The eight beautiful temples of Ashtavinayak
As the name suggests, Ashtavinayak (Ashta = Eight, Vinayak = Name for Ganpati) stands for the eight temples of Lord Ganesha situated in Maharashtra. Located near Pune and Mumbai, these 8 temples together form a pilgrimage for devotees of Lord Ganesha. Visiting all these religious temples of Ganesha is considered to be very auspicious and that every individual must complete the tour of all the eight temples at least once in his lifetime.
The Mayureshwar Temple
The Mayureshwar Temple is considered to be one of the most important temples of this tour. It is situated in Morgaon. The murti of Lord Ganesha, riding a peacock, in the form of Mayureshwara is believed to have slain the demon Sindhu at this spot. The idol, with its trunk turned to the left, has a cobra (Nagaraja) poised over it protecting it.
The Siddhivinayak Temple
The Siddhivinayak Temple is another significant temple situated in the village of Siddhatek. The feature that sets this temple apart is that the trunk of the murti of Lord Ganesha is positioned to the right whereas in the other temples it is positioned to the left. It is said that Lord Vishnu gained Lord Ganesha’s favour here by slaying the demons Madhu and Kaithabh.
The Ballaleshwar Temple
The Ballaleshwar Temple is situated in the district of Bali and is one of the nearest Ashtavinayak Temples from Mumbai. The Ganesha murti in this temple is studded with diamonds embedded in place of the eyes and the navel. This temple is unique because unlike other Ganpati temples, Besan Laddoo is offered to the God instead of Modak.
The Varadavinyak Temple
The Varadavinayak Temple is the closest Ashtavinayak Temple from Mumbai. It is located in the village of Mahad near the Khopoli district. Lord Ganesha is said to reside here in the form of Varadavinayak which means giver of success. This is the only Ashtavinayak Temple where a person is allowed to personally pay homage to the Ganpati in the inner sanctum of the temple.
The Chintamani Temple
The Chintamani Temple resides in the village of Theur. Ganesha is believed to have got back the precious Chinatamani jewel from the greedy Guna for sage Kapila at this spot. However, after bringing back the jewel, sage Kapila put it in Vinayaka's (Ganesha's) neck. Hence this Ganpati Temple came to be named after the jewel. It is closest from Pune.
The Girijatmaj Temple
It is believed that Parvati performed penance to give birth to Ganesha at this point. The Girijatmaj Temple is situated in the Lenyadri district of Maharashtra. The temple is carved out of a single stone hill, which has 307 steps. It has been built in such a way that throughout the day, it is always lighted up by sunlight.
The Vignheshwar Temple
In the village of Ozar, lies the Vighneshwar Temple of Lord Ganesha. This temple is named after the story in which Lord Ganesha defeated the demon Vighnasur at this spot. Since then Lord Ganesha is known as Vighneshwar or Vighnaharta. The temple is enclosed on all sides by high stone walls, and its pinnacle is made of gold.
The Mahaganpati Temple
The Mahaganpati Temple is located in the heart of the town of Ranjangaon. Lord Shiva is believed to have worshipped Ganesha before fighting the demon Tripurasura here. Mahaganapati is portrayed, seated on a lotus, flanked by his consorts Siddhi and Riddhi. The temple has been designed in such a way that similar to the Girijatmaj Temple, the sunrays fall directly on the Murti.
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