Ashtavinayak Darshan By Car
Grimatsav, a scholar, was deeply saddened to know about his non-Brahmanical and thus entered a strict penance in the forest of Pushpak. Lord Ganesh, upon hearing his prayers granted him two wishes of his choosing. One, to be known as a Brahmin and the second- for the lord to reside in the forest. This spot surrounding the Pushpak forest is believed to be the temple as we see today. The temple has an elegant architectural style too with the four minarets from the Mughal period adding to the overall effect. The four entrances also represent the beloved deity as he was seen every four years.
The temple is located on the northern bank of the river Bhima on a hillock, surrounded by thick foliage of Babul trees. The idol faces north with its trunk to the left, and has to be worshipped from the rear of the temple. This idol seems little different from the rest of the Ashtavinayak idols in a sense that it appears to be poorly designed or carved like the other idols.
The temple is covered from all sides by four minarets and gives the impression of a mosque if seen from a distance. This was done to prevent attacks on the temple during Mughal periods. These Ashtavinayaka temples have eight distinct forms of Ganesh idols. The form of trunk of each Ganesha idol is different from one another. The Girijatmaj idol is not as well designed or carved as the other Ashtavinayaka idols. Also, there is no electric bulb here - however, it is constructed in such a way that during the day, it is always well-lit naturally, by the Sun's rays.
In Hindu faith, even if you see the top of the temple called ‘Kalas’ in Marathi or the Steeple of the temple, it is equivalent to visiting and paying respects to God. So, if you see my pictures below, it is like you have virtually visited all the temples. The temple is located in the town of Pali, off the Mumbai-Pune highway, about 11 km before Nagothane on the Mumbai-Goa highway. This is located 30 km to the South-West of Karjat Railway Station. Legend ashtavinayak temple has it that a demon by name Tripurasura,caused suffering to all beings in the heaven and on earth. On hearing the pleas of the Gods, Shiva intervened but he realized that he could not defeat the demon.
Nodding His head Shri Ganesha made his permanent stay at Pali as Ballal Vinayak and disappeared in a large stone. Behind this temple is the temple of Shri Dhundi-Vinayak which is West facing. The story says that this idol was the same one which was thrown by Ballala's father (Kalyani-seth) while Ballala was worshipping it.
After completing their worship, he and his friends would return home late in the evenings. As the name suggests, Lord Moreshwar portrays Ganesha riding a peacock('Mor' or 'Mayur' means peacock). Lord Mayureshwar is believed to have killed the demon Sindhu at this very spot. The idol has its trunk turned to the left, with the Nagaraja poised over it, protecting it. This form of Ganesha has his wives Riddhi and Siddhi accompanying him. Actually, Riddhi and Siddhi are the qualities of Capability and Intelligence.
It has an imposing main gate which is guarded by two statues of Jay and Vijay. The temple is designed in such away that during Dakshinayan, the apparent movement of the sun to the south, the rays of the sun fall directly on the deity. The temple of Maha Ganpati is very close to the centre of the town Ranjangaon. The temple was erected during the rule of the Peshwas. Peshwa Madhavrao had constructed the inner sanctum, to house the swayambhoo idol.