SANGAMESHVAR

Sangameshvar (Sangameshvar T.; 17° 10' N, 73° 30' E; p. 3,494) is a town on the Shastri river about 20 miles from the coast. It has some trade in grain, piecegoods and salt fish. The river which was till 1850 navigable for the largest vessels to the very Sangameshvar quay, is now impassable for six miles lower down.

Sangameshvar's decline is chiefly due to the silting of the creek. The pack traffic through the Mala pass is, of imports, piecegoods and other articles. The trade is entirely in the hands of local merchants. On a much smaller scale, the system is the same as in Chiplun. Light booths are raised during the fair season, and a trading camp is formed, to be broken up at the first burst of the monsoon. The market on the hill side above the narrow river bank suffered almost every year from fire. Early in 1878 fifty-five houses were burnt, and a few weeks later (March 16th) a disastrous conflagration completely destroyed the mamlatdar's office, the treasury, the police lines and outbuildings, the post office, and seventy-five private houses. Up to the date of the 1878 fire, Sangameshvar was the head quarters of the sub-division, and had, in addition to the ordinary revenue and police offices, a subordinate judge's court and a post office. On the destruction of the public offices, the head-quarters of the sub-division were moved to the more central and convenient village of Devrukh.

Sangameshvar, the meeting of the Alaknanda and Varuna, is a place of some sanctity and of high antiquity. According to the Sahyadri Khand, it was originally called Ramakshetra and had temples built by Parashuram or Bhargavaram. In later times, perhaps, about the seventh century, a Chalukya king Karna, coming from Karvir or Kolhapur, made Sangameshvar his headquarters, and founding a city, built a fortress, temples and palaces. [The date of this Karna, who seems to be the same as the founder of the Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur (Jour. B. B. Roy. As. Soc. XI. 100), has not yet been fixed. The style of building is supposed (Jour. B. B. Roy. As. Soc. XI. 107) to point to some time about the eighth century A. D. At the same time, according to some verses in the Kolhapur Mahalakshmi temple, Karna flourished about A.D. 100 (30 Shalivahan) (Jcur. B. B. Roy. As. Soc. XI. 104), and according to the Sangameshvar Mahatmya he became king in 178 (S. 100). Jour. B. B. Roy. As. Soc. XI. 99.] Of the temples, one, called Karneshvar after its founder, remains. Sangameshvar continued for some time as the headquarters of Chalukya chief. It is mentioned in a Chalukya grant, probably of the eleventh or twelfth Century. [Jour. B. B. Roy. As. Soc. II. 263.] In the twelfth century it was for long the residence of Basav, the founder of the Lingayat sect. [Wilson's Meckenzie Collection, II. 4, 10.] In the sixteenth century it was the headquarters of a Bijapur governor. Barbosa (1514) speaks of it as Singuicar, a town of much commerce and merchandise with many ships from diverse ports. [Stanley's Barbosa. The Portuguese writers notice its exports of pepper and iron. DeCoutto, XII. 30.] It was also, though this was probably at Jayagad at the river mouth, a great stronghold of pirates. [Dom Joao de Castro (1538), apparently from the pirates infesting its mouth, calls Sangameshwar, the road of the Malbars. Primeiro Roteiro da Costa da India, 39.] In 1540, the Bijapur governor, scheming to make himself independent, asked for, but was refused Portuguese help. [DeCoutto, IV. 352.] In the seventeenth century (1670), it is spoken of as Zanguigara four leagues from Dabhol. [Ogilby's Atlas, V. 248.] Here, in 1689, Sambhaji, the son of Shivaji, was made a prisoner by Aurangzeb. Hamilton (1700-1720) calls it an excellent harbour, but adds that the country was frequented by Rabaris and was not inhabited. [New Account, I. 244.] In 1819, numbers of Vanjaris in the dry season gave Sangameshvar the look of a place of some importance. But it was in no way a town and had only a very small fixed population. [Collector to Gov. 15th July 1819; Revenue Diaries 142 of 1819, 2577. Some details of the present state of the Sangameshvar river are given under Jayagad'.]

Two miles up the river, in old Sangameshvar, called the Kasba, to distinguish it from the new town, peth, are several interesting temples. The chief of them is the temple of Karneshvar already referred to whose shrine is said to date from as far back as Parashuram. [Jour. B. B. Roy. As. Soc. XX. 100. According to Lieut. Dowell (1829) Karna repaired temples originally built by Parashuram. Mr. Dowell noticed that the chief temple was of the same age and style as the Kolhapur temple. There were then (1829) the remains of over a hundred ruined shrines. Bom. Rev. Rec. 225 of 1851, 273.] At present (1960) the wall on the eastern side is in ruins while other walls are intact. The worshipping gurav gets a cash allowance of Rs. 18 per month for his services in Karneshvar and other Sangameshvar temples. Kama the Chalukya (634) is said to have built or repaired 360 temples and granted the revenues of many villages for their support. Every year on Magh Vadya 15th (February-March) a fair is held attended by about 1,000 persons. At the meeting of the rivers are several sacred places, tirthas,among them one is known as the cleanser of sins, dhuta papa.

There are two high schools in the town. The Bombay-Konkan- Goa State Highway passes through Sangameshvar. There are two big bridges built on the rivers Shastri and Sonvi on this highway.

In 1953 and in 1958, Sangameshvar suffered heavily from floods to the Shastri River.