Shankaracharya samadhi temple at ancient holy place of Nirmal village

As per the Holy edicts of Skanda Purana as well as Padma Purana, ancient region of Shuraparaka was established by Lord Parshuram who is sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Parshuram's name has been associated with lot of legends in and around Vasai. There is a kund or water cistern deep in forest of Tungareshwar which is called Parshuram Kund. The temple of Tungareshwar has association with Parshuram so does the ancient holy teerth of Nirmal village. The twin lakes in Nirmal village is suppose to be creation of Lord Parshuram. 

It is said that Adi Shankaracharya had visited Nirmal in BC 497 to revive Vedic dharma which was on wane with the spread of Buddhism. It is said that 5th Shankaracharya of Puri - Swami Vidyaranya visited Nirmal at the behest of King Jalauk of Kalinga. He took Mahasamadhi at Nirmal hillock in 404 BC on dark 11th day of Kartik. Emperor Jalauk was the first to built a samadhi temple here. There are also records of many Shankaracharya having visited this place. 

In 15th century during the rule of Portuguese many temples in Bassein area were destroyed. With rise in atrocities, citizens of Vasai requested Chimaji Appa who besieged Vasai in 18th century from Portuguese. Because of atrocities the place had become devoid of Brahmin's hence one family each of  Konkanastha Brahmin, Karhade, & Devrukhe Brahmin's and four Shukla Yajurvedi Gujarati Brahmin families were settled in the region. Chimaji Appa Peshwa also rebuilt Shankaracharya temple which is standing today at a small hillock in Nirmal village. Today the descendants of Pandya Family of Gujarati Brahmin's are the caretakers of this temple.

Shankaracharya Samadhi Temple is situated on a small hillock which looks like a small fortress from outside. There is a beautiful deepsthamb outside the temple gate. Behind the temple lies the Vimala sarovar while Nirmal sarovar is across the road from the main entrance. A 14th day annual yatra is held between specific dates in month of November when the entire village gets a festive look.

The temple has retained its old aesthetic looks. It is not dedicated to one god but there are various small temple and shrines of Gods and Goddess which are so unique to this temple and not seen normally. The first look as one enters the complex makes one fall in love with the architecture. The feeling of being inside some Haveli. Usually the temple has few local visitors and most of the time it is quiet a peaceful place hence one can get the opportunity to soak into the sublime atmosphere.

As soon as one enters the temple, There is a huge open courtyard with two idols guarding smaller temples on each side. On the left is small idol of Garuda in purple colour guarding the shrine. Two dwarpals can also be seen standing at the entrance. The heavy wooden doors of the smaller temple is first to catch the eye with its design. It is similar to what one usually finds in Haveli's of Rajasthan or Gujarat. 

Inside the chamber one can see host of idols lined against the wall. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

But he is not alone here, Flanked on each side of Vishnu are his two wives - Rukhmani & Satyabhama. Both the consorts are brandishing weapons and as for their clothes, Its is similar to what is usually worn by tribal's in Maharashtra.

Other idols include his brother Balrama, sage Narada and his cousin Uddhav. And on the right is Ankur and Garuda. All these idols are painted in bright colors. It is fascinating to watch these idols which are so unique and completely adorable.

Similar to Garuda, Nandi is protecting another temple shrine that of Shiva. There is Ganesha with his two consorts dressed in traditional tribal attire outside Shiva temple as well as Brahma and  that of Kartickswamy which is locked in closed door. On inquiry I learned that only men are allowed to peep from top,ladies are not suppose to see him except on one day in a year which is Kartick purnima day. 

The Shiva Temple contains Shivling as well as idol of Goddess Parvati and Shiva & Parvati together. Shitala Mata also finds a place in this temple. The main hall has the entrance to sanctum sanctorum which holds the samadhi of Shankaracharya. It is so peaceful and tranquil inside that one can feel a burst of positive energy.

The entrance to the sanctum is beautifully designed painted in silver and orange and has figures of various animals and birds. At the ceiling of the entrance has protruding design with some figures, which I was informed represents 12 astro signs or rashi's and 9 planets. 

The hall is connected to all the three shrines with another entrance which opens from inside the hall.

In the courtyard there are many shrines some usual while many are quiet unusual. Usual ones include that of Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman. But what intrigued me were unusual shrines of Sage Parshuram and his parents Sage Jamadagni and mother Renuka. It is very rare to find shrines dedicated to sage Parshuram and his parents.

Another set of idols that we don't see very often were that Lord Dattatreya and his parents Anshuya Mata and Sage Atri. There might be some legend or significance for the shrines being here but I am not able to fathom or find any information about the same. 

Two more idols that I saw while exploring was that of God of Sex Kama dev and other was of Bhargavram.

During my visit I spent entire afternoon exploring the temple complex and had a long chat with one of the trustee who was more than happy to narrate to me stories associated with the place. He also informed me about another Shiva temple on the banks of Nirmal lake. Though it was close to sunset I did manage to visit and also find some heritage stone sculptures and stele which I have documented in another post. (Surleshwar Temple )

At the end of the day while I traveled back home, I was so glad to have stumbled upon the information about the place and to have spent my holiday visiting the shrine. Nirmal village is associated with lot of legends, mythology and history which intersects to create stories which I intend to visit bit by bit, story by story.

How to reach: Buses are available from Vasai as well as Nalasopara. The bus going towards Kalimb beach from Nalasopara station will drop you at Nirmal naka from where it is at a walkable distance of 10 minutes.