Pauni: Vidarbha’s Quiet Spiritual Haven

Pauni is a small town in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district that doesn’t make a lot of noise. It’s the kind of place you might stumble across by chance, tucked away in Vidarbha, with a quiet charm that pulls you in if you’re paying attention. Let’s take a closer look at what it’s all about.

A Town Steeped in Faith

Pauni is often called the Kashi of Vidarbha. That’s a bold claim. Kashi, or Varanasi, is one of India’s holiest cities, a magnet for pilgrims and seekers.

So what earns Pauni this title? It’s the sheer number of temples, over 150 of them, scattered across its modest landscape. You can’t walk far without spotting one, each with its own character and pull.

Take the Vaijeshwar Temple, perched on a hill overlooking the town. It’s dedicated to the goddess Vaijeshwari, and the climb to reach it rewards you with a view that stretches out over Pauni’s rooftops.

The temple’s black stone idol, said to have been brought from Kashi itself, draws a steady stream of visitors. The architecture here leans towards the Nagara style, which has curved towers and detailed carvings that catch the eye without shouting for attention.

Then, there’s the Panchmukhi Ganesh Temple, home to a rare five-faced Ganesha idol.

It’s a place where people come seeking wisdom or a nudge of good fortune, and the unusual statue makes it stand out even among Pauni’s crowded temple scene.

Down in an area called Vitthal Gujari, you’ll find temples honouring Lord Dattatraya, a figure who blends the essence of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. These spots are quieter, more personal, with devotees slipping in for a moment of reflection.

The Nilkanth Temple, dedicated to Shiva, and the Chandakai Temple, tied to goddess Chandika, add their own flavours of Shiva’s calm intensity and Chandika’s fierce grace. There’s also the Murlidhar Temple for Krishna fans and a Ram Temple that lights up during Ram Navami.

Each one feels like a piece of a larger puzzle, fitting together to make Pauni a haven for anyone drawn to the divine.

What’s striking is how these places aren’t just relics; they’re alive. People come to pray, to celebrate, to mark life’s big moments. During Dasara, the town transforms. Processions wind through the streets, music fills the air, and the temples become hubs of activity. It’s a tradition that locals hold close, and that authenticity is what stays.

Echoes of the Past

Coins of the Western Satraps found in Pauni

Pauni is a place where history feels tangible. Step back to the Satavahana period, around the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE, and this town was already on the map.

Archaeologists have dug up coins stamped with names like Satakarni, a Satavahana king, and inscriptions in Brahmi script that match finds from famous Buddhist sites like Sanchi.

There’s even a pillar mentioning Mahakshatrapa Kumara Rupiamma, hinting at ties to the Western Satraps or Kushans, empires that stretched their influence far beyond what you’d expect for a small town like this.

Back then, Pauni was likely a stop on Buddhist routes, with stupas dotting the landscape. Over time, Hindu traditions took deeper root, but those early layers are still there if you look closely.

The town’s fort wall tells another story. Built partly in the 17th or 18th century, it wraps around Pauni, with a moat on three sides and the Wainganga River guarding the fourth.

It’s not a grand fortress like you’d see in Rajasthan, but it’s practical, designed to keep trouble out while the town went about its business. You can still spot ring wells, clever little drainage systems made of brick or clay pots, showing how Pauni’s people planned their lives around water and defence.

The Wainganga River itself is a constant presence. Known locally as the South Ganga, it’s sacred in its own right, with ghats like Diwan, Vajreshwar, and Hatti lining its banks.

These steps down to the water are where people bathe, pray, or just sit and watch the day go by.

They’re in decent shape, not crumbling relics but working parts of Pauni’s routine. The river ties the town to its past and keeps it grounded in the present, a thread running through centuries of change.

What’s fascinating is how Pauni wears its history lightly. There’s no museum-like stiffness here, it’s a living place where old stones and new prayers coexist. Wander around, and you might feel like you’ve stepped into a story that’s still being written.

Nature’s Quiet Neighbour

Pauni’s charm doesn’t stop at its temples or its past, it’s got a wild side, too. Just beyond the town lies the Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, a stretch of forest that spills across the Bhandara and Nagpur districts. It’s about 58 kilometres from Nagpur, close enough for a day trip, and it’s a world away from Pauni’s spiritual hum.

Here, the stars are tigers, resident ones that breed and roam, not just passing through.

Leopards prowl alongside them while gaur, wild dogs, and even oddities like flying squirrels and pangolins call this place home.

The sanctuary links up with the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve through forests along the Wainganga, creating a corridor where animals move freely.

You might spot chital or sambar deer grazing or catch a glimpse of birds, some rare, some migrator, flitting through the trees. It’s raw and unpredictable, the kind of place where nature sets the rules.

For Pauni, this proximity adds a layer of appeal. You can spend a morning at a temple, then head out to watch the forest come alive as the sun dips low.

Back in town, the Wainganga plays its part in this natural picture. Its ghats are spots where kids splash around, where fishermen cast their lines, where life unfolds at a gentle pace. The river and the sanctuary together frame Pauni in green and blue, a reminder that faith and wilderness can sit side by side without stepping on each other’s toes.

A Place Worth Finding

Pauni doesn’t shout its name from the rooftops. It’s not on every travel blog or plastered across billboards, and maybe that’s part of its magic.

It’s a town that rewards the curious, those willing to veer off the usual path and see what lies beyond the obvious.

The temples offer a window into a faith that’s steady and unpretentious. The history gives you something to chew on, a chance to picture lives lived long before ours. The natural surroundings are a quiet invitation to slow down and breathe.

Getting here isn’t hard. National Highway NH-247 and state highways link Pauni to bigger hubs like Nagpur and Bhandara. It’s is also a market town serving nearby villages, so there’s a hum of everyday life to ground it.

With a population of about 26,250 (going by the 2001 census) and a literacy rate above the national average, it’s a community that’s small but self-sufficient, connected yet distinct.

So why Pauni? It’s a chance to step into a corner of India where the past feels close, where devotion shapes the days, and where nature keeps things real.

Bring your curiosity, leave your rush behind, and let this little town show you what it’s got. You might find it’s more than you expected.