Description
Lord Ganesha i.e. the elephant headed God of wisdom, is one of the most beloved and ardently worshipped Gods all over the world. 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 prevails all over the country but especially in Maharashtra Lord Ganesha is worshipped enthusiastically and on a very large scale. There is 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 second temple to be visited in the sequence is the Siddhivinayaka Ganesh Temple located in Siddhitek in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra. It is a very historical temple with huge mythological significance.
History
This temple is believed to be ancient temples built several eras or Yugas before. According to Hindu mythology the Siddhivinayaka Temple in Siddhitek was built by Lord Vishnu himself. But as the years passed it was demolished. Then the Queen of Indore named Ahilyabai Holkar was one of the people who renovated and reconstructed many Hindu temples one of which was the Siddhivinayaka Temple in Siddhitek. The legend that follows the origin of this temple is that Lord Vishnu appealed to Lord Ganesha in these mountains when he was combating the two demons Madhu and Kaitabha. This was where Lord Vishnu attained Siddhi (Supernatural powers) from Lord Ganesha. Hence this place was known to be the Siddhivinayaka i.e. Lord Ganesha who gives supernatural powers. It is also believed that sages Vyas and Bhrushandi exceuted their penance here for the attainment of Siddhi.
Importance/Significance
The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Ganesha in the form of Lord Siddhivinayaka. This temple encompasses beautifully carved black stone structure all over. The whole temple is made of a black stone and hence is magnificent site in itself. At the doorstep of the temple is a tiny devilish head sculpture.
Facts/Mythology
A very uncommon fact about this temple is that unlike all the other Ganesha temples which have the idol with a trunk towards its left side, this idol has its trunk towards it right side. It is believed that an idol of Lord Ganesha with the trunk on his right side is very dynamic and challenging to please. Hence it is believed that the one who pleases this God attains Siddhi and thus this place is also called as Siddhitek.
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 to this 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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