Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...
dedicated to
Ganesha
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 ...
, the elephant-headed god of wisdom. The temple is one of the Ashtavinayaka, the eight revered shrines of Ganesha in the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indep ...
of Maharashtra and the only Ashtavinayaka shrine in
Ahmednagar district
Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: �ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar and Sangamner are largest cities i ...
.
Location
The temple is located on the northern bank of the river
Bhima
In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...
in Siddhatek in the Karjat
taluka
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
of Ahmednagar district. The nearest station is Daund (19 km). The temple is accessible from the small village of Shirapur in
Pune district
Pune district (Marathi pronunciation: uɳeː is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst India's 640 distric ...
, on the southern bank of the river, from where it can be reached by boat or newly constructed bridge. Other routes are (48 km) Daund-Kasti-Padgaon, Shirur-Shrigonda-Siddhatek, Karjat-Rashin-Siddhatek
The temple stands on a hillock, surrounded by thick foliage of Babul trees and is located approximately 1 km from the core Siddhatek village. To propitiate the deity, devotees often perform
pradakshina
Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path alo ...
(Circumambulation) of the hillock seven times, even though there is no paved road and the path passes through thorny shrubs.
Religious importance
Though Siddhatek is prescribed to the second temple to be visited in the Ashtavinayak circuit after the foremost Morgaon, pilgrims often visit it third after Morgaon and Theur, as it is a more convenient route.
The Ganesha icon here is with his trunk turned to the right. Usually, the trunk of Ganesha is depicted turned to his left. It is believed that the right-trunked Ganesha is very powerful, but difficult to please. This is the only Ashtavinayaka shrine where the deity has his trunk to the right. Traditionally, an icon whose trunk is to the right is named "Siddhi-Vinayaka", the giver of ''
siddhi
In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation ...
'' ("accomplishment, success", "supernatural powers"). The temple is thus considered as a ''jagrut kshetra'' where the deity is said to highly powerful.
The ''
Mudgala Purana
The Mudgala Purana (Sanskrit:; ) is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is an that includes many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha. The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana are core scriptures ...
'' narrates that at the beginning of Creation, the creator-god
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...
emerges from a lotus, that rises the god
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
's navel as Vishnu sleeps in his '' yoganidra''. While Brahma starts creating the universe, two demons Madhu and Kaitabha rise from the dirt in Vishnu's ear. The demons disturb Brahma's process of creation, thereby compelling Vishnu to awake. Vishnu battles the battle, but cannot defeat them. He asks the god
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...
the reason for this. Shiva informs Vishnu that he cannot succeed as he had forgotten to invoke Ganesha – the god of beginning and obstacle removal – before the fight. Therefore, Vishnu performs penance at Siddhatek, invoking Ganesha with his
mantra
A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...
– "Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah". Pleased, Ganesha bestows his blessings and various ''siddhi''s ("powers") on Vishnu, returns to his fight and slays the demons. The place where Vishnu acquired ''siddhi''s was thereafter known as Siddhatek.Grimes pp. 117-8
History
The original temple is believed to be built by Vishnu, however it was destroyed over time. Later, a cowherd is believed to have had a vision of the ancient temple and found the icon of Siddhi-vinayaka. The cowherd worshipped the deity and soon others learned of the shrine.
The present temple was built in the late 18th century by
Ahilyabai Holkar
Ahilya Bai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) was the hereditary noble queen of the Maratha Empire, in early-modern India. She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of Holkar Dynasty.
After the demise of her husband Khan ...
, the ''Philosopher Queen'' of
Indore
Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...
, who built and renovated many Hindu temples. ''
Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
'' Haripant Phadke, an official with 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 ...
rulers, built the ''Nagarkhana'' - a chamber which stores '' Nagara''s (kettle drums) and a paved pathway to the main door of the temple. Haripant Phadke got his post as commander-in-chief back after praying to the deity for 21 days, daily circumbulating the temple 21 times. The outer sabha-mandapa (hall) – previously built by Mairal, a landlord from
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capi ...
– was broken in 1939 and was rebuilt in 1970.
The
Ganapatya
Ganapatya is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Ganesha (also called Ganapati) as the Saguna Brahman.Morya Gosavi (dated between 13th to 17th century), and his son Narayan Maharaj are described as having worshipped at the temple, where they attained siddhi.
Currently, the temple is under the administration of the ''Chinchwad Devasthan Trust'', which also governs Morgaon and Theur Ashtavinayak temples.
Architecture
The temple - constructed in black stone - faces north. The temple has ''sabha-
mandapa
A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture.
Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples ...
'' (assembly hall) of black stone and another ''sabha-
mandapa
A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture.
Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples ...
'', which is a later addition. The threshold of the main shrine has a small demonic head sculpture. The temple also has a ''Nagarkhana''.
The ''
garbhagriha
A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the '' sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ...
'' (sanctum) is 15 ft high and 10 ft wide. It has the
Jaya-Vijaya
In Hinduism, Jaya and Vijaya are the two '' dvarapalakas'' (gatekeepers) of the abode of Vishnu, known as Vaikuntha (meaning ''place of eternal bliss''). Due to a curse by the four Kumaras, they were forced to undergo multiple births as mortals ...
– the gatekeepers of Vishnu's abode – brass sculptures flanking the central icon of Siddhivinayaka. It has a dome-shaped stone ceiling. Like all Ashtavinayaka shrines, the central Ganesha image is believed to be ''
svayambhu
Swayambhu ( sa, स्वयंभू) is a Sanskrit word that means "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that is created by its own accord".
Often, the word swayambhu is used to describe a self-manifested image of a deity, which was not made ...
'' (self-existent), naturally occurring in the form of an elephant-faced stone.Grimes pp. 110–1 The central icon of Siddhi-Vinayaka is seated cross-legged with his consort
Siddhi
In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditation ...
seated nearby, though often she is hidden with flower garlands and the
sindoor
Sindooram is a traditional vermilion red or orange-red coloured cosmetic powder from the Indian subcontinent, usually worn by married women along the part of their hairline. In Hindu communities the sindoor is a visual marker of marital st ...
paste that covers the image. The icon is sheathed in brass and with its trunk turned to the right. The sanctum also has a Shiva- panchayatana (Shiva surrounded by Ganesha, Vishnu, the Goddess and the Sun-god
Surya
Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...
) and a shrine to goddess Shivai.
Festivals
The temple celebrates three main festivals. The
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi ( ISO: ), also known as Vinayak Chaturthi (), or Ganeshotsav () is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes an ...
festival is celebrated from the first to the fifth day of the Hindu month of
Bhadrapada
Bhadra or Bhadrapada or Bhādo or Bhadraba
(Bengali: ভাদ্র ''bhādro''; )
(Hindi: भादों ''bhādo''; )(Sanskrit: भाद्रपद ''bhādrapada'';) ( ne, भाद्र ''Bhādra'';) ( or, ଭାଦ୍ରବ ''Bhadraba;' ...
, where Ganesh Chaturthi is the fourth day. A festival is held to commemorate the birthday of Ganesha –
Ganesha Jayanti
Ganesh Jayanti (literally "Ganesha's birthday", also known as Magha shukla chaturthi, Tilkund chaturthi, and Varad chaturthi, is a Hindu festival. This occasion celebrates the birth day of Ganesha, the lord of wisdom. It is a popular festival ...
, on the fourth day of the Hindu month of Magha. This festival is celebrated from the first to the fifth day of Magha. The palkhi of Ganesha is taken for three consecutive days in these festivals.
A festival and fair is also held on
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hin ...
and ''Somavati Amavasya'', a no-moon day that falls on a Monday.