KANDOBA, a male deity of Jejuri in the Bombay Dekhan between Sassoor and Satara, also called Kandeh Rao. He is represented as an armed horseman, and is regarded as an incarna tion of Siva. About the beginning of December, on the Gth of Margashirsh, a great festival and fair are held, to which pilgrims come from a great distance. Bhandar and champa flowers are sacred to Kandoba, and exorcists shout Elkot and give bhandar. Kandoba, next to Wittoba, is the most popular object of worship among the 3fahrattas. The god Byroba, the local deity of herdsmen, is as largely worshipped in the Dekhan as is Kan doba, the deified hero of shepherds. The chief objects of Mahratta worship are certain incarna tions or images of deified mortals, known as Etoba or Wittoba and Kandoba, at Panderpur, Jejuri, and Malligaon, but the village deities receive a large part of their attention in times of sickness or peril. Brahmans state that Siva became incarnate in Kandeh Rao for the purpose of destroying an oppressive giant named Manimal, at a place in the Karnatic called Pehmer. The giant Manimal
made a most desperate defence against Kandeh Rao, but was at length slain, whereupon all the oppressed subjects of this giant paid adoration to handeh Rao, to the number, as the story goes, of seven kror of people, whence this avatara is called Yehl-khut ; Yule in Tamil meaning seven, and nut or Koot being a Mahratta pronunciation of (1,00,00,000) a hundred lakh, or ten millions. A handsome temple, dedicated to the worship of Kandoba, is at Jejuri, a town of some extent about thirty miles to the south-east of Poona. It is situated in a beautiful country, on a high hill, and has a very commanding and majestic appear ance; the temple, walls around, and steps up to it, are well built of fine stone. The murlidar, or musical girls attached to it, are said to exceed two hundred in number. A great many Brehmmo reside in and about the temple, and many beggars. Kandoba is not an uncommon name with Brah mans and other Hindus, for instance, Lakpat Kandhi Rao.—Chow-Chow, p. 2G2; Moor, p. 424.