Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum (Kaneri Math)


Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum at Kaneri, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, is a sculpture museum. The full name is Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum. It is situated at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, a campus built around the Moola-Kaadsiddheswar Shiva temple.

Museum description

This museum showcases different aspects of Gramjivan. Gram means village and jivan means life in the Marathi language. This initiative was the dream of Mahatma Gandhi, and was created through the vision and efforts of Siddhagiri Gurukul Foundation. The history of self-sufficient village life in Maharshtra, before the invasion of the Mughals, is depicted in the form of cement sculptures. Each sculpture is lifelike and represents activities performed in daily village life. There were 12 Balutedars, and 18 Alutedars who provided equipment to carry out domestic and professional tasks.
The museum is spread over, and the surrounding countryside is beautiful, with lush greenery. Every aspect of village life has been depicted in almost 80 scenes that showcase more than 300 statues.

Village scenes

The scenes of village life include:
The museum has an old Shiva temple on the grounds. It is related to the Inchegeri Sampradaya, to which Nisargadatta Maharaj belongs. It is believed that a Shivling was installed by a Lingayat Priest on a beautiful hill in the 14th century. About 500 years ago, a Lingayat Priest, Shree Kadsiddheshwar Maharaj, developed and renovated it, and hence the place is now known by his name. The temple includes a -deep well, a Shiva idol, and a large Nandi bull.