Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek
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The Siddhivinayak Temple of Siddhatek 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 ...
, the elephant-headed god of wisdom. The temple is one of the
Ashtavinayaka 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 di ...
, the eight revered shrines of Ganesha in the
Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...
of
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 ...
and the only Ashtavinayaka shrine in
Ahmednagar district Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ, officially Ahilyanagar district, is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical city of Ahmednagar is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar ...
.


Location

The temple is located on the northern bank of the river
Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...
in Siddhatek in the Karjat
taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...
of Ahmednagar district. The nearest station is
Daund Daund is a city, municipal council, and headquarters of the Daund tehsil in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The city of Daund is located on the Bhima River. In ancient times, a sage named Dhaumya Rishi stayed here; henc ...
(19 km). The temple is accessible from the small village of Shirapur in Pune district, 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 alon ...
(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 Yoga, yogic advancement through sādhanās such as medit ...
'' ("accomplishment, success", "supernatural powers"). The temple is thus considered as a ''jagrut
kshetra Tirtha (, ) is a Sanskrit word that means "crossing place, ford", and refers to any place, text or person that is holy. It particularly refers to pilgrimage sites and holy places in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The process or journey asso ...
'' 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 (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
emerges from a lotus, that rises the god
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
's navel as Vishnu sleeps in his '' yoganidra''. While Brahma starts creating the universe, two demons
Madhu and Kaitabha Madhu (, ) and Kaitabha (, ), also rendered Madhu-Kaiṭabhas, are the names of two asuras in Hindu scriptures, and are associated with Hindu cosmology. Legend Madhu and Kaitabha both originated from the earwax within the deity Vishnu's ears, ...
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 (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
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: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...
 – "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 Ahilyabai Holkar (; 31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795), also spelled Ahalya Bai, was the Rajamata and later the ruling queen of Indore within the Maratha Empire. She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of the Holkar Dynasty. ...
, the ''Philosopher Queen'' of
Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...
, who built and renovated many Hindu temples. ''
Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...
'' Haripant Phadke, an official with the
Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...
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 a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
 – 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 Parabrahman, Saguna Brahman.Morya Gosavi Morya Gosavi or Moraya Gosavi () alias Moroba Gosavi was a prominent saint of the Hindu Ganapatya sect, which considers Ganesha as the Supreme God. Morya Gosavi is considered the chief spiritual progenitor of the Ganapatyas and has been descri ...
(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 and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...
'' (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 and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...
'', 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'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...
'' (sanctum) is 15 ft high and 10 ft wide. It has the
Jaya-Vijaya In Hinduism, Jaya and Vijaya are the two ''Dvarapala, dvarapalakas'' (gatekeepers) of Vaikuntha, the abode of the god Vishnu. Due to a curse by the four Kumaras, they were forced to undergo multiple births as mortals who would be subsequently ki ...
 – 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 Svayambhu () is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as ...
'' (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 Yoga, yogic advancement through sādhanās such as medit ...
seated nearby, though often she is hidden with flower garlands and the
sindoor Sindoor (, ) or sindura (,) is a traditional vermilion red or orange-red or maroon Cosmetics, cosmetic powder (substance), powder from South Asia, usually worn by marriage, married women along the part of their hairline. In Hindu communities, ...
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 ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...
) and a shrine to goddess Shivai.


Festivals

The temple celebrates three main festivals. The
Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi () or Vinayaka Chavithi () or Vinayagar Chaturthi (), is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Hindu deity Ganesh. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's ''m ...
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''; ''Bhādra''; ''Bhādravo''; ''Bhadraba''; ''Bhadô'') is the sixth month ...
, where Ganesh Chaturthi is the fourth day. A festival is held to commemorate the birthday of Ganesha – Ganesha Jayanti, 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 The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
of Ganesha is taken for three consecutive days in these festivals. A festival and fair is also held on
Vijayadashami Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri, Navarahtri. It is ob ...
and ''Somavati Amavasya'', a no-moon day that falls on a Monday.


Notes


References

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External Links


Shri Siddhivinayak Temple - Siddhatek
- Information about the temple & idol history. ( www.ashtavinayak.net ) {{Hindu holy cities Ashtavinayaka temples Hindu temples in Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Ahmednagar district