Thousands of Devotees Gather at Dhamani Khandoba Temple for Somvati Amavasya Yatra

Ambegaon, 9th November 2026: Thousands of devotees gathered at the Shri Mhalasakant Khandoba Temple in Dhamani village of Ambegaon taluka on Monday (November 9) to mark Somvati Amavasya. The annual pilgrimage witnessed a large turnout of devotees from Pune, Ahilyanagar, Nashik and Mumbai districts.

The religious ceremonies began at 5 am with the Rudrabhishek and milk abhishek of the Swayambhu Saptashivalinga, followed by an aarti. The rituals were performed by traditional honour holders associated with the pilgrimage from Shirur, Ambegaon, Junnar and Khed talukas.

At around 7 am, the festival idols of Lord Khandoba, Mhalsa and Banai were placed in the palkhi and taken towards a well in the Devmal area for the traditional ceremonial bath. Devotees welcomed the procession by showering turmeric powder (bhandara), coconuts and flowers while chanting ‘Sadanandacha Yelkot’.

During the ceremony, traditional honour holders applied sandalwood paste prepared with fragrant davana essence and rose water to the ceremonial masks of the deities. The festival idols were subsequently given a ceremonial bath, followed by traditional prayers and aarti.

The grand palkhi procession began amid performances on traditional musical instruments, including halgi, daf, tasha, sambal, shehnai and tutari. Devotees wearing yellow caps participated in the procession as chants of ‘Sadanandacha Yelkot’ echoed through the village. Flowers and bhandara were showered along the route, while firecrackers added to the festive atmosphere.

A decorated horse belonging to the Pawar brothers from Narayangaon in Junnar taluka, considered the traditional vehicle of Lord Khandoba, led the procession and attracted the attention of devotees.

The procession returned to the temple at around 11 am. Village residents had also arranged Mahaprasad comprising rice, dal curry and boondi for devotees. According to villagers, more than 2,000 devotees had partaken in the Mahaprasad by 1 pm.

The celebrations gained additional significance as Somvati Amavasya coincided with the Diwali festival this year. Several devotees also performed overnight religious rituals at the temple, while shops selling flowers, sweets and bhandara were set up outside the temple premises.