Ashtavinayak Darshan: 8 Temples Brimming With Spirituality And Mystical Existence
Lord Ganesha holds a prime position among all gods in Hindu mythology. As his devotees, it is the greatest pleasure to pay a visit to his most important shrines situated across India and Maharashtra. Most of the Hindus give great importance to Ashtavinayak darshan. These eight shrines of the elephant-headed god are situated across Maharashtra. If you are planning to get enlightened by Ganesha’s glory this year, we have everything that you probably need to know about the Ashtavinayak Ganpati and visiting these temples.
Planning such long trips is quite difficult. Additionally, if you are visiting where for the first time, we understand that it’s absolutely important to know about these temples, their history, and how to reach here. Therefore, we decided to let you know about the eight shrines of Lord Ganesha that are collectively known as the Ashtavinayakas.
The Eight Temples Of Ashtavinayak
According to beliefs, the Ashtavinayak yatra should always begin at the Moreshwar temple in Moregaon and end there only. Listed below are the eight Ganpati temples and some popular beliefs about them.
1. Moreshwar Temple, Moregaon
Moreshwar, also known as the Mayureshwar temple in Maharashtra is situated 65 kilometers away from Pune. It is one of the most prominent attractions housed in the village Moregaon established on the banks of the Karha River. The shrine here resembles a three-eyed deity with his trunk facing towards the left. Left in this case is considered to be the direction of success.
In this form, Lord Ganesha is known to be seated on a peacock as his carrier. That is where the name Moreshwar/Mayureshwar comes from. There is a Nandi idol seated at the entrance of this temple which makes it quite different from the other Ashtavinayak temples.
2. Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek
This is the only idol among the Ashtavinayakas that has its trunk pointed towards the right. The original temple was believed to be created by Lord Vishnu which fell away. Later on, a shepherd boy saw this form of Lord Ganesha here and started worshipping him at this spot along with other people. During the rule of Peshwas, a temple was built here.
According to the legend, this is where Lord Vishnu worshiped Lord Ganesha to support him in his battle against the demons- Madhu and Kaitabh which lasted for 1000 years. When he prayed to Lord Ganesha, he received the Siddhis which were necessary to win the battle. Since then this form of Ganesha is called Siddhivinayak and this place was named Siddhatek or Siddha Kshetra.
3. Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali
Ballaleshwar temple in Pali is the third inclusion in the Ashtavinayakas. It is situated 120 kilometers away from Pune in the Raigad district. It is also known as the Balal temple. Ganesha is believed to have appeared here in the form of a Brahmin for his devotee Ballal. This is the only incarnation of Ganesha where he is named after his devotee. The temple houses a three-foot-high idol wearing brahmin clothes.
Along with the rare appearance, another interesting fact about the temple is that it is built in the shape of the letter Shree when written in Devnagri. The legend here is about a devotee, a boy named Ballal. It is believed to come to his rescue after his father chastised him for his incessant worship of the elephant-headed god. Ballal requested the lord to stay in the region as a result of which the Ganesha idol occurred in the place.
4. Varadvinayak Temple, Mahad
Standing fourth on your Ashtavinayak darshan list is the Varad Vinayak temple in the Mahad village of Raigad district. This temple is situated 146 kilometers away from Pune. The Ganesha idol here faces towards the east and its trunk faces towards the left.
The original Ganesha idol here was found in the 1600s, submerged in the nearby lake and the temple was built by the subedar of Kalyan in the year 1725. This temple is known to have a lamp, called Nandadeep burning constantly since the year 1892. Varadvinayak in Mahad is well known to fulfill all the wishes of his devotees.
5. Chintamani Temple, Theur
Chintamani temple in Theur is one of the largest and most popular of all Ashtavinayak temples situated at a distance of 25 kilometers from Pune. The hall in this magnificent temple has a black stone fountain. Apart from the main Ganesha shrine, there are idols of other gods and goddesses too in the temple area which include Lord Shiva, Vishnu-Lakshmi, Hanuman, etc.
Ganesha here is named Chintamani and is believed to take away all your worries. Ganesha once appeared to retrieve Sage Kapila’s precious gem called the Chintamani from Guna. That’s how the lord got the name Chintamani.
6. Girijatmaj Temple, Lenyadandri
The Girijatmaj Ganesh temple is situated amidst the Buddhist caves on a mountain, situated 97 kilometers away from Pune. The devotees visiting here have to ascend up to 307 stairs in order to reach the temple.
This temple faces towards the South and is carved from a single stone. In fact, the idol in this temple is also carved on the stone wall therefore, only one eye of the idol can be seen. The form of Ganesha here is known as Girijatmaj which means son of goddess Parvati.
7. Vighneshwar Temple, Ozhar
The Vighneshwar temple in Ozhar is situated on the banks of the river, off the Pune-Nashik Highway. The temple is enclosed from all sides using stone walls. It also has a pinnacle made of gold. The idol’s trunk faces towards the left and the idol is east-facing. Ganesha’s two wives, Riddhi and Siddhi, sit on his lap.
8. Mahaganpati Temple, Ranjangaon
The eighth and most powerful, Mahaganpati temple is situated at a short distance from Pune in Ranjangaon. This is known to be one of the most powerful forms of Lord Ganesha. It is believed that this form of Ganesha was invoked by Lord Shiva for defeating the demon Tripurasur. The actual idol is known to have ten trunks and twenty hands.
This information will surely help you plan a perfect Ashtavinayak Yatra from Mumbai. Make sure you fetch all the necessary details before setting off.
