Prati Tuljapur Bhavani Temple is situated near Panvel at Kalote village of Khalapur taluka in Raigad, Maharashtra, India. Tulja Bhavani Temple is one of the most powerful shakti peethas in India. Tulja Bhavani, one of the clan dieties, is widely considered as Kulswamini of Maharashtra. Late Tukaram Shankar alias Anna Vichare built Prati Tuljapur Temple in Kalote. The temple is located at a distance of 58 kms from Mumbai and 94 kms from Pune. The village is famous for beautiful lakeside farm houses and for monsoon tourism.
Tukaram Vichare was an ardent devotee of Tuljabhavani Devi. He had immense faith in the goddess. It is not possible for many devotees to visit Tulja Bhavani Temple at Tuljapur. Therefore, Tukaram Vichare built a temple of the Tulja Bhavani in the Kalote village, with the aim that every devotee could worship the goddess. Anna met the sculptor of the goddess Tulja Bhavani of Tuljapur and after getting approval from the goddess, with the help of the then head priest of the Tuljapur temple, the look-alike idol was made.
Bhavani Mata goes to her cosmic sleep for 21 days in a year. Idol of Bhavani Devi is taken out from sanctum and rests on the palanga in her sleeping chamber. On one day in Navratri festival, When goddess was in her sleep, Anna placed this look-alike idol of Tulja Bhavani in sanctum and performed the puja of idol by the priest of Tuljapur temple. Then the idol of Tulja Bhavani, which has such a sacred history, was installed in the temple of Kalote village in the year 2007 on Ashwin Shukla Trayodashi.
Temple has specious courtyard. In this courtyard, religious rituals like pujas, home havans are performed on the day of Tripurari Purnima. As you enter in the temple, there is a small idol of a lion which is a vehicle of the goddess. A very beautiful and linear idol of Tuljabhavani Devi is installed in the sanctum in front of this vehicle of the Goddess. The devotees who come here make vows and with the same faith come to pay when it is fulfilled.
Tuljabhavani Devi is known by different names in different regions. There are many forms of Tuljabhavani Devi such as Tulja, Turaja, Tatkapa, Durga, Parvati, Amba, Jagdamba. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Hindavi Swarajya, was an ardent devotee of Tuljabhavani Devi. Tuljabhavani Devi has done the important work of destroying the asuras and restoring morality and righteousness in the universe in every age.
A big festival is celebrated in the presence of many devotees in this Prati Tulja Bhavani temple on Tripurari Purnima. On this day, the Abhishek of Goddess is performed. The palanquin ceremony of the goddess is organized. After performing the aarti in the afternoon, the devotees are given the bhandara and the ceremony is concluded after the Jagran Godhal at night.
Do visit this shrine of Prati Tulja Bhavani Devi, which is just 25 kms from Panvel.