ganesha also known as ganpati or vinayaka is one of the most loved deity in maharashta. ganesha chaturthi is celebrated with lot of devotion and celebration here. there are many popular as well as old ganpati temples in maharashtra.
popular ganesha temples in maharashtra:
1. ashtavinayaka temples – these are eight ganesha temples situated around pune. ganesha statues in ashtavinayaka temples are swayambhu which means they are self manifested or these statues were found completely formed by nature.
ashtavinayaka yatra is quite famous. devotees visit these 8 ganesha temple in a sequence and then the journey is considered complete after visiting the first temple (moreshwar).
these 8 ganpati temples are:
1. moreshwar temple – situated in moregaon, pune district. this is the most popular ashtavinayaka temple and the first temple to be visited in this yatra. it is around 55 km from pune.
2. siddhivinayak temple – situated in siddhatek, ahmednagar district. this temple is situated off the pune-solapur highway about 48 km from the town of srigonda in ahmadnagar district.
3. ballaleshwar temple – situated in pali, raigad district. the temple is located in the pali town, off the mumbai-pune highway. ganesha is believed to have saved his boy-devotee named ballala.
4. varadavinayak temple – situated in mahad, near khopoli, raigad district. the temple is located three kilometers off the pune-mumbai highway near khopoli (80 km from pune) and is thus closest to mumbai city.
5. chintamani temple – situated in theur, pune district. it is around 25 km from pune. the temple is very peaceful and calm. visit this temple if you want to remove tension (chinta) from your mind.
6. girijatmaj temple – situated in lenyadri, pune district. there are 30 rock cut buddhist caves. the ganesha temple is in the cave 7.
7. vighnahar temple – situated in ozar, pune district. as per legend, ganesha defeated the demon vignasura, the demon of obstacles. so obstacles won’t be there in the place/house where lord ganesha is worshipped.
8. mahaganapati temple – situated in ranjangaon, pune district. it is around 51 km from pune. this temple is facing east and has huge & beautiful entrance gate. two large elephant statues greets the devotees in the temple gate.
vidarbha region of maharashtra also has ashtavinayaka temples. but the temple mentioned above are famous as ashtavinayaka temples.
2. ganpatipule temple in ratnagiri – very beautiful and popular ganpati temple located near sea beach in ratnagiti district. at this place you can experience mountains, sea and divinity in one place. its a very tranquil and peaceful temple. priest don’t try to exploit you. you can sit in the hall containing ganpati statue and pray to him at ease. the free lunch/prasad is also offered every day.
3. siddhivinayak temple, mumbai – one of the most popular and richest temple in mumbai. even bollywood celebrities visit this temple often to pray for the success of their movies. if you pray to siddhi vinayak from heart then your wish will be fulfilled very quickly.
4. dagadusheth halwai ganapati temple, pune – most famous and richest temple in pune. it was build by a sweet seller dagadu seth and thus the temple is named after him.
5. mahaganpati temple, wai – the temple is also known as dholya ganapati as the size of ganpati statue is very big. the statue is 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide. temple is located on bank of krishna river in wai, satara district.
6. titwala ganesh temple – this famous siddhivinayak mahaganapati temple is in titwala town near kalyan, mumbai. it is believed that if the mahaganapati in this temple is worshipped regularly then it is good for married life, good for couple who wants to get married or good for people who are desiring a child.
7. shri navshya ganapati temple, nashik – the ganapati temple is situated at anandvalli, on gangapur road going towards someshwar, nasik. the temple is around 300-400 years old. the ganapati idol is famous amongst devotees as ‘navashya’ because it is said he fulfills the prayers of devotees who comes to him.
8. shri ganesh tekdi temple, in nagpur – the temple is situated in sitabardi, nagpur. the temple is about 250 years old and is situated on a hill. the ganesha statue is believed to be swayambhu (self-manifested). it is one of the most popular temple of nagpur.
9. shree chintamani temple, kalamb in yavatmal district – it is believed that praying to lord ganesha in this temple will remove all your worries (chinta). it is one of the 21 kshetras of ganesh throughout india. an annual fair of shree chintamani is held here.
10. dashbhuja ganpati temple, in hedvi, ratnagiri – this is an old and rare ganesha tempel situated around 30 km from ganpatipule. the ganesh idol is made from white stone and has 10 hands. thats why the temple got its name dash (ten) bhuja (arms)
i must also mention about lalbaugcha raja. during ganesh chaturthi festival, many ganpati statues are worshipped in public pandals. daily pooja, aarti are done. many devotees make modak and ladoos at home and give it to ganesha pandals. after offering these sweets to lord ganesha, they are given to devotees as prasad. modak and ladoos being the most favorite food of lord ganesha.
ganesh chaturthi is celebrated with lot of celebration in mumbai and also in other cities like pune, kolhapur etc. in mumbai the most famous pandal is of lalbaugcha raja. there is a big queue to get darshan of ganesha. even bollywood celebrities like amitabh bachchan make it a point to visit this pandal. you need to personally visit mumbai or kolhapur during ganesh chaturthi to experience the high spiritual energy during this festival. you will not see this kind of devotional frenzy in any other part of india for ganesha.