The Siddhivinayak Temple is an Ashtavinayaka temple located on the northern bank of the river Bhima in Siddhatek in the Karjat taluka of Ahmednagar district. This Ganesha is known as Siddhivinayaka because he grants the wishes of devotees. However, these temples maintain a high level of purity and divinity. This is the only Ashtavinayaka shrine in the Ahmednagar district and one of the eight Ashtavinayaka temples in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Siddhatek’s Siddhivinayak Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed divine force of wisdom. It is the second temple in the Ashtavinayak Tour Package From the Mumbai series. This is the temple where Bhagwan’s trunk is turned to the right.

Story Behind Siddhivinayak Temple

According to the Mudgala Purana, at the beginning of Creation, the creator-god Brahma emerged from a lotus, raising the god Vishnu’s navel while Vishnu slept in his yoga Nidra. While Brahma is creating the universe, two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, rise from the soil in Vishnu’s ear. As a result of the demons interfering with Brahma’s creation process, Vishnu is compelled to awaken. Vishnu fights the battle, but he is defeated. He seeks justification from the god Shiva.

Lord Shiva tells Lord Vishnu that he cannot win because he did not summon Lord Ganesha, the god of beginnings and removal of obstacles, before the battle. As a result, at Siddhatek, Vishnu makes amends by chanting “Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah” to Ganesha. Ganesha is pleased, so he bestows blessings and various siddhis (powers) on Vishnu before returning to fighting and killing the demons. The location where Vishnu received his siddhis was named Siddhatek.

History of Siddhivinayak Temple

Sardar Haripant Phadke was the Peshwa rulers’ commander-in-chief and top official. He built the Nagarkhana, which served as a storage facility for Nagaras. He also constructed a path to the Siddhatek Ganpati Mandir. Every day, he would devote 21 pradakshina to the temple and worship Bhagwan Ganesha for 21 days.

Ahilyabai Holkar, the great ruler of Indore, was deeply religious. She built the Siddhivinayak Temple Siddhatek in its current form. A place of worship was the temple where Narayan Maharaj and the saint Morya Gosavi attained Siddhi. They belonged to the Ganapatya Sect, a saintly sect that worships Ganesha as the Supreme God.

Architecture of Siddhivinayak Temple

The temple – developed in dark stone – points toward the north. The assembly hall in the temple is called the sabha-mandapa, and another sabha-mandapa was added later. A small head of the devil is carved into the threshold of the main shrine. There is also a Nagarkhana in the temple.

The sanctum, or garbhagriha, is 15 feet high and 10 feet wide. The central Siddhivinayaka icon is flanked by brass sculptures of the Jaya-Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vishnu’s abode. The ceiling of stone is shaped like a dome. The central Ganesha image, like all Ashtavinayaka shrines, is thought to be svayambhu, or self-existent, and it is a naturally occurring stone with an elephant face.

Siddhi-Vinayaka’s central icon depicts him seated cross-legged with his lover Siddhi nearby. She is frequently dimmed, however, by flower garlands and the sindoor paste that covers the image. The icon’s trunk is turned to the right and is covered in brass. The sanctum also contains a Shiva-panchayatana (Shiva surrounded by Ganesha, Vishnu, the Goddess, and the Sun god Surya) and a shrine to the goddess Shivai.

Facts about Siddhivinayak Temple

• The temple is very significant. Among the Ashtavinayaka, it is the only Ganesh whose trunk is turned to the right. These Ganesh idols are thought to be powerful at granting the wishes of devotees.
• Since Siddhivinayak Ganesh fulfils the wishes, Siddhivinayak Ganpati Mandir is important.
• 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.
• The traditional name for an icon with its trunk to the right is “Siddhi-Vinayaka,” which means “supernatural powers” or “accomplishment, success.” As a result, the temple is regarded as a jagrut kshetra, and the deity is said to be extremely powerful.
• It is believed that it is a place where Bhagwan Vishnu performed Tapasya to get a boon from Bhagwan Siddheshwar Ganesh.

Famous Festivals In Siddhivinayak Temple

• The temple celebrates three main festivals. The Ganesh Chaturthi festival is celebrated from the first to the fifth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, where Ganesh Chaturthi is the fourth day. The palkhi of Ganesha is taken for three consecutive days in these festivals.
• The Magh Utsav is an important festival at the Siddhatek Temple. The colourful festival of Holi is in the month of Phalgun (February/March), on Phalgun Shudh Poornima.
• In the Shravan month, Janmashtami or Krishna Ashtami, Bhagwan Krishna’s birthday, is celebrated here with a Dahi Handi event.

How to Reach Siddhivinayak Temple

The famous Siddhivinayak Temple is accessible by various modes of transport.

By Air: The Nearest Airport is Pune Lohegaon Airport which is 100 km from the temple.

By Rail: The Nearest Railway station is Daund Station, 18 Km from Siddhivinayak Siddhatek Temple.

By Road: To reach the Siddhatek Ganpati Temple, you can rent a variety of private and public vehicles. State transportation’s closest bus stop is one kilometre from Siddhatek in Shirapur.

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