Chirner village near Panvel - The village of forest satyagraha and the ancient ghadegals

The year 1930, September 25th in Raigad district near Panvel, an incident took place in village of Chirner that shook not only India but the entire British Government. It was the year when civil disobedience and salt satyagraha was at its peak against the British. To make a mark and raise a voice against the oppression of Government, Indian leaders started salt satyagraha, and the movement of disobedience moved to other forms also like forest satyagraha or violation of forest law, nonpayment of land revenue etc. Though these was being organized across India, the one forest satyagraha at small villages in Raigad district near present day Panvel gained lot of attention.

The British administration did not want the villagers to cut the forest trees without paying as it was loss of revenue while the villagers did not want to pay any revenue to government and also needed wood for their basic needs. A mass forest law violation in nonviolent form was organized at villages in Chirner, Kalhe, Chawane on 8th September and then another nonviolent battle was fought on 25^th September 1930. A mamlatdar was sent with considerable police force to curb the agitation. A large crowd had gathered outside the Chirner forest, but handful of protestors had entered the forest. Police force tried to handcuff the leaders who violated the order of not entering the forest which was questioned and objected by the mamlatdar himself. The crowd had turned more hostile and police forces found themselves in a small valley surrounded by the protestors who has entered the forest hill from three sides. The police force took offence on the slight pretext and opened fire on the satyagrahis in self-defense. Mamlatdar came forward to stop this brute force on nonviolent agitators but himself was shot by the police firing and died of gunshot wound. That day a total of 13 people lost their lives out of which 5 were government servants and remaining 7 were the locals from the villages. The satyagrahis though lost 7 of their colleagues, showed magnanimity and decorated and participated in large numbers in funeral procession of the mamlatdar.

In January of 1932, Vithalbhai Patel and many others installed a “peace obelisk” in heart of Chirner Gaonthan with names of the fallen people carved on it. The names of the police personal in front and names of the villagers at the back. The district magistrate in his order noted that the obelisk has been installed to create hatred against the British government and ordered the memorial to be removed and presented in the court. 

The memory of Chirner satyagraha and the people who lost their lives have been kept alive to this day, the part of the broken obelisk of Chirner satyagraha has been kept in a memorial space built by the villagers along with life size sculptures of the seven fallen martyrs.

One the window iron rod that was hit by the bullet fired during the 1930 satyagraha still stands in the Mahaganapati temple window with a small bump.

Chirner is also famous for its Mahaganapati temple. A very unique temple with interesting anecdote. This temple which houses a Ganpati idol which stands tall at 1.8mts with its trunk tilted on its left. The story goes that Senapati Phadke of Peshwa's dreamt of an idol that was immersed in nearby pond. The dream came true when the idol was found in the lake. It was installed in a small temple nearby which today has undergone reconstruction many times, but the idol still remains the same. 

Another unique feature of the temple is it is never closed, not even in nighttime. No robberies have ever happened till date and villagers say it is their faith in the lord which has protected it till date. The villagers happily guide any outsider who comes to visit the temple and happily say "Pahune aale".

Yet feather in the cap of this village are two temples, again located in the same vicinity as Mahaganapati temple. One of the temples is of local deity Bhairidev, an incarnation of Bhairav. The deity is seen riding its vehicle and has two small idols on each side. One seems to be of a big cat or lion and on other side is a Naga Shilp stone. All these idols are smeared generously in vermillion.

But next to the main deity lies stone relic again smeared in vermillion. The stone relic is a gadhegal with lower panel showing a woman in copulation with a donkey. The middle panel may have some inscription but is no longer seen. But interesting part is the upper panel of the ass curse stone which has a kalash with sun and moon below. The villagers believe this stone is form of Goddess Parvati, concert of Lord Shiva. So, the ass curse stone now has two glass eyes embedded on the kalash while the sun & moon represent the breast of the female deity.

Between the Bhairidev temple and another temple that is Shiva temple lies yet another stele or ass curse stone. The relic has been plastered in the ground. This gadhegal is in good condition and all figurine is visible. The upper part has kalash with sun & moon while the middle panel has 12-13 lines of inscription. The lower panel has a lady sexually violated by a donkey. The women is seen with hair bun and is depicted on her haunches with hand depicted downwards while the donkey has some kind of collar in the neck and the tail seems to be braided. A broken part of yet another gadhegal is kept nearby.

The Shiva temple seems to be built during the reign of Peshwa. The main sanctum has the Shivling and Goddess Parvati while on the outside of the sanctum wall contains idol of Ganesh and another deity on other side of the entrance. An old Nandi stone guards the sanctum with Shivling.

Some stone relics and sculptures in the Shiva temple and the lake besides it.

What really are ass curse stones and their significance.

Ass curse stone also known as ghadegal are stone relics which were given as land grants, usually by a king or a ruler to brahmins when new territory was captured. The land grants would bring some revenue to ruler when the land given is used for a purpose like agriculture. The sun and moon on the top of the relic indicate that this grant is till eternity and below panel which depicts women in sexual copulation with a donkey is curse that will befall any violators who doesn't accept the grant. Chirner relics also brings to light that the area would have an ancient history and that it is transmogrified into a deity once the original purpose of the grant has been forgotten or lost in time. The issuance of land grants started during the rule of Shilahar dynasty somewhere around 1051 AD and ended with Nizamshah rule in 17th century.