West IndiaTemple FestivalShivaMarathi · Maharashtra
Champa Shashthi, on the sixth day of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha (November–December), closes the six-day Khandoba Navratra and is the greatest day of the year at Jejuri, the hill temple of Khandoba near Pune. Devotees shower so much bhandara — turmeric powder — that the hill turns gold, giving Jejuri its name 'Sonyachi Jejuri', the golden Jejuri.
When: Margashirsha Shukla Shashthi (November–December), closing the six-day Khandoba Navratra that begins on the first of the month
Where: Jejuri, Pune district — Khandoba's principal seat — with parallel observance at Pali (Pember), Naldurg and other Khandoba temples of the Deccan
Deity: Khandoba — Martanda Bhairava, a warrior form of Shiva — with his consort Mhalsa; also called Malhari Martand and Mhalsakant
Observance: Six days of Navratra vigil ending in the great jatra: abhisheka, palkhi processions, and clouds of bhandara (turmeric) thrown with the cry 'Yelkot Yelkot Jai Malhar'
Regional name: Champa Shashthi / Champasashti (Marathi); the same Shashthi is kept as Skanda Shashti for Kartikeya in the Tamil south and as Subrahmanya Shashthi in Karnataka
Martanda Bhairava and the demons of the Deccan
Khandoba is the Deccan's own warrior god — Shiva in the fierce and splendid form of Martanda Bhairava, mounted on a white horse with sword aloft, his consort Mhalsa riding behind. The Malhari Mahatmya tells why: the demon brothers Mani and Malla, swollen with boons, tormented the sages of the region until Shiva took this blazing form and, after a battle tradition places over six days, struck them down on the hill of Jejuri — the killing of Malla giving the god his name Malhari, and the sixth day, Champa Shashthi, marking the victory. Defeated, the demons were transformed: Mani offered his white horse and stands honoured before the deity, and the shrine's threshold remembers the vanquished. Khandoba became the kuladaivat, the family deity, of an extraordinary sweep of Maharashtrian society — farmers, shepherd Dhangars, Marathas, artisans and many others — the folk-god of the Deccan who is at the same time fully Shiva.
Six days of Navratra and the golden jatra
Khandoba's Navratra runs from the first to the sixth of bright Margashirsha — a six-day observance, matching the six-day battle. Devotee families keep the ghatasthapana at home, maintain a lamp, and many fast until Shashthi. At Jejuri the hill fills through the week and overflows on Champa Shashthi: the deity receives abhisheka and shej-aarti, palkhis climb the great stepped way, and above everything hangs the festival's unforgettable signature — bhandara, pure turmeric powder, hurled skyward by the fistful with the cry 'Yelkot Yelkot Jai Malhar' until steps, shrines, devotees and the very air are one shade of gold. The sight gives Jejuri its beloved name, Sonyachi Jejuri — golden Jejuri. Offerings of the day include puran poli and thombra (a bajra preparation), and vaghya and murali, the traditional servants of the god, sing his jagran songs. The same Shashthi is honoured southward as Skanda Shashti of Kartikeya — two traditions sharing one victorious sixth day.
Honouring Khandoba from Ottawa & Canada
The golden jatra happens at Jejuri, and families whose kuladaivat is Khandoba know the pull of that hill; many plan India visits around a Jejuri darshan, and video of the Champa Shashthi bhandara is widely shared and streamed each year. At home in Ottawa, the observance travels as a household Navratra: establish the ghat or an image of Khandoba on Margashirsha Shukla Pratipada, keep a lamp and a simple fast through the six days, and complete the vrata on Champa Shashthi with abhisheka of the image, an offering of puran poli, and a pinch of haldi applied — turmeric is, after all, the one element of Jejuri every Canadian kitchen already holds. Families can sing or play recordings of 'Jai Malhar' aarti and jagran songs, and tell children the story of Mani and Malla; the cry 'Yelkot Yelkot Jai Malhar' needs no passport.
Each link opens our computed festival calendar with exact dates and timings for your city.
Questions
Who is Khandoba?
Khandoba — also called Malhari Martand, Martanda Bhairava and Mhalsakant — is a warrior manifestation of Shiva worshipped across the Deccan, shown on horseback with sword drawn, accompanied by his consort Mhalsa. He is the kuladaivat (family deity) of a very wide range of Maharashtrian communities, and his principal seat is the hill temple of Jejuri near Pune.
What is Champa Shashthi?
Champa Shashthi is the sixth day of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha (November–December), commemorating Khandoba's victory over the demons Mani and Malla after a six-day battle. It closes the six-day Khandoba Navratra kept by devotee households and is the peak day of the Jejuri jatra, when bhandara (turmeric) is showered until the hill turns gold.
Why is turmeric thrown at Jejuri?
Bhandara — pure turmeric powder — is Khandoba's characteristic offering, its gold associated with the sun-like brilliance of Martanda Bhairava and with auspicious blessing. Devotees hurl it into the air with the cry 'Yelkot Yelkot Jai Malhar', coating the entire temple hill; the spectacle is why Jejuri is called 'Sonyachi Jejuri', the golden Jejuri.
Is Champa Shashthi related to Skanda Shashti?
They fall on the same tithi and share the theme of a divine victory on the sixth day, but the deities differ: in Maharashtra the day belongs to Khandoba, a form of Shiva, while in the Tamil and Kannada south the Shashthi honours Kartikeya's victory over Surapadman. Some families honour both traditions; each region keeps its own katha.
Source: Living temple tradition of Jejuri, Pune district, Maharashtra. Regional versions may vary — this text follows the version most widely used in community worship.