The Kasba Ganapati refers to both a particular murti of the god

Ganapati Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, as well as to the temple built around the murti. The Kasba Ganapati is the presiding deity ( gramadevata) of

History

The temple was commissioned by Jijausaheb, after Dadoji Konddeo reported to her that a murti of Ganpati had been found in Pune. The murti's status as the premier murti in Pune was decided by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In the year 1630, the Maratha Aristocrat and wife of Sardar Shahaji Bhosale, Jijaubaisaheb Bhosale arrived in Pune with her then infant son, Chhatrapati Shivaji maharaj, the founder of

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

. Around this time, along with other seven families, the Thakar Family migrated to Pune from the village of Indi, Bijapur district in present-day state of Karnataka. Shri Vinayak Bhatt Thakar also carried his Family deity, Lord Gajanan along with him. All these families settled near River bank around the current place of Kasba Ganapati Temple which was close to the residence of Jijabai. Jijabai perceived this as an auspicious moment and promptly decided to build a temple, which is popularly known as the Kasba Ganpati Mandir. Since then, Pune is also known as the city of Ganesh. The

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

s were ardent followers of Lord Ganesh. During their regime Shaniwarwada witnessed grand celebrations for Lord Ganesh. In 1893, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Indian Nationalist Leader, initiated the now famous Ganesh Festival. His intention was to gather people sharing similar ideas and exchange thoughts to deal with the British ruler. He started celebrating Ganesh Festival from his own house called Kesari Wada. Due to his personal popularity and initiative, Ganesh Festival became a public festival soon afterwards. There was rivalry among the various mandals regarding the privilege of immersing the murti first on the last day of the Ganpati festival. Bal Gangadhar Tilak resolved the rivalry and declared the privilege of first immersion to Shri Kasba Ganpati, as it is the local deity of Pune.

Annual Ganesh Festival

Until 1925, Shri Kasba Ganpati Mandal celebrated the festival within the premises of the temple and from 1926 it has been celebrated in an enclosed mandap. Presently, the ten days of the festival is a platform for local artists to display their talents through various cultural programs thus allowing a large number of devotees to participate in the celebrations. On the last day, Shri Kasba Ganpati plays the leading role during the immersion procession.

References

External links

*http://www.kasbaganpati.org/ *http://kasbaganapati.wordpress.com/ Culture of Pune Ganesha temples Hindu temples in Pune {{PuneDistrict-stub