Showing posts with label Temples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Temples. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Visiting Vigneshwara Ganapati Temple at Ozhar

Most devotees setting out on the Ashtavinayak Yatra visit the Vigneshwara Ganapati Temple at Ozhar as a fifth halt, though it is generally said that it should be the seventh one (see route map here). Ozhar is located on the Pune-Nashik highway & is considered to be a very charming town.

It is located about 8kms from Narayangaon, on the banks of the river Kuk­di. Buses ply to Ozhar from Narayangaon and Junnar and it is accessible by road via the bridge over the Kukdi river. The road route is: Chakan – Rajgurunagar – Manchar – Narayangoan – Junnar.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Visiting Girijatmaj Vinayak Ganapati Temple at Lenyadri

After visiting the Chintamani temple, devotees who undertake the Ashtavinayaka Yatra visit the Ganapati temple at Lenyadri. This temple is known by the name of Ganapati’s mother Parvati whose other name is Girija & the word Atmaj refers to son. From the name of the area, namely Lenyadri, it is easy to understand the temple’s location – the word lena means a cave and the suffix adri is a Sanskrit word which means a mountain. So devotees must be prepared to climb up quite a bit to pay obeisance to the Ganapati idol in this temple.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Visiting Chintamani Ashtavinayak Ganapati Temple Theur

Devotees who embark on the Ashtavinayak Yatra make their fifth halt to pay obeisance to Lord Ganesha at the Chintamani Ashtavinayak Temple at Theur (also referred to as Theoor). The holy place of Theur is located at the spot where 3 rivers meet – the Mula river, the Mutha river and the Bhima river.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Visiting Shree Mahaganapati Temple Ranjangaon Pune


The Shree Mahaganapati temple at Ranjangaon is located in Shirur taluka about 50kms from Pune and is the eight temple visited by devotees who set out on the Ashtavinayak Yatra. The form of the temple’s idol, namely Mahaganapati, is considered to be so powerful that the local villagers do not bring home idols of Ganapati at all, as is done during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in other parts of Maharashtra. Instead, they personally visit the temple itself.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Visiting Varad Vinayaka Temple at Mahad


The Varad Vinayaka Temple at Mahad is located in Kolhapur taluka, District Raigad. The fourth temple to be visited by pilgrims on the Ashtavinayak yatra, the Varad Vinayaka Temple here is located approximately 25.65kms from Karjat railway station and is even closer to Khopoli (about 6kms).

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Visiting Ballaleshwar Temple Pali on Ashtavinayak Yatra

The Ganapati temple at Pali in Sudhagad taluk, Raigad district is the third halt of devotees on the Ashtavinayak yatra. It is here that the temple dedicated to Shri Ballaleshwar is located. The distrance from Sidhatek to Pali is 222kms & it takes approx 3 ½ hours. 

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Visiting Siddhivinayak Siddhatek Temple on Ashtavinayak yatra

After paying obeisance at the Ganapati temple in Moreshwar, the next temple on the Ashtavinayaka yatra is the Siddhivinayaka temple at Siddhatek. From Morgaon the distance to Siddhatek is 82kms. This town is located on the banks of the river Bhima. 

Visiting Ganapati Temple Moreshwar Morgaon


The Ganapati Temple at Moreshwar is the first temple as well as the last one to be visited by those who set out on the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage. A silver headed cobra (Nagaraj, the King of Snakes) is to be seen on this temple’s Ganesha idol. The benevolent 3 eyes of the idol literally sparkle with diamonds. 

Facing the temple is a mouse (Ganapati’s mount) which is 6 foot high. Also located outside the temple gates is a large sculpture of a bull which is Lord Shiva’s mount (Lord Shiva is Ganapati’s father). As per Hindu mythological legends, the bull was being transported from a Shiva temple located in the vicinity, rested here in front of the Moreshwar temple & then could not be budged from the spot. The bull & the mouse are considered to be faithful guardians of the Moreshwar temple.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Live Online Telecast Vithoba Temple Pandharpur Puja Aartis

The following video has been taken from You Tube. It shows the Vithoba Temple Aartis Puja Live from Pandharpur, Maharashtra.

Vithoba Temple Pandharpur Aarti Puja Timings and How To Reach

Pandharpur is considered to be the spriritual capital of Maharashtra due to its atmosphere of reverence created by the presence of the Vithoba Temple. The holy town of Pandharpur is located along the Chandrabhaga river in Solapur District. It is also known as the Kuldaivat of Maharashtra and as the Southern Kashi of India.

