Bhagavati and Ganapatipule Temples, Ratnagiri

Bhagavathi Temple 

• The Bhagavathi Temple near Ratnagiri, located along the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, is an ancient shrine dedicated to Bhagavathi Devi and stands on an elevated hill overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Ratnagiri harbour. The Goddess is revered as the Kshetrapalika (guardian deity) of Ratnagiri and is traditionally regarded as a sister of Mahalakshmi.
• Local tradition holds that Adi Shankaracharya visited this shrine after the visit to the Parashurama Temple, at the request of a local ruler. During this visit, it is believed that Adi Shankaracharya established a Sri Chakra at the temple and stayed overnight in the vicinity of the shrine, at a spot traditionally identified behind the temple (to the left of the idol).
• The temple is also associated with a long-standing tradition in which rituals such as the Kalpokta Pooja are performed by members of the local communities, reflecting a distinctive devotional practice where temple worship has historically drawn upon traditions maintained beyond the conventional priestly lineages.

Ganpatipule Temple

• The Ganpatipule Temple, located along the Konkan coast near Ratnagiri, is one of the most revered shrines of Lord Ganapati in western India. The temple is dedicated to a Swayambhu (self-manifested) form of Lord Ganapati, believed to have emerged naturally.
• In local tradition, the entire hill behind the temple is regarded as the form of Lord Ganapati himself, with the deity in the sanctum representing the visible manifestation of this sacred presence. Devotees therefore perform pradakshina around the hill, considering it an act of circumambulating the Lord. 
• Local tradition holds that Adi Shankaracharya visited this sacred place and stayed here for three days. During his stay, it is believed that he performed a Yantra Sthapana and established what came to be known as the “Ganesha Pooja Kalpa,” a codification of the pooja vidhana followed at the temple, elements of which continue in practice even today. 
• It is also believed that, as a protective invocation for the Karavali (Konkan coastal) region, Adi Shankaracharya placed a Swasti symbol above the west-facing entrance of the temple. Local accounts suggest that this symbol was lost during later temple renovations. 
• Tradition further recalls the existence of a copper inscription that documented these events, though the inscription is presently not traceable and therefore awaits further evidentiary confirmation.