Mankeshwar Temple, Zodage

Mankeshwar temple is an ancient Shiva temple in Zodage village, on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway, in Nashik District, 128 km from Nashik. It is believed to have been built by the Yadavas or by the Shilaharas under Chalukya suzerainty. Its peak follows the Bhumij style, formed of small replica peaks.

Carvings in basalt cover it from top to bottom. A stone Nandi waits in front, and the open ardhamandap leads through the mandapa, whose roof is now lost, to the sanctum and its image of Shiva. The outer walls show Chamunda, Bhairav, Vishnu and the Ashtadikpal, along with lively female figures, among them a musician, a dancer, a lady removing thorns from her foot and another with a scorpion. Sixteen kirtimukhas also adorn it. Opposite stands a ruined Bhumij temple called the Saraswati Temple, its idol missing, and a fair is held on the 13th day of Magha.