Do you believe in miracles? There are many phenomenon stories associated with our deities; one such miraculous tale which we will discuss is about our much-loved elephant-faced god, Ganesh. Ashtavinayak, dedicated eight temples of Lord Ganesha is said to be self-originated (‘swayambhu’ in Sanskrit and Marathi). The eight distinct idols of Ganpati are located in different locations of Maharashtra. Each of the eight idols have distinct trunk and has a legendary story behind it. The temples of this divine god are a great pilgrimage place to visit. It is believed that Ashtavinayak Yatra (tour) gets fruitfully completed when you visit the first Ganpati again after visiting all the eight temples.Below are short stories about the beauty and existence of each temple and information about how to reach there:
Shri Moreshwar or Mayureshwar temple, Moregaon:Story: The temple was built by prominent Hindu Saint Morya Gosavi in 14th century. According to the legend story, Ganpati killed Asura Sindhurasur in this spot. Ganesh was riding a peacock (‘mor’in Marathi) hence this place is known as Moregaon and the temple is named Moreshwar. The Ganesh idol has its trunk turned to left side and has a cobra over the head, protecting it.Location: The temple is 55 kms away from Pune. The temple is situated near Kara River in Moregaon village. The best way to reach this temple is by road. There are frequent ST buses or local buses that tours to this location.
Shree Chintamani, Theur:Story: According to history, Ganesh got back his precious jewel from the covetous Guna for the wise Kapila in this location. After returning the jewel to Kapila, he returned it back to Ganesh by putting it around his neck. Since then the Ganesh here is named as Chintamani. The temple was built by Dharanidhar Maharaj Dev who belonged to Morya Gosavi’s family. Even after over 400 years of its construction, the temple stands strong.Location: It is about 25 kms away from Pune off Pune-Solapur highway and is the nearest Ashtavinayak temple.
Shree Mahaganpati, Ranjangaon:Story: Before fighting with the demon Tripuraasura, Lord Shiva worshipped Ganpati here in this spot. Narad had told Shiva that he could kill the demon only by praying to Ganesh. After worshipping Lord Ganesh, Shiva victoriously defeated Tripuraasura. The temple is known as Mahaganpati which means great Ganpati. It is said that the original idol is buried under the idol which is present now. The unseen idol had 10 trunks and 20 hands.Location: It is located about 50 kms from Pune on the Pune- Ahmednagar road and Urli is the nearest railway station.
Shree Siddhivinayak, Siddhatek:Story: It is said Lord Vishnu had destroyed asuras Madhu and Kaitabh after worshipping Ganpati. Vishnu prayed to Ganpati on the Siddhatek hill and destroyed the demons on this spot. The idol of Siddhivinayak is placed in the brass frame and it is the only one which has the trunk positioned towards right out of the eight idols. Riddhi and Siddhi, wives of Ganesh can be seen sitting on one of the thighs of the idol. The deity is 3 feet in height and 2.5 feet wide.Location: The temple lies in Karjat Taluka of Ahmednagar district and is built on the banks of river Bhima. It is situated off Pune-Solapur highway.
Shree Vighneshwar, Ozar:Story: As per the mythology, King Abhinandana wished to become the King of Gods and take the place of Indra. On hearing this, Indra sent a demon called Kaal( time) in form of Vighnasur to destroy the King. This stopped the time, the whole world, all the vedic and prayers stopped. All the gods pleaded Ganpati for protection hence Ganesh granted the request and defeated him. The demon requested Ganpati to show mercy on him. Ganesh asked the demon to not to enter any place where Ganpati pooja is going on, in turn the demon requested Ganpati to use his name before Ganesha’s name since then Ganpati is also known as Vighnaharta ( destroyer of sudden problems). The eyes of Lord Ganesh in this temple are made of diamond.Location: The temple is situated in Junnar district which is at a distance of 85 kms from Pune. It is located on Pune- Nashik highway, on the banks of river Kukadi.
Shree Girijatmaka, LenyadriStory: The beautiful temple on the hilltop has a beautiful history. Parvati always wanted to have a son like Ganesh, so she performed penance for 12 years at this spot and later Ganesh was born. The temple and the idol are quite different from other 7 temples. The idol is not well designed or carved as others and it can be worshipped by anyone. The temple is designed in such a way that it gets ample natural light hence there are no light bulbs in the temple.Location: It is the only temple, out of the eight temples which is located at hilltop. It is very convenient to reach Lenyadri as continuous ST buses are available. It is at a distance of 92 kms from Pune and is located on Pune-Nashik highway.
Shree Ballaleshwar, Pali:Story: Once there was a boy named Ballal who was a big devotee of Ganpati. The boy was then beaten by the villagers and his father for his immense devotion towards Ganesh. The boy was worshipping Lord Ganesh in a forest, his father came and destroyed everything and tied him to a tree. It is said that Ganpati saved the child. The boy later requested Ganpati to stay there forever, the deity agreed and disappeared in a large stone. The shape of the idol in this temple is of a hill and his eyes and navel is embedded with diamonds. Though Modak is Ganpati’s favorite sweet, the temple offers besan ladu as prasad for the devotees.Location: The temple is located in Pali town, off Mumbai-Pune highway. It is present in Raigad district which is about 111 kms away from Pune.
Shree Varad Vinayak, Mahad:Story: Grutsamad after getting cursed to bore a demon went to forest and worshipped Ganesh. It is said that Ganpati resided in this forest in the form of Varad Vinayak, the god of success and gain. According to the history, the temple is said to have an oil-lamp which is continuously burning since 1892. The idol has the trunk to left and the temple has a dome with cobra designs. The 25 feet dome is golden at top. The temple is said to be build during Peshwa rule in 1725. The main attraction of the temple is that the mysterious idol of Ganpati was found under the wall behind the temple.Location: Mahad is at a distance of 84 kms from Pune. The temple is surrounded with picturesque sites in Raigad district. The temple is just 3 kms away from Mumbai-Pune highway near Khopoli.Travel guide:Many tourist agencies organize Ashtavinayak Yatra with complete stay and food facilities. If you are travelling from Pune, the whole tour can be completed within two days. Normally the tours are arranged on Saturdays. The 1st day tour starts from Morgaon- Siddhatek – Theur – Ranjangaon and night halt in Lenyadri. 2nd day it covers Siddhatek – Theur – Ranjangaon – Back to Pune.So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and enjoy the divine trip to Ashtavinayak temple.займ на карту без отказов круглосуточновзять кредит онлайн