Changdeva Temple, Muktainagar

Changdeva Temple, also called Changdev Maharaj Temple, stands on the shore of the Purna river near Changdeva village, in Muktainagar taluka of Jalgaon district, Maharashtra. It is an ancient temple dedicated to the 12th-century yogi and saint Changdeva Maharaj. Built of black rock in the Hemadpanthi style, it uses dove-tailed blocks and chalk, and its outer walls carry sculptures of women in graceful poses, probably apsaras.

A stone idol of the saint is kept in the sanctum, and Mahadeva and Shani Dev temples stand a few feet away. Excavations by the Archaeological Survey from 2008 uncovered old temple foundations, steps, a veranda and a large Shiva linga, and some of the finds are displayed in the open air nearby. At Mahashivaratri in February a big fair brings hundreds of thousands of devotees from across North Maharashtra, some of whom take boat rides at the meeting of the Tapi and Purna.