Ashtavinayak Darshan By Car
The Dhundi Vinayak Temple is situated behind the main temple. The idol in this temple is believed to be swayambhu. The musical Ganesha bhajan, "Sukhkarta Dukhharta Varta Vignachi" is chanted by hundreds of followers, isn't it?
Each Ashtavinayak temple has its own individual legend and history, as is distinct from other Ashtavinayak temple in terms of its murtis . The Ashtavinayak tour covers all these eight ancient holy Ganesh temples in Maharashtra. It is believed that, if one does this Ashtavinayak temples tour with devotion his or her desire gets fulfilled. This makes these Ashtavinayak temples a must visit Ganesha temples in Maharashtra. Lenyadri, a series of Buddhist caves located in Junnar, stands out from the others because of its setup. The idol, called Girijatmaja, is located in the eighth cave from the total 30.
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 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 ashtavinayak temples (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.
At this temple, I saw a caterpillar for the first time in my life. It had small wings which were just coming out of the cocoon. In short, the caterpillar was in the process of becoming a butterfly. My first reaction when I saw it was that it’s going to die soon, and it looks so ugly. But later when I thought about it then I realised it’s actually all set to be a beautiful butterfly.