As per historical records, the Pandharpur temple complex has been renovated a number of times. As per these records, one of the royal rulers of the Shaliwahana Dynastry renovated Pandharpur in 83 A.D. The tradition of the paduka procession (pilgrims walking barefoot) with palanquins of the idols is said to have begun in 1296 A.D.

Lord Vithoba Legends

Vithoba is considered to be a manifestation of Lord Vishnu by the Vishnuvites; a manifestation of Surya by devotees who worship the Sun; a manifestation of Avalokiteshwara by Buddhist devotees; and a manifestation of Neminath by the Jain community followers. The word Vitthala is said to be derived from the Marathi word vittu, meaning brick. As the legend goes, a devotee by the name of Pundalik was engaged in serving his parents when Lord Vishnu visited his home. Pundalik was annoyed at being disturbed, and is said to have picked up a brick and thrown it outside for Lord Vishnu to stand on and wait. Rather than getting angry, Lord Vishnu was happy to see Pundalik’s caring and devotion towards his parents. Hence, Lord Vishnu granted Pundalik a boon, on which Pundalik requested the Lord for his eternal presence. It was thus that Lord Vishnu took up permanent residence at Pandharpur. Even today, the idol of Lord Vithoba is always shown as standing on a brick.


Vithoba Temple Pandharpur Maharashtra

The Shri Vitthal Mandir, known simply as Vithoba Temple, is located on a small hill and enclosed by high stone walls. The temple’s architecture comprises of low domes and high pinnacles. The temple has 8 gates: 1 on the south side; 1 on the west side; 3 on the north side; and 3 on the east side. The Mahadwar (main gate) of the temple is on the eastern side. It is here that the Namdeo chi Payari (step named after Namdeo) is located. One the way up, you will see a small idol of Lord Ganesha in one of the niches of the side wall. The first step of the flight of 11 steps is called Namdeo chi Payari in reference to a devotee named Namdeo. As the story goes, the child Namdeo once made holy offerings to God and pleaded with God to come in person to accept the offerings. When, after even a long time, God did not make an appearance, Namdeo kept banging his head at God’s feet. God subsequently appeared and ate the offerings, blessing Namdeo and granting him a boon. Namdeo requested that he should always be present in the very first step of the temple, so that when devotees came to seek God’s darshan, Namdeo, in the first step, would also be blessed with the touch of the devotees’ feet.

The temple complex houses the Mandap where the shrines of Garuda and Hanuman are located. Here there are also 2 tall Deepmalas, each rising to about 10meters. One of the interesting features is the Sola-Khambi, which rests on 16 stone pillars, one of which is called the Garud Khamb – this is covered with silver sheets and has a gold base. Access to the Sola-Khambi is from the Sabhamandapa. On the northern side are individual rooms, each dedicated to various idols and mythological legendary personalities, such as Dattatreya, Ram-Laxman, Kalbhairav, etc.[reference: Temples of Maharashtra by Gopal Krishna Kanhere]

You must also take note of the lovely entrance leading to the Chou-Khambi (four pillared structure) and the silver arch which leads to the main Vitthal shrine. From the chowkhambhi hall one is let into the shrine or Gabhara, a small room having a platform of 3 ft. height with a silver canopy above. On this platform stands the idol of Shri Vithoba which attracts millions of devotees every year. The idol is called by different names: Vithoba, Pandurang, Pandhari, Vithal, or Vithalnath.

Other temples within the Pandharpur temple complex include the temple of Rukmini (consort of Vithoba) which is behind the Vithoba temple in the north east corner of the temple, facing east. It has a Gabhara, entry / exit, outer hall and a sabha mandap.


You can also visit the Samadhi Shikara of Pundalik, said to be the most faithful devotee of Lord Vitthal.

Vithoba Temple Complex Tourist Attractions
- Namdev Payari
- Ganesh Mandir
- Datta Mandir
- Garud Mandir
- Maruti Mandir
- Chowrangee Devi Mandir
- Garud Khamb
- Narsimha Mandir
- Ek-mukh Dattatraya Mandir
- Rameshwar Lingam Mandir
- Kala Bahirav Mandir
- Laxmi-Narayan Mandir
- Kashi-Vishwanath Mandir
- Satya-Bhama Mandir
- Radhika Mandir
- Siddhi-Vinayak Mandir
- Mahalakshmi Mandir
- Venkateshwar Mandir
- Kanhopatra Mandir
- Ambabai Mandir
- Shani-Dev Mandir
- Nagnath Mandir
- Guptaling Mandir
- Khandoba Mandir


