As per Sri Adi Shankarachrya’s Shakti Peetha shlokas, the 8th Shakti Peethas is ‘Mahurye Ekaveerika’ Ekaveerika devi temple is in Mahur, Maharashtra. The deity here is called Ekaveerika Mata. The temple is in Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. It is 50 km from Kinwat and 131 km from Nanded. Nagpur is 210 km by road from Mahur. Sati’s Right shoulder has fallen here.
Mahur is famous for the Renuka Devi temple and very few people are knowing about the Ekaveerika Devi temple and mostly they call the Renuka Devi temple Shaktipeeth. It is said that Ekaveerika Devi is the elder sister of Renukadevi. Renuka Devi temple is 800 years old.
One of the 18 Shakti Peethas, it is known as ” Mahurye Ekaveerika” Ekaveera Mayura; or Ekaveera Mata, or Goddess Ekaveera Mata temple or Mahur Renuka Devi Temple at Mahur, Nanded district. Also called Mayura Kshetram or Matru Patanam. This temple is 23 km from Mahur village, on the bank of Pen Ganga. The temple is located on a hill surrounded by deep forest, only the head part is the main deity in this temple. Ekavenika Devi is a popular name in the Andhra State now Telangana State than the people of Maharashtra.
The goddess Renuka is associated with the worship of the goddess Yellamma in Karnataka and in certain parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The goddess Renuka is considered to be an Avatar of the goddess Durga and is popular in rural culture as the mother goddess and is worshipped as Amma, Yellamma, Duggavva, Dyaamavva and Marikamba. Her name and attributes change from region to region.
About Ekavenika Devi Temple:
Mahur is famous for the Renuka Devi temple and very few people know about Ekaveerika Devi temple and especially they call the Renuka Devi temple Shaktipeeth. One can find more devotion at Renuka Devi Temple than at Ekaveerika mata temple. Ekaveerika Devi is said to be Renukadevi’s older sister. The Renuka Devi temple is 800 years old.
Pan patta and supari are grinded as pasta and offered as prasad in this temple. There are many important temples and tourist spots at the top of the hill.
Mahurye Ekaveera Mata Temple Timings: 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM
Ekaveera Mata Temple History:
Renuka was the daughter of the King Renu of Kubaj country and the wife of sage Jamadagni. King Sahastrarjuna Visit Jamadagni Ashram, and he was surprised by the hospitality of the sage. When asked, the sage told him that it is all because of the Kamadhenu (cow).
The King thought that if the Kamadhenu was in his possession he would be able to easily maintain his vast army, King Sahastrarjuna asked the sage’s Kamadhenu for Kamadhenu, but the sage refused, Sahastrarjuna got angry and killed Jamadagni. The sage died and his wife Renuka got 21 injuries on her body.
On coming to know of the incident Parasuram, the son of Jamadagni rushed there and vowed to defeat and punish the king 21 times. His mother asked him to cremate his father. He carried his father and mother to Mahur and cremated his father there. His mother became a sati.
The religious rites were conducted on this occasion by the God Sri Dattatreya himself. However, after everything was over Parasuram was stricken by grief and at this time a voice from the heavens told him that his mother would come out from the earth but he should not look behind. Being eager to see his mother, Parasuram just saw behind for a fraction of a second to find the mother’s face over the earth. The upper facet is the present upper facet of the Renukadevi.
Renukadevi is adorned with various gold ornaments such as golden flowers to be used as earrings, gold garlands (putal mal candrahar, jaymal, etc.), nose-ring
(nath), etc.
Other Deities in Ekaveerika Temple:
Mahur Renuka Devi
Sri Parasurama
Dattatreya Swami
Anasuya Mata
Atri Maharishi
Matru Thirtha
Devdeveshwar
Chinta mani Ganesh
Ekaveerika Temple Address:
Mahurgad,
Maharashtra – 431721.