The
Ashtavinayaka, or the eight Swayambhu Ganapati temples of
Maharashtra are revered pilgrimage centres and it is believed that a
pilgrimage to these holy places ensures everlasting bliss. Each
venerated idol has a distinctive feature and has an interesting
legend attached to it.
1) Moreshwar of
Morgaon
The
foremost shrine is Moreshwar of Morgaon, about 64 kms from Pune. It
was built in the 14th century by Morya Gosavi who installed it at
Chinchwad.
The
Morgaon village, which is approximately forty miles away from Pune,
was named after peacocks found abundantly in the village. This
avtaar of Vinayaka figures amongst the most important
ones.
The
Legend:
Legend
about this temple has it that a demon called Sindhu was terrorising
people and the Gods appealed to the Vinayaka asking Him to save them
from the monster. Consequently, Ganapati rode on a peacock to kill
the demon and is, hence, called "Mayureshwar" or one who rides the
peacock.
It is also believed that the idol within the temple
is not the original one. It is believed that "Brahma", had installed
an idol of precious metal, jewels and iron. However, the Pandavas
hid it and installed a copper one when they were here for their
pilgrimage. And this is the idol that is seen today.
The
Temple:
On
entering the temple, one can see a large stone mouse facing
Ganapati. It has pillars in all the four corners. The temple, facing
north, is protected by a 50 feet fortress-like stone wall. There is
a garland of lamps on the designed floor in the courtyard. The
Lord's idol faces east and the trunk points towards the left. The
Ganapati here holds an elephant spear in one of its upper hands
while there is a bridle in the other.
His lower hand rest on
His knee while the other one holds a modak. Diamonds are set in the
eyes and navel of the God and a cobra is coiled on His head. Brass
statues of his wives- Riddhi Siddhi and - are placed on either
side.
2) Mahaganapati of
Ranjangaon
At
Ranjangaon, around 50 kms from Pune on the Pune-Aurangabad Highway,
the deity is known as Mahaganapati because of the size of the of the
statue. It has ten trunks and twenty arms. It is believed that
Mahaganpati was hidden to prevent its destruction from
non-believers. Thousands of devotees visit the place during the
Bhadrapad festival.
The
Legend:
It is
believed that a demon called Tripurasur pleased the Lord with years
of penance and in return, the Lord granted him a boon of protection
and amulets of iron, silver and gold. The demon, who could now be
killed only with a single arrow from Lord Shiva's quiver, started
harassing the Gods and the rishis. The Gods, obviously had to turn
to Shiva. A war between Mahadev and the demon ensued on the
mountains of Mandar but Shiva could not vanquish the demon. It was
then that Narad reminded Shiva of several shlokas describing,
"Pranamya Shirasa Devam".
Shiva appealed to Ganesha with
these lines and ensured the Lord's support. Mahadev finally defeated
Tripurasur with a single arrow demolishing his three amulets. The
indebted Lord Shiva built a "Mahaganapati" temple in honour of
Ganesha.
The
Temple:
The
temple's shrine was built by Madhavrao Peshwa while the hall was
built by the General of Indore. The idol is placed in a lotus
position and its trunk is turned towards the left. The images of
Ganapati's wives - Riddhi and Siddhi- rest on his two sides. There
is a smaller idol placed in the basement.
3) Shree Varadavinayak of Mahad
The
Mahadcha Shree Varadavinayak temple is located on the Pune-Bombay
Highway.
The
Legend:
In ancient
times, King Rukmangad reached the ashram of Vachaknavi Rishi and met
Mukunda, wife of an ascetic, Mukunda was attracted to the king but
the King refused and spurned her. A dejected Mukunda cursed the king
that he'd be stricken by leprosy forever. Later, the king's leprosy
was cured by bathing at the Kadamba pond.
Lord Indra too was
attracted by the beauty of Mukunda and he came down to the earth
disguised as Rukmangad. Their union lead to the birth of a child
called Gruthsmadh. When Gruthsmadh came to know about this, he
cursed his mother and went into the Bhadrak forest for meditation.
He asked Lord Vinayaka for purgation of his sin and his wish was
granted. In order to fulfil the desire of his people, Gruthsmadh
adopted the forest of Bhadrak. This forest is today called Mahad.
Since this is the place where Gruthsmadh was granted his wish, the
temple is called Varadavinayak.
The
Temple:
This is a
beautiful temple although it looks drab from outside. All corners of
the temple have elephants in pairs and its sections are scrolled in
gold. The stone statues of Riddhi and Siddhi can be seen after
entering the door. The idol faces east, with the trunk pointing left
while it sits on a throne. The most unique attraction of the temple
is a lamp that is burning constantly since 1892
AD.
4) Girijatmaj Temple on
the Lenyadri mountains
Located on the
Pune-Nashik highway about 150 kms from Pune, the Lekhan Hills is a
beautiful area. It is rightly called as "Lenaya Parvat" or beautiful
hills.
The
Legend:
The wife
of Shiva and mother of Ganesha, Girija (Parvati), wanted to see her
son as a baby. She did austere meditation for 12 years on the
Lenyadri Mountains and pleased Ganesha. Consequently, she was
granted her boon. Parvati prayed to the Ganesha, who appeared before
her as the baby Ganapati. The child had six hands and three eyes.
