One of the three historic temples in Nagaon is the Nageshwar Temple. This historic Nageshwar temple is located in the middle of Nagaon, one of the Ashtagaras of the Aangre era. There is a large historic lake right in front.

The Temple –

This two-storied temple is completely built of stone and has slated roof made up of clay tiles. At the beginning of the temple is a small open space, followed by a large auditorium, and then the inner sanctum. The outer space has a wooden staircase that takes us to the upper floor. In the auditorium, there is an idol of Lord Ganesh on the left and Kalbhairava on the right.

There is a Nandi made up of stone on the left near the entrance of the inner sanctum. At the center above the door is called “Lalat Bimb”, where Ganesha is present and Kirtimukha is seen at the lower side. The inner sanctum has a Pindi of Lord Shiv in the middle and an idol of Parvati at the back. A small stone pillar for lighting a lamp can be seen in one corner.

The auditorium is square and its roof is circular. At the top there is a small floor with a wooden and corrugated roof. There is a small carved dome above the inner sanctum. An old Tulsi Vrindavan can be seen in front of the temple while there is also a newly renovated Deepmal.

The History –

Many temples were restored during the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This temple is also one of them. It is estimated that this temple may be of Sheelahar period, because the restoration of this temple was done on January 6, 1772 by Sarkhel Raghoji Angre. Raghoji Angre built a big lake in front of this temple in 1773.

The Historic Lake –

The area of ​​Nagaon where this temple is located is called Hatale. Hence this lake is also called Hatale lake. All sides of this lake are built in red stone. The lake appears to have steps in 2 places with one of the large steps still in use. There are 5 wells in this lake. These wells were built around 1970..

Festivals –

A fare of Nageshwar is held on Chaitra Shuddha Poornima. A weekly market is held every Thursday in this locality, called Hatale Bazaar.

Historcal References – Raigad Gazetteer