Ashtavinayak Mandir, Maharashtra, IN

Deities: Lord Ganesha
Location: Mumbai-Ashtavinayak with Pune- Mumbai
Best time to visit: all around the year
Information: Everybody should visit the Ashtavinayak in Maharashtra at least once in a life time.

Ashtavinayak means "Eight (8) Ganeshas". The term Ashtavinayak also refers to a pilgrimage to the eight temples in Maharashtra that house eight idols of Lord Ganesh. Ashta Vinayak Temples are within the range of only 20 to 110 km.

These eight temples house the swayambhu or self-formed idols of the Lord Ganesh, hence the importance and high reverence attached to this octet. Each of these temples has its own individual mythology and history, as distinct from each other as the idols in each temple. The position of each idol and its trunk are some of their differentiating aspects.

(1) Shri Mayureshwar::
The temple, built from black-stone during the Bahamani reign. It is built by one of the king named Mr. Gol.The temple is situated in the centre of the village. The temple is covered from all sides. This may have been done to prevent attacks on the temple during mughal periods. The temple has 50feet tall wall around it.

The idol of Lord Ganesha, riding a peacock, in the form of Mayureshwara is believed to have slain the demon Sindhu at this spot. The idol, with its trunk turned to the left. The idol also has two other idols of Siddhi (Capability) and Buddhi (Intelligence).

However, this is not the original idol -which is said to have been consecrated twice by Brahma, once before & once after being destroyed by the demon Sindhurasur. The original idol, smaller in size and made of atoms of sand, iron & diamonds was supposedly enclosed in Copper sheet.

Location:
The temple is situated at a distance of 56 km from Pune, next to the river Karha in the village of Moregaon. The village derives its name from the Marathi name of the bird peacock - also the national bird of India; there used to be a lot of peacocks in this village in the ancient time, and the village is also set out in the shape of a peacock.

(2) Shri Siddhivinayak::
This is the only idol with the trunk pointing to the right. The temple is North-facing.

The main road towards the temple was believed to build by Peshwa's general Haripant Phadake. The inner sanctum, 15feet high and 10feet wide is built by Punyashloka Ahilyabai Holkar. The idol is 3feet tall and 2.5feet wide. The idol faces North-direction. The stomach of the idol is not wide, but Riddhi and Siddhi idols are sitting on one thigh. This idol's trunk is turning to the right. The right-sided-trunk Ganesha is supposed to be very strict for the devotees.

Location:
This temple is situated off the Pune-Solapur highway about 48 km from the town of Srigonda in Ahmadnagar district. The temple is situated next to Bhima river. On Pune-Solapur railway, Daund Railway station is 18Km from here.

(3) Shri Ballaleshwar::
Ganesha is believed to have saved his boy-devotee, Ballala, who was beaten by local villagers and his father (Kalyani-seth) for his single-minded devotion to him.

The original wooden temple was reconstructed in to a stone temple by Nana Phadanavis in 1760AD. There are two small lakes constructed on two sides of the temple. One of them is reserved for the puja (worship) of the deity.

This Temple faces the east and has two sanctums. The inner one houses the idol and has a Mushak (rat idol) with Modak in his forepaws in front of it. The hall, supported by eight exquisitely carved pillars demands as much attention as the idol, sitting on throne carved like a Cyprus tree. The eight pillars depict the eight directions. The temple is constructed in such a way that after the winter (dakshinayan: southward movement of the sun) solstice, the sun rays fall on the Ganesha idol at sunrise.

Like a few other idols, this one too has diamonds embedded in the eyes and navel, and with his trunk pointing to the left.

Location:
The temple is located in the town of Pali, off the Mumbai-Pune highway, about 11 km before Nagothane on the Mumbai-Goa highway. This is located 30Km to the South-West of Karjat Railway Station. Mumbai-Panvel-Khopoli-Pali is 124Km. Pune-Lonavla-Khopoli-Pali is 111Km.

(4) Shri Varadavinayak::
The handsome Prince Rukmangad refused sage Vachaknavi's wife Mukunda's illicit call, and was cursed to suffer from leprosy. Mukunda was satisfied by Indra who deceived her as Rukmangad and she bore a child by name Grutsamad. When Grutsamad came to know about the real story he cursed his mother Mukunda to become the tree of Bori and she in turn cursed him to bore a demon son named Tripurasur, the one who was defeated by Shiva after praying the Ranjangaon Ganesha. Grutsamad after getting cursed went to the forest of Pushpak and worshipped Ganesha. Sage Grutsamad is famous for the Ganesha: Varadavinayak.

Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar built the Varadavinayak temple and the village of Mahad.

