Located approximately 5 km away from the city of Manchar in Pune district, Avsari Khurd is a small village. While exploring the city of Manchar, we came across this village due to its fort-like structures. As we entered the village, we found entrance gates built near the Bhairavanath Temple. The gate constructed entirely in stone, have two carved deities on either side. The architecture of these gates, resembling a fort entrance, does not match with the typical village entrance. If we call it Nagarkot, the gate does not show any distinct features of a fort, and if we call it a fort, there are no visible remnants of any other structures typically found in forts. Passing through the gate, towards the right, stands the Bhairavanath Temple, and towards the left is a place known as Ramwada, which signifies the historic Ram Mandir from the Peshwa era. Identified as Ramwada, this area around the Ram Mandir has some distinct independent structures. ... This entire structure including surrounding wall made of stone slabs and the Nagarkhana on the gate. On the door, there is an inscription referring to the year 1904, which is correlated with the memorial of Mahant Manadas Bairagi. On one of the memorials, there is an inscription dated 1904 for Mahant Manadas Bairagi.The temple complex consists of a Sabha Mandap and a Garbhagriha, housing idols of Shri Ram, Lakshman, and Sita. For water supply to the temple, there is a well in the temple complex.The temple celebrates the Ram birth ceremony annually, with a festival lasting for nine days. During this festival, daily worship, rituals, and offerings are carried out, and the expenses for the same are provided by the Peshwa through donations made to the Bairagi. Sardar Malharrao Holkar's army had Santaji Haibatrao Wagh, an important figure, serving in it. Santaji Wagh fell in the Battle of Panipat in 1761. In 1765, the descendants of Santaji Wagh received the villages of Kathapur (Budruk), Kathapur (Khurd), and Avsari (Budruk) as reward in Maharashtra. This information is mentioned in historical records related to these villages.
© Suresh Nimbalkar