On the forested Mahurgad hill in the Nanded region of Maharashtra, Renuka Devi — honoured also as Ekavira — is worshipped as one of the eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas named in Adi Shankaracharya's stotram, "Mahurye Ekaveerika." In the tradition of the Peethas, a part of Sati's sacred form fell here.
The Goddess is revered as Renuka, mother of the sage Parashurama, the axe-bearing avatar of Vishnu; the hill is dear to his memory, and a shrine to Parashurama stands upon it. Mahur is also counted among the great seats of the Dattatreya tradition, so that the hill unites the worship of the Mother and of Datta.
Set amid deep forest and reached by a winding climb, the temple draws throngs at Navaratri and Vijayadashami. Renuka of Mahur is among the most beloved family and guardian deities of Maharashtra and the surrounding Deccan.
