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Article - Ashtavinayak & Narayanpur Balaji

Author: - Lalitha Balasubramanian

A pilgrimage synonymous with Maharashtra is the one that takes us into the green rural interiors of the State, with eight temples dedicated to the beloved son of Shiva and Parvati, Lord Ganesh. Known as the Ashtavinayak yatra, the journey meanders through the temple towns of Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Madh, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.   

The Mayureshwara temple at Morgaon (also called Bhuswananda Bhuvan, meaning Land of happiness) is located on the banks of the river Karha. The self manifested, sindoor covered idol of Lord Ganesh is small in size and flanked on both sides by his consorts Riddi and Siddhi and the Nagaraja poised over the head and is worshipped as Mayureshwara (Lord riding the peacock), who is believed to have slain the mighty demon Sindurasur. The temple, built of black stone, is fortified by a 50 ft. wall and has four gates.

The Siddhi Vinayak temple is located on a hillock on the banks of the River Bhima at Siddhatek. The swayambu deity of Shri Siddhivinayak (the only one among the Ashta Vinayak idols to have the trunk turning to the right) is seated cross legged and has his consorts Siddhi and Riddhi seated close by. The deity is always covered with sindoor (vermilion). The pedestal on which the gajamukh (elephant faced) deity is seated is made of stone but the framework is of pure brass. Significantly, there is a Shivapanchayatan (Shiva with Ganesh, Vishnu, Goddess and Surya) and a small temple to Goddess Shivai, inside the sanctum itself. The pradakshina or circumambulation of the temple has to be the pradakshina of the hillock itself and is considered most important as devotees believe that their prayers will be answered by the Lord and success will be bestowed upon them.

The ancient temple of Ballaleshwar is located in the picturesque town of Pali in Raigad district between the Amba River and the Sarasgad fort. The deity, Ballaleshwara, has been named after a young Brahmin lad, Ballal, who was a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesh. This beautiful, east facing temple has a decorative sanctum, and a hall with eight intricately carved pillars representing the eight directions. This temple is unique in two ways. On equinoxes (June 22nd and September 21st) the rays of the rising sun fall directly on the idol and besan laddoo is offered as neivedya instead of the usual modak at Ganpati temples.

Shree Varada Vinayak temple, located at Mahad just 3 kms from Khopoli, is the only temple among the Ashta Vinayak temples to allow the devotees to personally perform pooja to the deity. It sees heavy crowds during the Magh Chaturthi festival, when couples desirous of progeny are handed a coconut from the cradle of the deity.

The delightful sangam of three rivers, Mula, Mutha and Bhima, forms the backdrop for the next destination in the Ashta Vinayak yatra, the famous Chintamani temple at Theur. Said to have relieved Lord Brahma from his chinta (worries), Lord Ganesh is also believed to have retrieved the Chintamani gem for Sage Kapila when it was forcibly taken away by evil Gana. Theur is also said to be the place where Lord Indra was relieved of Sage Gautama’s curse.

The beautiful Girijatmaj Vinayaka temple, set inside one of the many caves in the Lekhan Hills on the banks of the River Kukhdi near Junnar in Pune district. Lenyadri itself means mountain cave, as Lena in Marathi is cave and Adri in Sanskrit means mountain. A flight of approximately 300 odd steps leads us to the Ganesha Leni, (the 7th cave among the 28 caves) that houses the birthplace of Girijatmaj Vinayak, son of Girija, another name for Goddess Parvati. A point to be noted is that there is no electricity in the cave and it is advisable to climb down before sunset. The mesmerising view of the River Kukhri flowing by and the Shivneri Fort is an added attraction.

Picturesquely located on the banks of the River Kukadi at Ozar, the seventh of the Ashta Vinayak temples is to Vigneshwara also called Vignahara. Legend goes that Lord Ganesh fought a mighty battle with Vignasura, who was harassing the world. On being defeated, Vignasura realised his mistake and fell at the Lord’s feet requesting mercy and pardon. The benevolent Lord agreed to pardon him but on condition that he would not attack any devotee of Lord Ganesh. Vignasur in turn prayed to the Lord to take his name while blessing his devotees. Thus Lord Ganesh is called Vigneshwara or Vignahara meaning the remover of obstacles.

The Mahaganapati Temple at Ranjangaon is the last of the eight Ganapati temples in the Ashta Vinayak Yatra. Located near Shirur on the Pune-Ahmednagar Highway route, the deity at Ranjangaon is also said to be the most powerful one, as the idol of Mahaganapati is believed to have been consecrated by Lord Shiva himself before killing Tripurasur. It is believed that having a darshan of Mahaganapati fulfils all one’s life’s goals.

The Ashta Vinayak temples are known for their strict adherence to temple timings. Once the temple is closed for darshan, it will not be opened even for VIPs. All the eight temples celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in Magh and Bhadrapada on a grand scale. Other festivals celebrated are Vijayadasami during Dusshera and Somvati Amavasya.

Narayanpur Balaji Temple

1.About 45 Kms. from Pune, off the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway, a beautiful replica of the Tirupati Balaji temple has been built in Ketkawale near Narayanpur. Called Prati Tirupati Balaji temple or simply Mini-Tirupati, the spacious temple is beautifully maintained, and picturesquely surrounded by the Sahyadhri Hills. Plenty of parking space is available. One has to pass through tight security to enter the temple premises through a huge artistically carved stone gate. The sight of the meandering queue reminds one of the original Balaji shrine. The queue, though, is not as long as the one at main Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, where people have to wait for hours together to get a darshan. The architecture of the temple too resembles the temple at Tirupati, right from the majestic gopuram to the beautiful sanctum. The resemblance does not end there. The idol of Lord Balaji is also identical, majestic in beauty and adorned with precious gems, gold, and the same white namam on the forehead. Priests have been brought from the South and poojas and sevas are similar to those at Tirupati. There are separate shrines to Goddess Mahalakshmi, Garudan (the vahan of Lord Vishnu), Hanuman and others along the way to the exit. Interestingly, one has to always be in queue, right from the entrance to the exit, and walk in the clockwise direction. At the exit, delicious laddoos (even these laddoos have the same flavour and taste as Tirupati) are offered to every devotee as prasad. The temple administration offers coupons for free lunch to those devotees who want to avail of the neivedya prasadam of the magnanimous Lord. The temple timings are 5.00 am to 8.00 pm. The trip to Prati Tirupati Balaji temple at Narayanpur can be combined with a visit to the nearby famous Datta Mandir and Narayaneshwar Mandir.