Shri Dev Vetoba Ajgaon
Shri Dev Vetoba Devasthan of Aravali is one of the most famous 'jagrut' (Lord who fulfills the wishes of devotees) temples in Vengurle taluka of Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, India. Shri Dev Vetoba is the God of Aravali village in Konkan. Natives of this picturesque, tranquil village straddling the Arabian Sea worship Shri Dev Vetoba as their protector. They believe He brings prosperity to the village. Devotees worship Him as a loving and compassionate God who answers their prayers, fulfills their wishes and comes to their aid in times of crisis and difficulties. Natives and devotees lovingly call their God, simply – Vetoba.
Thanks to Vetoba’s blessings, Aravali has today blossomed into a significant pilgrimage centre in Konkan. Devotees in thousands pour into the village from far and wide to seek Vetoba’s darshan and blessings during His 2 big annual festivals: on Margshirshya shuddha pratipada (Devdipavali) and His investiture-day festival on Vaishakh shuddha panchami.
The festivals are celebrated with great devotion, enthusiasm and fanfare. The temple is decorated with flowers and lights. Dazzling fireworks light up the sky.
Festivals
Shri Dev Vetoba Devasthan: Annual Festivals & Programmes
http://vetobadevasthanarawali.org/festivals.html| Month | Tithi | Festival |
| Chaitra(March) | Shuddha Pratipada | Reading of Panchang and aarti. Then, ghatsthapna of Shri Ram Jayanti festival. Also, reading of Panchang and aarti in Shri Devi Sateri temple. |
| Shuddha Navami | Shri Ram Jayanti festival – Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin (palkhi) visits Shri Devi Sateri temple in the afternoon and returns. | |
| Purnima | Start of ‘Jagar’ (all night programme of aarti, bhajan, prayer, japa etc) at Shri Dev Vetoba temple. | |
| Vadya Trayodashi | Shri Rameshwar installation day | |
| Vaishakh (April) | Shuddha Pratipada | Sawantwadi sarkari ‘Jagar’ at the temple. Also palanquin of Shri Dev Vetoba. |
| Shuddha Dvitiya | Parabhu’s aarti ‘Jagar’ | |
| Shuddha Tritiya | ‘Jagar’ of Marathe Dalvi family (also palanquin) | |
| Shuddha Chaturthi | ‘Jagar’ of Parashuram Joshi (also palanquin) | |
| Shuddha Panchami | Shri Dev Vetoba’s investiture-day festival. The 3-day big festival’s highlights are: mahaprasad, palanquin in the evening followed by dramas, musical functions organised by local people. | |
| Shuddha Shashti | ‘Jagar’ of Purushottam Hari Joshi family (also palanquin) | |
| Shuddha Saptami | Aarti ‘Jagar’ of Dhuri (Marathe) family | |
| Shuddha Aashtami | ‘Jagar’ of Baburao Dalvi (Saraswat) family (also palanquin) | |
| Shuddha Navami | ‘Jagar’ of Vasudev Shankar Rege (Saraswat) family (also palanquin) | |
| Shuddha Dashami | ‘Jagar’ of Rajaram Vitthal Kothari (Saraswat) family (also palanquin) | |
| Shuddha Trayodashi | Shri Devi Mhalsai installation day | |
| Vadya Panchami | Shri Ravalnath installation day | |
| Jeshtha (May) | Shuddha Pratipada | ‘Bapumamacha Padwa” – The anniversary programme of Saint Yogiraj Bapumama Keni (Saraswat) is held at the residence of Gajanan Pandurang Kamat at Shiroda. To celebrate the occasion, it is the tradition to send from Shri Dev Vetoba Devasthan, Aravali, members of Joshi, Haridas, Puranik families, together with vajantri (troupe with instruments) and a gurav to Kamat’s residence at Shiroda. Members from Dalvi, Rege, Kothari, Nadkarni families attend the programme. |
| Aashadh (June) | Shuddha Panchami | Start of Maharudra at Shri Dev Vetoba temple. Maharudra is completed in 11 days and is concluded on the 12th day, with people participating in ‘Samaradhna’ (prasad). |
| Shuddha Aashtami | Start of a week-long programme of bhajans at Shri Dev Vetoba temple. | |
| Shuddha Ekadashi | Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin is taken to the home of Parashuram Govind Joshi in the afternoon. Taking the idol of Vithoba from there, the palanquin then visits Shri Devi Sateri temple and returns to Shri Dev Vetoba, makes a round of the temple, and enters inside. In the evening, the palanquin makes a round of the temple. | |
| Shuddha Chaturdashi | The ‘dindi’ – gathering of devotees – from the week-long bhajan programme, moves from Shri Devi Sateri temple and comes to Shri Dev Vetoba temple in the evening. | |
| Purnima | -Bhajan week is concluded with a ‘kala’ – prasad. At this time, Shri Dev’s palanquin goes to Shri Devi Sateri temple and returns. Devotees present on the occasion are distributed ‘panchakhadya’ – prasad of 5 different varieties. | |
| Vadya Pratipada | To mark the conclusion of Maharudra, devotees participate in ‘Samaradhna’ (prasad). | |
