॥ श्री काळनाग देवताय नमः ॥
Shri Dev Kalnaag Devasthan Aravali, Vengurla
Some places we only visit. Aravali is a place we return to. For the Somji, Arolkar and Malaji families, this quiet corner of the Konkan coast is the home of our Kuldevta—the place where our grandparents bowed, where our parents brought us as children, and where, one day, we will bring our own.
The serene temple courtyard amidst the coastal foliage of Aravali.
🪷The Kuldevta of Our Families
Bhandari Samaj · Migrated from Goa to Aravali
SomjiArolkarMalaji
॥ कुलदेव ॥What is a Kuldevta?
A Kuldevta is the family deity—the God our family has worshipped for generations, long before any of us were born. Think of him as the oldest and most trusted elder of the household, the one who has watched over every generation and never left.
In our tradition, the Kuldevta is remembered first. Before a wedding is fixed, before a new baby is welcomed, before a new home is entered or a new journey begins, we fold our hands and ask for his blessing. When life is joyful, we thank him. When life is difficult, we run to him.
॥ गोवा ते आरवली ॥Our Families, Our Journey
Shri Dev Kalnaag is the Kuldevta of the Somji, Arolkar and Malaji families of the Bhandari Samaj. Our forefathers came from Goa and made Aravali their home. Along that journey they carried the most precious thing a family can own—their faith, and their Kuldevta in their hearts.
Here, in the green and peaceful land near the sea, they built their homes, and they built their devotion. Today the families have spread to many towns and cities, but the heart still knows the way back to Aravali.
॥ अक्षय तृतीया ॥Akshaya Tritiya—The Day We All Come Home
Every year on Akshaya Tritiya, the families gather at the Devasthan to celebrate this auspicious day together. Elders, young couples, children, and cousins who meet only once a year—everyone comes home to the same courtyard, to the same Kuldevta.
Akshaya means “that which never decreases.” It is believed that whatever is done with a pure heart on this day—a prayer, a good deed, an offering—grows and never fades.
This gathering is not new. It has been followed faithfully from our ancestors, and we continue it for the same reason they did—gratitude. We come to say thank you, and to keep our children connected to where they come from.
॥ होम आणि महाप्रसाद ॥The Homa and the Mahaprasad
The celebration is centred on the sacred Homa—a prayer performed around a holy fire, with mantras and offerings, asking for the well-being of every family present and every family far away.
After the Homa comes the Mahaprasad, the blessed meal that is first offered to the deity and then shared by all. Sitting side by side and eating the same food, we are reminded of something simple and beautiful: we are one family, under one Kuldevta.
“May the blessings of Shri Dev Kalnaag remain upon every family and every generation, today and always.”
