What is the sthala katha — the legend — of Tulja Bhavani Temple?

High medieval · Hindu · India

Tulja Bhavani Temple

तुळजा भवानी मंदिर

Tuljapur, Dharashiv, Maharashtra · 18.0114°, 76.1256°

Goddess Bhavani (Tulja Bhavani)Kadamba—Shakti Peethadisputed

Contested attributions

This site is counted in the lists below by some sources and not others. We list the claim and the disagreement rather than silently picking a side.

Shakti Peetha — The Tulja Bhavani Temple article calls it one of the 51 Shakta pithas, while Wikipedia's combined table lists it at entry 64 and the Shakta Pithas in Maharashtra article counts it instead within Maharashtra's regional 'three and a half' set (as of 2026). source

Sacred since

1100 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

12th c. (Kadamba)

Kadamba

History & significance

A 12th-century temple to the goddess Bhavani, counted among the Shakta pithas and one of the three-and-a-half principal Shakti seats of Maharashtra. It is among the most heavily visited pilgrimage shrines in the state.

Sthala katha — the legend

The Skanda Purana relates that the goddess came to the aid of the ascetic widow Anubhuti on Yamunachala hill and afterwards settled at Tuljapur as Tulja Bhavani.

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