While driving from Pune to Solapur road, after passing Bhigwan, we get the first view of Ujani dam back water and crossing the bridges of that back water at the left side we see a temple half in the water, if the dam is full then only the upper part of temple is above the water but with that only you can imagine the size of temple, looks like it is quite a big and old temple and curiosity gets build every time to see it from inside.
This year in Maharashtra is very dry, there was very less rain and water level of Ujani dam got at the dead level and news coming that Palasdeo/Palasnath temple is come out of water and open to visit after.
This temple went under water after 1978 when Ujani dam was built and after that very few time, 2001, 2013 and this year 2016 temple comes out of water.
Palasdo is 190 km from Pune on Pune-Solapur highway and most of the buses from Maharashtra and Karnataka stop at the Palasdeo with good frequency. After reaching to Palasdeo first we see the new village rebuild after the old one was went under the water and crossing this village we reach to the back water of Ujani, this is a quite distance of near about 2 km and from there get boat ride 5 mints and reach to the temple.
This temple was built by Chalukya Kings (Kalyani Chalukya whose Capital was in today’s Basavakalyan between 10 to 12th Century AD) and minimum 800 to 900 years old. The temple is of Hemadpanthi style and shikhar is in saptabhumij style which is having an empty space a small dome in the shikhar, 6-7 people can seat and do the hawan and pooja inside the shikhar. This is a very unique type of shikhar not seen usually in these areas temples. Also there is very beautiful stone crafting on temple pillars and makhar (entrance of Grbha graha) which matches with style of other temples in region. Later 17-18 centuries Raje Nimbalkar of Phaltan has reconstructed and expanded this temple.
Today the Shiv linga is shifted from this temple and replaced in new temple and we can see old temple and many veergals with mud and dirt of bird’s nests and the crafting is getting waste away by water.
Like in Pedgoan where Lakshmi-Narayan temple and Shiva temple is beside each other, here also some 10-15 mints distance in water there is one temple of Ram and this temple is also stays under the water of Ujani. The stone craving and sculptures of Ram, Sita, Laxman, Ravan and Hanuman is very beautiful, but getting broken due to stay in water from long time.
These are not just a temples but very beautiful monuments of Indian architecture and stone carving which needs preservation.
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