O great mother, who is situated on Shri Peeth and is worshiped by the gods, salutations are offered to you. O life-giver, who is held with the conch, disc, and trident in her hand, salutations are offered to you.
To the east of Virar railway station, atop a hill, stands the temple of Jivdani Mata. This temple is considered to be ancient from a historical perspective. It is said that the temple was established by the Pandavas during their time in exile. In a cave here, the five Pandavas consecrated the goddess. This place, known as "Pandav Dongri," became a sanctuary for yogis, saints, and sages. Even today, many yogis and sages come to visit the goddess and reside in the temple’s vicinity for a period of time during their pilgrimage.
The legendary story of Jivdani Devi is as follows: During their forest journey, Pandavas came to Shurparaka. They visited the holy temple of Vimaleshwar consecrated by Lord Parashuram and on their journey to Prabhas halted on the banks of Vaitarni river. There they worshipped the Bhagavati Ekaveera on the banks of Viraar Tirtha and seeing the serenity and lofty nature decided to carve caves in the nearby mountains. They did so on the hills nearby and installed and worshipped the Yoga Linga of Ekaveera devi in one of the caves. They called her Bhagavati Jeevadhani (That is Goddess, who is the real wealth of life). Doing so Pandavas also made a set of small caves now known as "Pandav Dongri" about a mile from Shirgaon for the hermits. Many yogis used to stay in Pandav Dongri and have darshan of Jeevdhani Devi.
Around the 17th century, there was a fort named "Jivdhan" on the hill, which is now known as Jivdani Hill. This fort was one of the many hill forts in Maharashtra, similar to the Janjira, hill forts, and ground forts in the region. Today, some of the carved stones from the forts walls are found in a dilapidated state. On March 27, 1731, a foreign invader attacked the fort, which was then held by Maratha soldiers. Only 100 Marathas were present on the fort, and knowing they would not be able to withstand the enemys army, they left through a difficult route. During the invaders rule, there was a significant effort to convert Hindus to Christianity. To prevent this, Hindus sought help from the Peshwas for the protection of their religion. Chimaji Appa sent the commander Baravaji Takpe with 300 soldiers, and on March 31, 1739, they captured the fort. The fort held historical significance as a strategic location for monitoring. After that, the fort remained neglected for many years, and eventually, it faded into oblivion.
On February 23, 1956, under registration number A/397 Thane, the Shri Jivdani Devi Trust was established, with Barkibai as the sole trustee. In the next 15-20 years, a few more trustees joined. In 1981, with the efforts of then-Minister of State Tarabai Vartak, the board of trustees was expanded. Since then, the trusts work has gained momentum and widespread impact.
