Although Tuljabhavani worship is of great antiquity and innumerable royal houses and their nobles have been devotees, little or no evidence in inscription form is extant either in Tuljapur town or the precincts of the temple. The few references one does find are mainly in document form and even those are from the Shivaji or post-Shivaji era.

Dr.Dhere says that nothing is known about the present location or authorship of a copper plate inscription (c. 1234) to which researcher D.N.Peshave refers in his paper published by the Marathwada Sahitya Parishad in February 1957.

Two Vapi Lekh (vapi = well; lekh = inscription), found at the sites of two wells in the town are discussed at some length. Both apparently belong to the same year (1785). Significantly, one of the two wells appears to have been commissioned by Ahalyabai Holkar, renowned for her religious charity.

‘Smaller’ Tuljapur
A settlement predating the main one at Tuljapur, known as Dhakate Tuljapur, lies about half a kilometer from the former. It was here in 1939 that an idol of Mahishasurmardini Bhavani was found by an employee of Rama Vithoba Mali while plowing a field. Dr. Dhere provides a description of the sculpture and feels it must have been one of the innumerable idols that were hidden away during some aggressions by iconoclasts.

Kati Savargaon
Several ancient temples in the Hemadpanti (a distinctive architectural style attributed to Hemadri Pandit) style may be seen in a state of ruins at this place. Some inscriptions, too, have been found. Noteworthy among the latter are those of Trailokyamalla (Tailap II) Chalukya, Ramchandra Yadav, Marud Dev Kadamba and another dating to the reign of Feroze Shah Bahamani that makes mention of Tuljabhavani.

A detailed account of the contents of an inscription (c.1164) tells the reader about the certain existence of Bhavani worship in Savargaon. Also discussed is the inscription (of the Feroze Shah period) found by G.H.Khare that dates to 1398. Due note is taken of the work of Amaladi and Dr.S.G.Tulpule.
Another inscription (c.1765) can be seen at the Tukai Temple in Biloni (Tal: Vaijapur, Dist.: Aurangabad). The author cites Dr.Y.M.Pathan’s work on this particular inscription.

Kali Bhavani – Family Deity of the Pawars of Dhar – Dewas
An invocation in verse can be found inscribed on a silver plate at the Pitali Entrance to the Tuljapur Temple. The text narrates how a certain ancestor of the composer had attempted seven times to offer his head to the Goddess. Researchers N.S.Pohanerkar and K.B.Prayag have taken serious note of the inscription. Dr.Dhere says that although the verse states that the composer belonged to the Pawar royal family of Dewas, previous researchers had not made an attempt to find the identity of this royal composer among the genealogical lists of that family. Through analysis of the text, he concludes that the composer was Narayanrao Pawar (1864-1892) and the ancestor mentioned by him was Jagdeo Paramar (c.1095)

Tuljabhavani, Nath Sampradaya & Kadali Mutt
The monks belonging to the Yogi Mutt on the shores of the Ratnagar Sagar have been accorded traditional rights of performing pooja at the Mahishasurmardini and Bhairavnath Temples in Dhar. These monks believe that the Mutt was founded by Matsyendranath-Gorakshanath who also established the Kadali Mutt in Mangalore. There exists a tradition that Dnyaneshwar accompanied by Namdeo had visited Dhar and is believed to have even saved a child from certain death after a snake bite.

This indicates how Bhavani worship extended to distant places, and how it is closely connected to the southern influence of the Nath Sampradaya.

Bhakti: From Primitive Self-torture to Universal Compassion
Primitive bhakti was characterized by acts of physically tormenting one’s body, which even involved violence. Self-torment, aided by the concept of sacrifice, soon extended to killing other living beings. We find that this primal form of bhakti prevails in society even today. However, through a long process of progress, elevation and refinement, the bhakti concept has evolved to the acceptance of universal compassion as an aim.