Located just near the Jubilee Baug, on the northern bank of the Sur Sagar Lake is the Tarkeshwar Mahadev Mandir. The temple was commissioned by Maharani Jamnabai Saheb in the memory of her daughter Princess Tarabai who passed away at a young age of 27.
The temple is just like a serene refuge in the middle of the town, and one is almost bound to miss it. It’s entrance sits amidst a shopping area and is fronted by stalls of street food. The fact that it’s entrance is not from the lake-side road suggests that it may have been modified at some point of time.
The actual temple is placed inside a courtyard with the planning much like a South-Indian temple, but on a smaller scale. The courtyard has about 2-3 trees adding to it’s serenity , and is surrounded by long covered spaces. The temple sits on a high plinth, and has a sabha mandap and a garbha griha topped with a high “shikhara”.
Princess Tarabai :
In year 1870, Maharaja Khanderao suddenly passed away leaving behind an empty throne and a pregnant wife Maharani Jamnabai Saheb. At this time it was presumed that the king’s younger brother Malharrao would succeed to the throne. But this was stalled until the birth of a child to the widowed queen. It was decided that Malharrao would only succeed to the throne if the child born was a girl child.
After a few months, the queen gave birth to Princess Tarabai and thus Malharrao was crowned the king. But five years later he was deposed and Gopalrao was adopted by the queen. This same child Gopalrao went on to become the visionary king Maharaja Sayajirao Gakewad III.
Thus, in a way Princess Tarabai gave way to a visionary king. It is said that Sayajirao loved his adoptive sister and had great affection for her. However, the little sister, Tarabai passed away in 1895, followed by her aggrieved mother in 1897.
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Thus, the temple stands silently in the middle of the city, just like the nearby Jubilee baug marking an episode in history and the reminder of the Princess who paved way for a visionary King.
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