| Shravan (July) | Purnima | During this month, finding an auspicious day, a ‘Navanna Grahan’ ritual is held at Shri Dev Vetoba temple. On this day, as per the temple’s tradition, season’s new grain or rice is ritualistically cut and brought to the temple. Then, to bless the harvest, puja is performed on the rice at both Shri Dev Vetoba and Shri Devi Sateri temples. |
| Bhadrapad (August) | Shuddha Chaturthi | During Ganesh chaturthi festival, on the 2nd, 5th and 11th day, Aravali natives bring their Ganesh idols to Shri Dev Vetoba temple’s sabhamandap before submersion. There, on behalf of the temple, a short puja with incense and lights is performed on the idols, and then they are taken for submersion. |
| Aashwin (September) | Shuddha Pratipada | Ghatsthapna and start of Navaratri festival at Shri Devi Sateri temple. |
| Shuddha Aashtami | ‘Toran Jagar’ – Palanquin of Shri Dev Vetoba comes to Shri Devi Sateri. In the evening, a drama is organised by Aroklar Dashvatari group. | |
| Shuddha Navami | Various festivals and programmes such as Khande Navami, Shiva Lagna, Dussera are celebrated. | |
| Dashami & Ekadashi | Parabhu’s ‘pahuner’ to Shri Devi Sateri. And from next day, 7 other families’ ‘pahuner’ as follows: (1) Marathe Dalvi (2) Parashuram Joshi (3) Purushottam Hari Joshi (4) Dhuri (Marathe) (5) Baburao Dalvi (Saraswat) (6) Vasudev Shankar Rege (Saraswat) (Ravindra Rege does it) (7) Rajaram Vitthal Kothari (Saraswat). The head of each family performs the ‘pahuner.’ | |
| Shuddha Purnima | Kojagiri Purnima – Aarti is performed. Additionally, from this day till amavasya, every night there is aarti ‘jagar’ at Shri Dev Vetoba temple. And for one month till Kartik shuddha purnima, Shri Dev Vetoba’s puja is performed early in the morning with ‘kakad’ aarti. | |
| Vadya Chaturdashi | Narak Chaturdashi (Dipavali) – In the afternoon Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin comes to Shri Devi Sateri, and for 3 days Dipavali festival is celebrated with enthusiasm. | |
| Kartik (October) | From Shuddha Pratipada to Navami | Just as in Vaishakh month, several aarti and palanquin ‘jagars’ of different devotee families take place. Besides the above ‘jagar’, from Kartik shuddha pratipada to purnima, every night consecutively 5 aarti ‘jagars’ take place at Shri Rameshwar temple, 5 at Shri Devi Sateri temple and 5 at Shri Dev Siddheshwar temple. |
| Ekadashi | Mahaekadashi festival – Just as on Aashadhi Ekadashi, Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin programme takes place. | |
| Shuddha Dwadashi | ‘Tulsi Vivah’ is performed at Shri Dev Vetoba, Shri Devi Sateri, Shri Dev Siddheshwar and Shri Dev Rameshwar temples. | |
| Shuddha Purnima | Shri Dev Vetoba’s small jatra. All Devatas are offered navaidya and palanquins. A drama is staged by Arolkar Dashavatari group. | |
| Margshirshya (November) | Shuddha Pratipada | Shri Dev Vetoba’s main big jatra. This festival’s highlight is ‘annashanti samaradhna,’ a tradition of food distribution (annadaan) started by Yogiraj Bapumama Keni. In the evening, Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin is taken out. There is a huge fireworks display. For this jatra, devotees in thousands come for darshan of Shri Dev Vetoba, and offer navaidya of bananas. |
| Shuddha Dvitiya | Shri Devi Sateri’s main big jatra. On this day, Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin comes to the temple and goes round it. The event is marked by fireworks display. | |
| Paush (December) | ||
| Magh (January) | Shuddha 5 Vasant Panchami | Shri Devi Sateri’s jatra. On this day at 9.30 p.m., Shri Dev Vetoba’s palanquin comes to the temple and goes round it, and then Shri Dev’s idol is kept in the sanctum sanctorum of Shri Devi Sateri. Then Arolkar Dashavtari members perform a play. |
| Shuddha 8 | Jatra of Shri Dev Giroba (in Aravali’s Takwadi temple) | |
| Vadya Panchami | Shri Konkaneshwar installation day | |
| Vadya Chaturdashi | Mahashivratri festival at Shri Dev Vetoba temple. In the morning, Laghurudra is performed on Shri Dev Vetoba. In the evening, palanquin and lighting in the temple. In the evening, Laghurudra is performed on Shri Dev Siddheshwar, and in the night, there is aarti and lighting. | |
| Phalgun (February) | Shuddha 10 | Shri Devi Sateri’s investiture-day festival. On this day, hom (burnt-offerings) is performed in the temple, with aarti. In the evening, too, there is aarti. On Shri Devi’s main spot, a Brahmin performs Ek-ekadashmi puja and then partakes navaidya bhojan there. On this day, devotees make their vows about Shri Devi’s puja. |
| Purnima | On this day, in Shri Dev Vetoba’s temple a holi is put up and the holi festival begins, which ends on amavasya day. During the festival, one day the ‘maand’ of Shiroda’s Shri Mauli Devi comes to the temple. And the next day, Aravali temple’s ‘maand’ goes to Shri Mauli’s Shiroda temple with honour and fanfare. | |
