Purushwadi
Village overview
This is one of the first villages adopted by Grassroutes, where the local self-development initiative was encouraged. Like most villages across India, this one too has its legends, its very own people and several unique offerings for those who come from the other urban world.
At 1000 m above sea level in the western ghats, between river Kurkundi and river Mula, the local folklore connects the village to the legend of goddess zakobhai, to whom one of Purushwadi’s temples is dedicated. It is believed that the goddess lifted up five Hanuman statues from different villages in the region and threw them in the nearby Mula river, a feat she repeats every year when the statues are put upright.
The local communities are predominantly tribal and concentrate on cultivation and animal husbandry for their livelihoods. Among the different tribes of the region are bails, kolis mahadeos, thakars, koli dhors, takare kolis, paradhis, kokanas, warlis, kathodis and katkaris.
