, Dist. Ratnagiri
c. Kasheli

51 G.H. Khare., Maharashtra chi char Daivaten, pp. 90-94.

52 Bharat Itihas Sanshodhaka Mandai, Quarterly, year 15, number 3, p. 90.
Balkrishna Dabhade., Akshara Sodha, p. 105.
EI., VIII, p. 71.
" Ibid., p. 65.
56 Lokaprabha., Marathi Weekly, 26 March, 2004.
Maharashtra Times, Marathi Daily, 17 March, 2003.
Madhukar Kao Kaje Udaram, tk Hota Kaja, p. 131.
Sansodhaka, Marathi Quarterly, Sept. 97, p. 24.

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104 Annals of the BORI : Vol. 91

d. Pavas (Tq. And Dist Ratnagiri)

e. Hasvale (Tq. Rajapur, Dist. Ratnagiri)
f. Mavalan (Tq. Shrivardhan, Dist. Raigad)
g. Mahad (Tq. Shrivardhan, Dist. Raigad)
h. Mangaon (Tq. Kudal, Dist. Sindhudurga)

Jakhinvâdï (Tq. Karad, Dist. Satara), Jakkanhatti (Tq. Chan

Dist. Belgaon), also deserve our attention. I am indebted to my e
friend and an ardent research scholar Prof. P.K. Ghanekar of Pune for
this valuable information.

Personal names also betray the influence of yaksha cult. Jãkhubal60

was a female devotee of Chakradhara while Jomabai was a worshipper of
the yakshas6'. Baki, Bakabai (of the Bhosale family of Nagpur), Bakaji,
Bakaram, Bagaram are popular names in Maharashtra.
Ãusã, a female disciple of Chakradhara, once requested him to turn her
into a jakhina (tari mãte chohatachï jakhina kijo) so that she could reside
at the cross road (chohata) and accept ãkhata (rice) and kavadã (cowries)
from the devotees. Chakradhara said, "o! so you want to eat sheep and
goats ( mendhe bokada khão pãhat asé). So it seems that images (or
roughly dressed stones) of the yakshinïs were kept on slightly raised
platforms at the cross roads and offering of rice and cowries were given
to them. Sheep and goats were also sacrificed for them62.

60 Mhaimbhata op. cit., Uttarardha lila no. 80.

61 Ibid. Purvardha lila 539.
62 Mhaimbhata., op.cit, Uttarardha Lila no. 40.

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