Among the most important religious places in Maharashtra, the Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temples are certainly the highly recognised visits. Devotees from various parts of India are interested in paying their visits here and seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha. The first worshipped Lord Ganesha and his divine existence has been well explained within various literature collections and mythological tales. These temple visits will let you recollect all those events and attain the most pleasurable experiences. 

Exploring the Ashtavinayakas 

Every person and family desires to accomplish their Ashtavinayak Darshan at least once in a lifetime. There are now the most appropriate facilities that let you get across your favorite places and create everlasting memories. Here are the eight Ashtavinayaka temples that you will get through:

Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali 

Named after one of the most popular devotees of Lord Ganesha, this temple is situated off the Pune-Mumbai Highway in Pali. There are famous tales that tell about Ballal’s single-minded devotion towards Lord Ganesha. The structure of this temple is made in a way that after Dakshinayan, the sunrays fall directly on the Ganesha idol during sunset. 

This temple is said to be built with stones that are kept together by molten lead. Ganesha’s trunk here is pointed towards the left and there are diamonds embedded in his navel and eyes. There are many more special aspects that you may get across during this temple visit. 

Chintamani, Theur 

Ganesha in the form of Chintamani is said to drive away all kinds of perplexities from life and bring make minds peaceful. This temple has an East-facing Ganesha idol with diamond eyes. It is believed that Ganesha brought back the Chintamani jewel from greedy Guna and handed it over to Sage Kapil who then placed it in Ganesha’s neck. 

This is where his name Chintamani Vinayak arrives from. This temple is situated off the Pune-Solapur highway, about 22 kilometers away from Pune. Situated at the confluence of the rivers Bhima, Mula and Mutha, this temple is nearest from Pune. 

Girijatmaj, Lenyadri 

Girijatmaj means, the son of Goddess Parvati. This temple is set within a Buddhist Cave Temple on a mountain. This is believed to be the place where Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife was known to perform penance to attain a child. That is how Ganesha got the name for his form here. This temple makes its place amidst an 18 caved complex. This temple is the 8th cave which is known as Ganesh Leni. 

This idol faces towards the North and has its trunk turned towards the left. This Ganesha idol is said to be designed differently than others among Ashtavinayakas. There is no electric bulb in the temple and this is the special factor about this place. 

Mahaganpati, Ranjangaon 

Mahaganpati is said to be the most impactful representations of Lord Ganesha. It is believed that at this place Lord Shiva worshiped Ganesha for the defeat of Tripurasur. This is generally the last visited temple during Ashtavinayak Darshan. 

The idol is said to be seated in crossed-leg position with Riddhi and Siddhi on each of his thighs. The original idol is believed to be hidden in the basement with 20 hands and 10 trunks. It is called Mahotkat. There are various other aspects that could be explored during your visit here.

Moreshwar, Moregaon 

Also known as Mayureshwar temple, this one is situated 55 kilometers from Pune. It is the first visited temple among the Ashtavinayakas. This temple has four gates. The idol here has its trunk towards the left. Also, cobra is said to be protecting the idol. In the form of Mayureshwar, Gansha is portrayed riding a peacock. The original idol here is however believed to be destroyed by an asur. 

Siddhivinayak, Siddhatek 

The Siddhatek Mountain is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu acquired Siddhi. This Ganesha temple has the only idol among Ashtavinayakas that has its trunk turned towards the right. Located on a small hillock, this is a North facing temple. Although the stomach for this idol is not so wide, Riddhi and Siddhi are sitting on one thigh. Taking one round around the temple is considered equivalent to taking a round of the hillock. 

Varad Vinayak 

Ganesha in the form of Varad Vinayak is said to fulfill all the wishes and grant the most desirous boons to devotees. This temple is situated closest to Mumbai. The idol here faces east and has its trunk turned towards left. An oil lamp is said to be constantly lit here since 1892. 

There are four elephant idols placed on the four sides of the temple. The dome has some clean cobra designs. This is the only temple among Ashtavinayakas where devotees can personally offer prayers to the lord. 

Vighneshwar, Ozhar 

The history of this temple holds on to the end of Vighnasur. Ganesha in this form is said to drives away all the obstacles that may prevail in the accomplishment of your tasks. This is an east-facing temple with a thick stoned wall as its surrounding. The idol has ruby eyes, its trunk faced towards left and diamond on his forehead along with other jewels in the navel. 

Above-listed are the Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temples where you may get through some interesting spiritual tales.