Description
Lord Ganesha the elephant headed God, is one of the most beloved and ardently worshipped Gods all over. He is the one who is known to be giver of happiness and the one who eradicates all the sorrows. Also he is considered to be the first God to be worshipped during any Pooja or any other such godly 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 Worshiping Lord Ganesh is found all over the country but especially in Maharashtra Lord Ganesha is worshipped enthusiastically 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 very first temple to be visited during the Darshan of these Ashtavinayaka Temples is the Moreshwar Ganesh Temple located in Morgaon in the state of Maharashtra. It is a very influential plave of worship of Lord Ganesha and a huge tourist attraction too.
History
This is an ancient temple and hence the exact year of its origin is unknown but there is significant connection of this temple with the Saint Morya Gosavi. As the Peshwas in Maharashtra were ardent devotees of Lord Ganesha, as he was their family deity, the Moreshwar Temple developed and amplified due to their strong backing and sponsorship. Moreshwar or Mayureshwar literally means the Peacock God. As the presiding deity of this temple is Lord Ganesha in the form of Moreshwar. It is believed that Lord Ganesha had incarnated as Moreshwar with the intent of killing the devil Sindhu. It is said that after certain wrong doings Lord Brahma took a bath in the river Turiya Tirtha for cleansing his sins. He then came to this place to worship Lord Ganesha and also carried the water from the river Turiya Tirtha in his water pot. As he entered the temple Lord Brahma lost his balance and some water spilled out on the floor. When he tried to gather it he couldn't and this turned into the holy river known as Karha River which still flows through Morgaon.
Importance/Significance
This temple flaunts exemplary architecture with a Muslim tinge to the designing. Also it is enclosed by towering walls with spires and turrets to it. The temple has four entrance gates each facing the central direction with sculptures of Lord Ganesha on each of them. Each of these images portrays Lord Ganesha as he had appeared in the four different Yugas. Also the main gate of the temple faces the northern direction with a patio having two towers for lamps. Thus infrastructure wise this temple is exceptionally beautiful.
Facts/Mythology
This temple is known as the Adhya Pitha i.e. the first in the sequence of the revered Ashtavinayaka Temples to be visited and thus it is regarded as highly indispensable.
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
All the Hindu festivals are celebrated here with gaiety, enthusiasm and in high spirits. 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 the on Tuesdays as this day is considered to be auspicious for the worship of Lord Ganesh according to Hindu mythology.
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