Divine Sopinath Maharaj Sansthan Digras (Budruk), Patur, Akola

The famous shrine of Sopinath Maharaj, who is considered the Lord of Serpents and an incarnation of Lord Mahadeva, is located at Digras (Budruk) in Patur district. Here, Sheshnaga is worshipped. Devotees believe that the size of the Sopinath Maharaj shrine, which was consecrated upon a betel nut, is increasing day by day. The five-day fair held here is well-known throughout Vidarbha. In this fair, which has a tradition spanning many years, hundreds of devotees who make a vow (sakade) to the deity stay with their families in tents erected in the vicinity of the temple for five days. During this time, it feels as if a small village has been established here.

There are many shrines of Sopinath Maharaj in Akola taluka. Malsur is said to be the main, self-manifested (swayambhu) shrine of the deity. Sopinath Maharaj is also addressed as Supinath or Supoba. Information about the Malsur temple and its festivals is provided in the ‘Central Provinces and Berar District Gazetteers – Akola District, Volume A’ (1910). From this, it is clear that 115 years ago, Sopinath Maharaj was addressed as Supoba and was considered an incarnation of Lord Mahadeva. Just as Lord Mahadeva has a serpent around his neck, there are serpent idols in the Sopinath Maharaj temple here as well.

Regarding the shrine of the Maharaj at Digras (Budruk), the legend is that many years ago, a person named Bhagatbuwa from this village was an ardent devotee of Sopinath Maharaj. This Bhagatbuwa used to visit Malsur regularly for darshan. However, over time, due to old age, it became impossible for him to go there for darshan. One day, Sopinath Maharaj appeared to him in a vision. Sopinath Maharaj told him, “From now on, you do not need to come to Malsur for my darshan. I myself will come to you. You consecrate me in the form of a betel nut in the village, and I will reside there permanently.” After Bhagatbuwa informed the villagers about this, Sopinath Maharaj was consecrated here in the form of a betel nut. Over time, a small temple was built here. After the recent renovation, the temple has attained its present form.
The Sopinath Maharaj temple is situated at the outskirts of Digras village. On the path leading to the temple from the main road, there are many shops selling worship materials. The entrance to the temple is within the perimeter wall surrounding the temple. On both sides of the entrance are statues of elephants, and in the five niches above, there are idols of Ganpati, two Shivlingas, one serpent image, and Gajanan Maharaj. Through this entrance, one enters the paved courtyard of the temple. The temple premises look beautiful due to the many ancient and large trees in the spacious courtyard. There are many pillared corridors (ovaris) on all four inner sides of the perimeter walls. On the platform in front of the temple, there is a sculpture of the Mother Cow (Gomata) and a lamp pillar (deepmal). The structure of this temple consists of a assembly hall (sabhamandap) and three sanctum sanctorums (garbhagrihas). One enters the assembly hall through the main entrance of the temple. In the niches of the walls of this marble-floored assembly hall, there are idols of Shri Ram-Sita and Radha-Krishna on the left, and Saint Dnyaneshwar, Shri Vishnu-Lakshmi, Vitthal-Rakhumai, and Saint Tukaram on the right. There is beautiful glasswork on the ceiling of this assembly hall, on the front walls of the sanctum sanctorums, and in the interior parts of the temple. In the front part of the assembly hall, there are two more doors next to the sanctum sanctorums. Through these, devotees can perform circumambulation (pradakshina) around the sanctum sanctorums.

In front of the three sanctum sanctorums in the assembly hall, there is a steel railing to manage the crowd of devotees. These sanctum sanctorums have arched entrances. In the sanctum on the left, there is an idol of Ganpati on a large rectangular pedestal (vajrapith). In front of this idol are the deity’s sandals (padukas). In the main sanctum in the center, the self-manifested shrine of Sopinath Maharaj is on a rectangular pedestal. His stone idol here is smeared with vermilion. This idol has silver eyes. Behind this shrine, there are some Panchadhatu idols of Sheshnaga. In the sanctum on the right, there is an idol of Gajanan Maharaj.

Above the door frame of the Ganpati sanctum is an idol of Ganpati, above the door frame of the Sopinath Maharaj sanctum is Sheshshayi Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, and above the Gajanan Maharaj sanctum is an image of Gajanan Maharaj. There is a parapet around the roof of the temple, and there are three spires (shikharas) over these three sanctum sanctorums. Of these, the spire over the Sopinath Maharaj sanctum is the main and tallest one. On this spire, there are three amalakas one above the other, and a finial (kalash) on top. Apart from this, there are small temples in the courtyard such as the Hanuman temple, Sharda Mata temple, the late Madhavji Maharaj Samadhi temple, and the temple trust office.

Hundreds of devotees from many districts of Vidarbha come here daily for darshan. There is a tradition here of offering a silver ‘scorpion sting’ (vinchukata) to the deity to avoid physical ailments. Devotees also believe that if a person bitten by a snake is brought here, they recover. Thousands of devotees also come here on the day of Nag Panchami. Many farmers from the surrounding five villages also bring their oxen on this day and perform five circumambulations around the temple.

The marriage ceremony of the deity takes place on the first Monday after Ratha Saptami. At this time, Mahaprasad is distributed to the devotees. Five days after this ceremony, the Sopinath Maharaj fair is held. Thousands of devotees from Akola, Washim, Buldana, and other districts take darshan of Sopinath Maharaj during this fair. During this fair, hundreds of devotees stay with their families for five days by erecting temporary tents on both sides of the temple as well as in the back area. This is called ‘Dharne Dharne’. Devotees believe that if one performs the ‘Dharne’ of the deity, all wishes are fulfilled. During this stay, Rodge, eggplant curry, and varan are consumed. Devotees can take darshan of the deity in this temple daily from five in the morning to seven in the evening.

Sacred History & Spiritual Significance

This sacred temple stands as a testament to deep spiritual devotion, ancient architectural grandeur, and rich local cultural traditions.

Temple Sanctum & Architecture

The sanctum sanctorum houses the divine idol consecrated according to ancient Vedic traditions, surrounded by serene courtyards and traditional temple architecture.

Sacred Darshan Gallery