Vithoba Temple Aarti Puja Timings

1.  Vithoba Temple Door Opening Time: 4.00 a.m.
2.  Vithoba Temple Kakada Aarti: 4.30a.m.  to 05.00 a.m.
3.  Vithoba Temple Nitya Puja (regular Puja): 5.00 a.m to 06.00.a.m.
4.  Vithoba Temple Mahapuja by devotees: 7.00 a.m. to 08.00.a.m.
5.  Vithoba Temple Maha Naivedya: 11.00 a.m. to 11.15 a.m.
6.  Vithoba Temple Pshakh (dressing): 4.30p.m. to 05.00 p.m.
7.  Vithoba Temple Dhoop Aarati:7.00p.m. to 07.30 p.m.
8.  Vithoba Temple Padya pooja: 10.00p.m. to 10.30 p.m.
9.  Vithoba Temple Shejarati: 11.00 p.m.
How to Reach Pandharpur
* How to Reach Vithoba Temple Pandharpur By Air: the nearest airport is Pune (204kms). Taxi cabs are available from Pune to Pandharpur (approx. fare is Rs 2500/-).

* How to Reach Vithoba Temple Pandharpur By Train: The Pandharpur Railway Station falls on the Miraj-Kurduwadi-Latur railway track.


* How to Reach Vithoba Temple Pandharpur By Bus: You can board State Transport public buses from Pune and Solapur.

* How to Reach Vithoba Temple Pandharpur By Taxi: Taxis are available on hire from Solapur to Pandharpur. Taxi fare is approx. Rs 1,000/-.

* How to Reach Vithoba Temple Pandharpur By Car: Best road route is the Pune-Pandharpur Road Route:
Pune - Hadpsar - Indapur - here, take a right turn to Akluj - Pandharpur

Detailed Map of National Highway Road Routes to Vithoba Temple Pandharpur

Where to stay in Pandharpur

Accommodations in Pandharpur are not heavy on your wallet, but you will have to hunt around for clean accommodations. You can stay at the MTDC lodgings (minimum 2 people are allowed; a single individual is unlikely to get a room). MTDC Pandharpur Phone Number: 02186-224527, 223312. Alternatively, you can stay at one of the many maths in the town, such as Gajanan Math, Pandharpur (tariff is only Rs.150/-) as recommended in a review (see link at end of this blog post). Ideally, you should stay in comfortable lodgings at Pune and hire a private vehicle or taxi to take you to Pandharpur.

Pandharpur General Tourist Information and Tourist Tips
* Pincode: 413304

* STD code: 021862

* Mobile phones, cameras and handbags (not even a lady's handbag) are not allowed inside the temple. You will have to leave all these possessions at the counter.
* The priests will charge you a large amount (Rs.2000/- +) if you wish to avoid the queue and take a quick darshan!! In fact, most of the priests are simply out to make money. You literally have to bribe them to get darshan and they also insist on taking money for a giving you coconuts and prasad. It is also very difficult to get any Special VIP darshan pass without giving a bribe.

* Avoid so-called helpful people who will tell you where to get darshan passes, where to park, which places to visit in town, etc. They are just touts out to make money.

* If you wish to avoid the serpentine queues, you can have a Mukh Darshan where you can have the darshan of Lord Vithoba from a distance of 20 feet. 

* The public toilet near the temple is said to by unhygienic. Avoid.


If are visiting Vithoba Temple Pandharpur, please do leave your comments and Pandharpur travellers tips below. It would greatly help others. Thanks!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Ashtavinayaka Temples Route Map

This is a map showing the road and rail routes to Ashtavinayak Temples in Maharashtra.



Know more about the Ashtavinayakas: 


8 Ashtavinayak Temples

First Temple: Moreshwar Temple, Morgaon

Second Temple: Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek

Third Temple: Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali

Fourth Temple: Varad Vinayaka Temple, Mahad 

Fifth Temple: Chintamani Vinayaka Temple, Theur 

Sixth Temple: Girijatmaj Vinayaka Temple, Lenyadri 

Seventh Temple: Vigneshwara Temple, Ozhar 

Eighth Temple: Mahaganpati Temple, Ranjangaon

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Ashtavinayak Temples Maharashtra

Ashtavinayakas refers to the 8 incarnations of the Hindu God Ganesha or Ganapati. Vinayaka is one of Lord Ganesha’s many names.


The Ashtavinayaka Yatra is a pilgrimage undertaken by devotees of Lord Ganesha.