Ganesha lived here for 12 years as the child of Girija. There are
many legends depicting his victories on several demons while he was
still a child. The place has become sacred due to God's presence as
a child here for 12 years.
The
Temple:
This
temple is located on the Lenyadri hills and one has to climb 283
steps to reach here. The entire temple is built out of stone. There
is a beautiful hall in front of the temple and it is dominated by
stone pillars. There is a carving of the God, which has become
blurred. There are no independent idols of the Lord here. Parvati is
believed to have installed an idol in the cave where she was granted
the boon by Ganesha. This cave is difficult to reach now.
5) Shree Chintamani of
Theur
At
Theur, Morya Gosavi is believed to have attained siddhi (knowledge).
The temple was built by his son Chintamani Dev. Theur is one of the
most ancient areas of Maharashtra and is around 30 kms away from
Pune.
The
Legend:
A king,
called Abhijeet, was asked by Saint Vaishampayan to meditate for a
son. His wife Gunavati soon gave birth to a son and the prince was
named Gunn. Gunn grew up into a hard-working, brave prince and one
day he went to the ashram of sage Kapil. Kapil invoked the
Chintamani jewel and prepared a feast of five delicacies for the
prince. The prince craved for the jewel and when Kapil refused to
part with it, he snatched it from the sage. The sage sought the help
of Ganesha and the Lord defeated the young prince and returned the
Chintamani to the sage. The sage, however, refused to accept it and
Ganesha then took the name Chintamani and made the Kadamba tree in
the ashram his abode.
The
Temple:
Shir
Chinmayananda of Chinchwad built this temple and the hall of the
temple was built by Madhavrao Peshwa. The Peshwa also built a road
stretching from the main door to the river near by. Sections of the
temple are ornamented with gold. The body of the idol has no clear
feature formation. There was a residential palace of Bajirao Peshwa
near the temple. He died here in 1772, following which his wife
Ramabai committed Sati. Ramabai's memorial is at the river
bank.
6) Shree Vighneshwar of
Ozar
This temple is
approximately 70 miles from Pune on the Pune-Nashik
Road.
The
Legend:
In ancient
times, there used to be a demon called Vighnasur who had become a
menace for the sages who pleaded help from Ganesha and the Lord
responded to the call. He had a tremendous duel with the demon after
which Vighnasur surrendered but pleaded Ganapati to attach his name
to his own. Ganesha accepted the demon as one of his own and hence
the Ganapati here is called as Vighneshwar, Vighnaharta and
Vighnahar.
The
Temple:
This
temple is one of the most beautiful temples of the Lord. There are
two guards on two sides of the gate. Beyond a grand entrance lies a
huge courtyard. The temple is covered with delicate paintings and
carvings. The idol faces east while the trunk points towards the
left. The idol's eyes are made of precious gems and its forehead is
decorated with diamonds and other jewels.
7) Shree Ballaleshwar of
Pali
Palicha Shree Ballaleshwar is situated 110 kms from Pune. Named
after a devotee Ballal of Pali, Ganapati is known here as
Ballaleshwar. The wooden temple was so constructed that the rays of
the sun fall directly on the deity from the two equinoxes of the
temple. The temple was constructed in 1770 by Nana
Phadnis.
The
Legend:
The legend
has it that in the reign of Krut, there lived a trader called Kalyan
in the Sindhu land. His son Ballal was a devotee of Ganesha and many
of his friends also became devotees of the Lord Ganesha following
his example. The parents of these boys accused Kalyan's son of
ruining the other children.
Seething with anger, Kalyan
destroyed all the things laid out for a pooja for the worship of
Ganesha. Kalyan tied his son to a tree and beat him up while other
children escaped. Kalyan then threw his son out of his home. When
the son regained consciousness, he invoked Ganapati. The God soothed
the boy's wounds and Ballal asked Ganapati to stay at the place for
ever. Ganesha agreed to take the name Ballal Vinayak, honouring the
devotion of the young boy.
The
Temple:
This
temple faces east and the rays of the sun fall on the idol from the
month of July to December. It looks like a giant fort that has
strong protective walls. The hall and the shrine present a beautiful
picture. The idol faces east and the trunk points to the left. It is
three feet in height. The eyes are diamond studded.
8) Shree Siddhivinayak of
Siddhatek
Shri Siddhi Vinayak in Ahmednagar district is also believed to be a
holy place where Morya Gosavi did penance but the main temple was
constructed by Ahilyabai Holkar. This village is located almost 200
kms from Pune in Nagar district towards east from
Pune.
The
Legend:
Vishnu had
once waged a war with demons Madhu and Kaitabh. The battle went on
for many days, but Vishnu failed to defeat them. Lord Shankar
advised him to appeal to Ganesha. Ganesha provided more strength and
spiritual power to Vishnu and he succeeded in defeating the demons.
Since Vishnu attained strength and spiritual power here, the place
is called Siddhatek, while the Ganesha is called Shri
Siddhivinayak.
The
Temple:
This
temple is located on the top of a hill. A new temple was built
during the reign of Peshwa. Peshwa's Senapati Haripant Phadke built
the road from the temple to the village while the shrine was built
by Ahilyabai. The idol is three feet high and has Riddhi-Siddhi
sitting on its lap.