View: Khandoba and the gods of collaboration
Pune, is the town of Jejuri. Here, atop a hill, is a citadel-like turmeric-covered temple dedicated to the much-revered folk deity locally known as Khandoba. This is a collaborative ecosystem of the people, by the people, for the people, where gods exist to unite not divide.
Khandoba is probably a deified form of an ancient warrior-hero (vira) who rode a magnificent horse, battled local threats, protected local people and property and brought diverse people together.
In modern times, he tends to be considered to be a form of Shiva-Bhairava on earth, in an attempt to make him meaningful to the larger Hindu community. Many refer to this as a local (desi parampara) manifestation of mainstream Hindu traditions (margi parampara). But the gaze should be bottom-up, not top-down.
Khandoba's narrative is incomplete without including his wives.
He is married to many women and they belong to different communities. For example, Mhalsa belongs to the trader community. Some say she is from the Lingayat community, which is a non-Brahmanical Shiva-worshipping community that emerged in Karnataka around the 11th century.
Banai is related to the shepherd community. His third wife is from the tailor community. The fourth wife is from the gardener community.
The fifth wife is from the oil presser community. There is also one wife who is linked to the Muslim community, who played a prominent role in this region during the 14th century Bahamani and later the 16th century Bijapur Sultanates.
Each wife has a separate shrine. There are ritual celebrations when Khandoba comes to visit each wife to celebrate her glory.
