Ashtavinayak Yatra
Grimatsav, a scholar, was deeply saddened to know about his non-Brahmanical and thus entered a strict penance in the forest of Pushpak. Lord Ganesh, upon hearing his prayers granted him two wishes of his choosing. One, to be known as a Brahmin and the second- for the lord to reside in the forest. This spot surrounding the Pushpak forest is believed to be the temple as we see today. The temple has an elegant architectural style too with the four minarets from the Mughal period adding to the overall effect. The four entrances also represent the beloved deity as he was seen every four years.
The temple is located on the northern bank of the river Bhima on a hillock, surrounded by thick foliage of Babul trees. The idol faces north with its trunk to the left, and has to be worshipped from the rear of the temple. This idol seems little different from the rest of the Ashtavinayak idols in a sense that it appears to be poorly designed or carved like the other idols.
It is situated in Mahad village in Raigad, 146 km from Pune. The idol faces east and has his trunk turned to the left. The idol was found in the lake adjoining the temple and hence, displays a weathered look.
In Hindu faith, even if you see the top of the temple called ‘Kalas’ in Marathi or the Steeple of the temple, it is equivalent to visiting and paying respects to God. So, if you see my pictures below, ashtavinayak mandir it is like you have virtually visited all the temples. 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 30 km to the South-West of Karjat Railway Station. Legend has it that a demon by name Tripurasura,caused suffering to all beings in the heaven and on earth. On hearing the pleas of the Gods, Shiva intervened but he realized that he could not defeat the demon.
A caterpillar turning into a butterfly was synonymous with my stage in life at that point in time. If you don’t know about God Ganesha or Ganapati, you can first read the information at the end of this blog post. Even if you know about him, you should still find it interesting to read. I have also mentioned information about the Ganesh festival celebrated in India at the very end. Theur's Chintamani was the family deity of Shrimant Madhavrao I Peshwa.
It also has rubies embedded in its eyes, a diamond on the forehead and some jewel in the navel as well. Riddhi and Siddhi are shown seated on either side of the murti. He is said to have constructed it about a century or so before Senior Shrimant Madhavrao Peshwa built the outer hall.
It has an imposing main gate which is guarded by two statues of Jay and Vijay. The temple is designed in such away that during Dakshinayan, the apparent movement of the sun to the south, the rays of the sun fall directly on the deity. The temple of Maha Ganpati is very close to the centre of the town Ranjangaon. The temple was erected during the rule of the Peshwas. Peshwa Madhavrao had constructed the inner sanctum, to house the swayambhoo idol.