Description
Lord Ganesha i.e. the elephant headed God of wisdom, is one of the most beloved and ardently worshipped Gods all over. He is the one who is known to be the giver of happiness and the one who eradicates all of people's sorrows. Also, he is considered to be the first God to be worshipped during any Pooja or any other such religious ceremonies or rituals. Lord Ganesha has many names like Ganpati, Atharva, Chintamani, etc. One of the names of Lord Ganesha is Vinayaka. The practice of worshipping Lord Ganesh is carried out all over the country especially in Maharashtra, Lord Ganesha is worshipped enthusiastically and on a very large scale. There are a famous set of eight Ganesha temples in Maharashtra which are to be worshipped in a certain sequence which are known as the Ashtavinayaka. The sixth temple to be visited in the Ashtavinayaka series is the Lenyadri Girijatmaj Ganesh temple located in Junnar in the Pune district. This temple is situated in a cave and hence is called as Lenyadri.
History
There is a place that is based between mountains which bears an array of thirty rock cut caves out of which in the seventh cave is the temple that is devoted to the Hindu Lord Ganesha. The origin of these caves can be traced back to the 1st and 3rd centuries. It is believed that Goddess Parvathi performed a penance for 12 long years as she desired to have Vinayaka in the form of her son. Once when she was worshipping the idol of Ganesha it came to life and she was told that her wish was of having Vinayaka as her son was granted. Thus this came to be known as the Girijatmaj where "Girija" means Parvathi and "Atmaj" the soul.
Importance/Significance
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Ganesha in the incarnation of Lord Girijatmaj. All these caves have their own importance as some of them are holy chapels for meditation, stupa etc. This temple has profound significance even as a tourist destination in Maharashtra and is thus controlled by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Facts/Mythology
This is one of the most admired temples among the set of the Ashtavinayaka temples. Though the sequence is not adhered by many, this temple is considered to be the sixth temple to visit. The temple is situated so beautifully that devotees not only enjoy a sacred atmosphere but they also experience peace and sanctity in the pollution free environment in and around this temple, this temple is firstly located in the mountains and secondly on the banks of the river Kukdi which is on the Northern side of Pune.
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
All the Hindu festivals are celebrated here with gaiety, enthusiasm and in high spirits. The most popular amongst them are the Ganesh Chathurti, The Vinayaka Chathurti and the Ganesh Jayanti i.e. the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Also there are a huge number of devotees who throng to the temple on Tuesdays as this day is considered to be auspicious for the worship of Lord Ganesha according to Hindu mythology.
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