Shri Tuljabhawanidevi from Tuljapur (Dharashiv), the Deity of worship in Maharashtra, the one who is saviour of Her devotees

1. History underlying the temple

According to the Skand Puran Sage Kardam lived in the Krutayug. His wife Anubhuti was both beautiful and chaste. She had decided to follow him after his death but as she had a minor son other Sages convinced her not to do so. She abandoned that idea and performed penance on the banks of river Mandakini. At that time a demon named Kukar tried to disrupt her penance and destroy her chastity. She pleaded to Shri Bhagwatidevi for help. Devi assumed an incarnation and annihilated that cruel demon and upon her request established Herself on Yamunachal mountain (Bala Ghat). As Devi rushed to the rescue of Anubhuti at once, She was named Twarita. With passage of time this became Turita and later Tulja.

2. Shri Bhawanidevi, saviour of devotees

Bharat has three seats of Adishakti (Primal Energy), beyond the three components -Shri Mahakali symbolising the Tama component at Kolkata, Shri Mahalakshmi signifying the Raja component at Kolhapur and Shri Mahasaraswati symbolising the Sattva component at Mahur. The seat of Shri Bhawanidevi at Tuljapur is considered a confluence of the three components (trigunatmak). When Prabhu Shriramachandra was in the forest in search of Sita, Shri Bhagawati had blessed Him with an apparition stating that He would soon find Sita.

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had fought a bitter battle against the Mughals with the very blessings of Shri Bhawanidevi and had established a self-rule. Shri Bhawanidevi who blessed Anubhuti in Krutyug, Shri Ramachandra in Tretayug, Dharmaraj in Dwaparyug and Chatrapati Shivaraya in Kaliyug, rescues devotees in distress and bestows blessings.

(Reference : Website – Shri Tuljabhawani Mandir Sansthan, Tuljapur and Wikipedia)