At Tuljapur in the Dharashiv (Osmanabad) region of Maharashtra, the temple of Tulja Bhavani is one of the most revered Shakti shrines of the Deccan, counted among the 3½ Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra and honoured as the foremost of the three and a half Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra. The Goddess is worshipped as Bhavani, the fierce and compassionate Mother and slayer of demons, whose self-manifested image is, by a unique tradition, periodically taken from its sanctum in cycles of rest and reawakening.
Bhavani is beloved above all as the family deity (kuldevi) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, to whom, tradition holds, she granted the celebrated sword Bhavani and her blessing to found a righteous kingdom. Her legend tells of her victory over the demon Matanga, restoring peace to gods and sages.
Thronged during Navaratri, when her worship reaches its height, Tulja Bhavani is invoked as the giver of courage and protection — the guardian Mother of Maharashtra.
