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Siddhagiri Gramjivan Wax Museum (Kaneri Math) at Kaneri, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, is a sculpture museum. The full name is Siddhagiri Gramjivan (Village life) Museum. It is situated at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, a campus built around the Moola-Kaadsiddheswar Shiva temple.
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Museum description
This museum showcases different aspects of Gramjivan (village life). Gram means village and jivan means life in the Marathi language. This initiative was the dream of Mahatma Gandhi, and was created through the vision and efforts of Siddhagiri Gurukul Foundation. The history of self-sufficient village life in Maharshtra, before the invasion of the Mughals, is depicted in the form of cement sculptures. Each sculpture is lifelike and represents activities performed in daily village life. There were 12 Balutedars (essentially artisan castes), and 18 Alutedars who provided equipment to carry out domestic and professional tasks.
The museum is spread over 7 acres (28,000 m2), and the surrounding countryside is beautiful, with lush greenery. Every aspect of village life has been depicted in in almost 80 scenes that showcase more than 300 statues.
Village scenes
The scenes of village life include:
Shiva temple
The museum has an old Shiva temple on the grounds. It is related to the Inchegiri Sampradaya, to which Nisargadatta Maharaj belongs. It is believed that a Shivling was installed by a Lingayat Priest on a beautiful hill in the 14th century. About 500 years ago, a Lingayat Priest, Shree Kadsiddheshwar Maharaj, developed and renovated it, and hence the place is now known by his name. The temple includes a 125 feet (38 m)-deep well, a 42 feet (13 m) Shiva idol, and a large Nandi bull.