The town of Aundh is situated 26 mi. S.E. of Satara

Satara

Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...

. Pop. (in 1911) about 3500, home of the Aundh State

Aundh State

Aundh State was a princely state in British India, in the Deccan States Agency division of the Bombay Presidency. It was one of the Satara Jagirs, and was founded in 1699. It was founded by Parshuram Tryambak Pant Pratinidhi who was warrior during the period of Sambhaji Raje and Rajaram Maharaj...

, a princely state

Princely state

A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

 (1699-1947). It is now part of Satara District

Satara district

Satara District is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of 10,480 km² and a population of 2,808,994 of which 14.17% were urban . Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns include Wai, Karad, Koregaon, Koyananagar, Rahimatpur, Phaltan, Mahabaleshwar...

 in Maharashtra State.

Overview

The town is known for its hill temple, called the Devi Yamai

Yamai

Yamai devi or Shree Yamai devi temple is situated in a hill complex in the town of Aundh, Satara district, Maharashtra. It is said that Goddess Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur and Lord Jyotiba called her as "Ye Mai" which means "Come mother" in English. Hence, She is known as Yamai Devi. There are steps...

 temple. The temple is very old but very attractive, and Devi Yamai

Yamai

Yamai devi or Shree Yamai devi temple is situated in a hill complex in the town of Aundh, Satara district, Maharashtra. It is said that Goddess Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur and Lord Jyotiba called her as "Ye Mai" which means "Come mother" in English. Hence, She is known as Yamai Devi. There are steps...

 is the kuldaiwat of a large number of Marathi families. The top of the temple is very beautiful and has images and idols of various Hindu Gods. The temple complex also contains the pleasant "Shri Bhavani Museum", with paintings drawn by various well-known Indian artists including Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...

 and the famous "Mother and Child" stone structure by Henry Moore

Henry Moore

Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....

. the collection was owned by Shri Bhagwanrao Pantapratinidhi, the last ruler of Aundh.

Another temple of Devi Yamai

Yamai

Yamai devi or Shree Yamai devi temple is situated in a hill complex in the town of Aundh, Satara district, Maharashtra. It is said that Goddess Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur and Lord Jyotiba called her as "Ye Mai" which means "Come mother" in English. Hence, She is known as Yamai Devi. There are steps...

is located in the town; apart from the one on the hill.