Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) is important and most revered godess in Maharashtra. Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) is also described as the impressive and formidable goddess in Hindu Pur anas. She is known for combating demons who threaten the stability of the universe.
Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) killed the Demon (asur) called Kukur, who, endowed with supernatural powers, had become arrogant and a great menace to the social and moral order of the day. When the Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) appeared to kill him, the demon assumed the form of a ferocious buffalo (mahisha) and challenged her for a combat. Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) vanquished him in the battle and killed him and from then onwards, she became popularly known as “Mahishasur Mardini”, the one who killed the demon called Mahishasur. In Maharashtra, Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) worship is of great antiquity and innumerable royal houses and their nobles have been devotees.
Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) is the Family Deity ( Kuldaivat) of most of the Maharashtiran families, including the great Bhonsla dynasty , whose most celebrated progeny was Great hindu king Shivaji, the founder of Hindavi Swarajya. Legend has it that it was Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) who gifted the Bhavani sword to Shivaji to vanquish his opponents in the battlefield. According to Hindu Puranas, Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) manifested her divine presence through all Yugas (ages). Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) guided Lord Rama in the Treta Yuga; blessed Yudhishtir in Dwapar Yuga in the epic war of Mahabharata, and in the Kali Yuga, she was an eternal source of great inspiration to King Shivaji and according to legend, she gifted the most celebrated Bhavani Sword to him. Highly venerated mythological references about The Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) are found in the great epics of all times, the Puranas. In Markendeya Purana, there are thirteen chapters (Adhyays) in Sanskrit, under the title “Durga Saptshathi”, containing seven hundred Shlokas or rhymes, describing the supreme powers of the deity. The story of how the Goddess vanquished Mahishasura and put him to death was first effectively narrated in the Devimahatmya or Saptashati, which is contained within the Markandeya Purana. Thorough out the ages, the divinity of Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) has been described and narrated in contemporary legends, folklores, bards and poems that have become the source of motivation for an entire nation – spiritually, socially and politically. From Dnyaneshwar to Aurobindo, the divine heroics of Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) provided untold inspiration. While Saint Dnyaneshwar and other contemporary philosophers revered Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) as ‘destroyer of human weaknesses, Sri Aurobindo regarded the Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Tuljabhavani) as the prime mover for nationalistic rejuvenation.
Make: Made in heavy shining brass.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity. It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals. The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.
Dimensions: 5 inches (H) x 3.25 inches (W) x 1.8 inches (depth)
Weight: 490 grams
Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it. Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it. This is truly a wonder and a miracle. The picture comes to life. The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems. The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol. The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram, Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point. They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.
Idols are the "finite representation of the Infinite". As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29, v 55-7), persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it: "Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to, it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber. Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however, that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."