Khunya Murlidhar Temple

Khunya Murlidhar temple located in Sadashiv Peth at a distance of 3kms from city center is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Dada Gadre, a famous merchant of the Peshwa regime, built the temple in 1797. The Radhakrishna idol of the temple is created in marble by Bakhatram, a famous Jaipur sculptor. The name 'Khunya Murlidhar' means murderer/killer Murlidhar. There is a story behind the name. One day during the ‘Praanpratishtha’ ceremony (the installation of the idol) of the temple, the temple guards objects the British soldiers from marching through the road. This led to the bloody battle between the British soldiers and the temple guards, which result in the lost of the lives of many people and hence got the name Khunyaa" (the Persian term for blood). The other story is that according to the advice of Sri Krishna, Arjuna led the grand battle of Mahabharata and killed his enemies, which create the famous bloodshed. The temple consists of a small courtyard, sanctum sanctorum or gabhara built with stone and the main hall or sabhamandapa in timber is decorated with chandeliers, handis' and surface ornamentation.