Dhutpapeshwar Temple, Dhopeshwar, Rajapur, Ratnagiri
Dhutpapeshwar Temple of Rajapur is 60 kms distance away from Ratnagiri. Dhopeshwar Mandir Malkapur has a direct connection with Dhootpapeshwar of Rajapur.
Dhootpeshwar is an ancient temple with an attractive nature. Dhootpapeshwar means god who forgives our sins. This awakened temple is more the 900 years old. Few years back, temple was reconstructed but wooden carvings of ancient time is kept as it is.
Shivlinga in Dhopeshwar temple is swayambhu (self-existed) and part of it is broken. The story behing broken shivlinga is told is as follows,
In the early years, there was a forest where dhopeshwar temple is built. It was an uninhabited place. A milk-giving cow of a brahman used to release the stream of milk on the Shivling regularly. As a result, brahman was not getting milk. Brahman thought that cow grazing person was stealing milk. This led to constant quarrel between brahman and cowherd. Finally, one day, cowherd kept an eye on cow. At that time, he saw the cow releasing milk on a Shivling in the forest. cowherd got angry. He hit Shivlinga with his axe. The upper part of Shivlinga blew off which is in Dhopeshwar Mandir of Kasarde in Malkapur. After that, Shivalinga remained in the same state. Later on, a temple was built around Shivalinga.
Behind the Shri Dhootapeshwar Temple is the temple of Shree Kameshwar (Rakhan Devta). When there is no rain, the temple of Kameshwar is filled with water. If an animal like a cow and a buffalo does not give milk or falls ill, then it is said that god's sacred ashes cure them.
The entire village of Dhopeshwar has been rewarded to the Dhootpapeshwar Devasthan since the time of the Peshwas or perhaps even earlier, and the expenses of the devasthan are met through taxes and donations. Dhootpapeshwar is a temple in the hills and there is a Shivalinga installed hundreds of years ago under the waterfall which is located on the right side of the temple.
At that time, it has been very ingeniously carved in the black stone in such a way that the water of the waterfall will fall precisely on that Shivlinga. Whenever Swami Gagangiri Maharaj was coming to Rajapur, he was meditating under this blue water. About 40 to 45 years ago, when a person tried to reach the bottom of the deep blue water, he found a temple there.Trembling with fear, he came up immediately. Since then, it has remained a secret what is at the bottom of the blue water as no one has ever tried to do so.
Festivals celebrated in the Dhootpapeshwar / Dhutpapeshwar / Dhopeshwar Temple:
People of Dhopeshwar village and devotees celebrate Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Shravan Somwar (Monday of Shravan), Dasara, Diwali, Margashirsha month, Mahashivratri (the great night of Shiva) and Holi with great enthusiasm and deovotion.
During the festival, Mahanaivadya (food offered to god), Puja (ceremony of worship) , Mantrapushp (Cavitifull flower offering), rudrabhishek ( Ceremonial ablution), Pradakshina (Circumambulation) and Arti (Ceremony of waving a lamp) are held in the temple.
When devotees visit such a place with devotion and bow down in front of the Shivling, they surely find a way out of their troubles.
