The Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
dedicated to
Ganesha
Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
. It is located in
Prabhadevi
Prabhadevi (Pronunciation: ɾəbʱaːd̪eʋiː is a prominent residential and religious neighborhood in South Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is known for its mix of high-end residential buildings, cultural landmarks, and historical significan ...
neighbourhood of
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
,
Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the so ...
. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of the most popular Hindu temples in Mumbai.
The temple has a small mandap with the shrine for Siddhi Vinayak ("Ganesha who grants your wish"). The wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of the
Ashtavinayak
Ashtavinayaka () is a Sanskrit term which means "eight Ganeshas". The Ashtavinayaka Yatra refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in the state of Maharashtra, India, centered around the city of Pune. The eight temples house eight d ...
(the eight manifestations of Ganesha in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
). The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, and the central statue is of Ganesha. In the periphery, there is a
Hanuman
Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...
temple as well. The exterior of the temple consists of a dome which is lit up with multiple colors in the evenings and they keep changing every few hours. The statue of Shri Ganesha is located exactly under the dome. The pillars are carved out with the images of the Ashtavinayaka.
Governance
Temple donations and other activities related to temple are governed by the board members of Shri Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati Temple Trust. Trust is registered under ''Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950'', with the name “Shri Ganpati Temple at Prabhadevi Road, Dadar, Bombay".
Trust is regulated by ''Shri Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati Temple Trust (Prabhadevi) Act, 1980''. It was adopted on 11 October 1980.
Sada Sarvankar is current chairman of the trust.
Donations and litigation
The Siddhivinayak temple receives donations of around – every year, which makes it Mumbai city's richest temple trust.
[Siddhivinayak grants may be screened]
''Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'', 10 December 2004. Retrieved on 1 March 2007. In 2004, the Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust, which operates the temple, was accused of mismanaging donations. Consequently, the Bombay High Court appointed a committee headed by retired judge V P Tipnis to scrutinize the trust's donations and probe the allegations.
[ The committee reported that "The most shocking aspect of the matter is that there is no method or principle followed for particular institutions. The only criteria for selection were recommendation or reference by trustees or the minister or a political heavy-weight, generally belonging to the ruling party".][Draft guidelines for using Trust funds of Siddhivinayak: HC]
UNI 9 March 2006. Retrieved on 1 March 2007.
In 2006 the Bombay High Court directed the state government, the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust and the petitioner Keval Semlani to prepare "suggestive guidelines" for using the temple's trust funds.[State to finalize guidelines for Siddhivinayak Trust funds: HC]
UNI 13 December 2006. Retrieved on 1 March 2007.
See also
* Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek
References
External links
HD Images of Shri Siddhivinayak
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddhivinayak Temple (Mumbai)
Hindu temples in Mumbai
Ganesha temples
Tourist attractions in Mumbai
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1801