The idol faces the east, has its trunk to the left and has been in the constant company of an oil lamp - said to be burning continuously since 1892. There are 4 elephant idols on 4 sides of the temple. The hall is 8feet by 8feet. The dome is 25feet high and is golden at the top. The dome has designs of cobra.

This is the only temple where devotees are allowed to personally pay their homage and respects to the idol. They are allowed in the immediate vicinity of this idol to perform their prayers.

Location:
The temple is located three kilometers off the Pune-Mumbai highway near Khopoli (80 km from Pune), and is thus closest to Mumbai city. Karjat Railway Station, Karjat on Mumbai-Pune railway is 24Km from this place and 6Km from Khopoli.

(5) Shri Chintamani::
Ganesha is believed to have got back the precious Chinatamani jewel from the greedy Guna for sage Kapila at this spot. However, after bringing back the jewel, sage Kapila put it in Vinayaka's neck. Thus the name Chintamani Vinayak. This happened under the Kadamb tree, therefore that known as Kadambanagar in old times.

The lake behind the temple is called Kadambteertha. The temple entrance is north facing. The outer wooden hall is built by Peshwas. The main temple is supposed to have been built by Dharanidhar Maharaj Dev from the family-lineage of Shri Moraya Gosavi. He must have built this around 100 years before Senior Shrimant Madhavrao Peshwa built the outer wooden hall.
This idol also has a left trunk, with carbuncle and diamonds as its eyes. The idol faces the East side.

Location:
The temple is located 22 km from Pune, off the Pune-Solapur highway, and is hence the nearest from Pune.

(6) Shri Girijatmaj::
This temple stands amidst a cave complex of 18 caves of Buddhist origin. This temple is the 8th cave. These are called Ganesh-leni as well. The temple is carved out of a single stone hill, which has 307 steps. The temple features a wide hall with no supporting pillars. The temple hall is 53feet long, 51feet wide and 7feet in height.

The idol faces north with its trunk to the left, and has to be worshipped from the rear of the temple. The temple faces south. This idol seems to be little different from the rest of the Ashtavinayak idols in a sense that it appears to be not very well designed or carved like the other idols.

The temple is constructed such that during the day it is always lighted up by the sun-rays!

Location:
The temple is situated 12 km from Narayangaon, which is about 94 km from Pune on the Pune-Nashik highway. Nearest railway station is Talegaon. From Junnar, Lenyadri is about 5Km.

(7) Shri Vighnahar::
The history encompassing this idol states that Vighnasur, a demon was created by the King of Gods, Indra to destroy the prayer organized by King Abhinandan. However, the demon went a step further and destroyed all vedic, religious acts and to answer the people's prayers for protection, Ganesh defeated him. The story goes on to say that on being conquered, the demon begged and pleaded with Ganesha to show a mercy. Ganesha then granted in his plea, but on the condition that demon should not go to the place where Ganesha worshipping is going on. In return the demon asked a favour that his name should be taken before Ganesha's name, thus the name of Ganesha became Vighnahar or Vighneshwar.

The temple faces east and is surrounded by a thick stone wall. One can walk on the wall. The main hall of the temple is 20feet long and the inner hall is 10feet long. This idol, facing the east, has its trunk towards the left and rubies in its eyes. There is a diamond on the forehead and some jewel in the navel. Idols of Riddhi and Siddhi are placed on the two sides of the Ganesha idol.

Location:
This temple is located just off the Pune-Nashik Highway, in the town of Ozhar. It is enclosed on all sides by high stone walls, and its pinnacle is made of gold. The temple is situated on the banks of river Kukadi. Via Mumbai-Thane-Kalyan-Bapsai-Saralgaon-Otur, Ozhar is 182Km.

(8) Shri Mahaganapati::
Shiva is believed to have worshipped Ganesha before fighting the demon Tripurasura here. The temple was built by Shiva where he worshipped Ganesha, and the town he set up was called Manipur which is now known as Ranjangaon.

The idol faces the east, is seated in a cross-legged position with a broad forehead, with its trunk pointing to the left. It is said that the original idol is hidden in the basement, having 10 trunks and 20 hands and is called Mahotkat; however, the temple authorities deny existence of any such idol.

Constructed so that the rays of the sun fall directly on the idol (during the Southward movement of the sun), the temple bears a distinct resemblance to the architecture reminiscent of the 9th and 10th Centuries and faces the east. Shrimant Madhavrao Peshwa used to visit this temple very often and built the stone sanctum around the idol and in 1790.

Location:
The temple is situated 50 km from Pune on the Pune-Ahmednagar highway in the village of Ranjangaon.

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