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The most beloved God of the Hindus, Lord Ganesh or Ganpati. He is the one who brings happiness and prosperity even for the most depressed soul. Lord Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the ‘Deva’ of intellect and wisdom, Lord Ganesha (also known as Ganpati and Vinayaka) is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu religion. As the God of beginnings, he is honored at the start of rituals and ceremonies.
He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and the brother of Lord Kartikeya, Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Being the embodiment of three virtues namely Buddhi, Siddhi and Riddhi known as wisdom, spirituality and prosperity respectively, Lord Ganesha is the personification of Buddhi Himself. The other two virtues are personified as Goddesses and considered to be the consorts of Lord Ganesha. Though there are different opinions on His marital status, both Puranas – Mudgala and Shiva Purana which are considered as authority, talk about the marital life of Lord Ganesha.
Ganesha is often portrayed in different forms and postures : He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down or on an elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
Characterized by his mystical appearance – Lord Ganesha has the head of an Elephant, a Human body and a rotund belly. He is usually depicted with four hands and carries a pasha (noose) and a goad (axe) in the upper hands. One of the lower hands of Lord Ganesha is shown in Abhay Mudra while in the other lower hand He holds a bowl full of Modaks.
The motif of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a particularly archaic feature. The elephant deity is considered to be the Lord of good fortune, success, education, knowledge, wisdom, and wealth, and destroyer of evils. He is superior of all the Hindu Gods and is always prayed first, be it any special occasion like marriage, birth of a child, or beginning of new life. There are many famous ancient temples in India, dedicated to Lord Ganesha that worshipers can’t resist but visit. Here is a list of 10 most ancient, beautiful and famous Ganesh temples in India that deserves to be seen on one’s spiritual tours.
Shree Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai
This majestic temple situated in the village of Siddhatek, 100 km from Pune, is counted among India’s most popular Ganpati temples, visited by a large number of tourists every day, especially during Ganesh Chaturthi. The sanctum was built by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore who was childless, in a belief that it would advantage other women with no child. A lot of celebrities and famous personalities visit this ancient temple to offer their prayers to the elephant deity. Located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, the Siddhivinayak Ganpati Mandir looks very beautiful during night, when the temple complex is decorated with lights and flowers. The Ganesh idol of Shree Siddhivinayak is placed in brass frame. In the sanctum, one can find a Shiva-panchayatana and a shrine to Goddess Shivai. God Vishnu is supposed to have vanquished the asuras Madhu and Kaitabh after propitiating Ganesha here. This is one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples and the only idol among them with the trunk.
Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple, Pune
Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple is the second most popular temple after Shree Sidhivinayak Temple, dedicated to Lord Ganpati, especially in Maharashtra. It is located in Pune and is visited by a large number of tourists from all over the country. The temple trust is one of the richest in India and is famous for its intrinsic designs and its Golden idol, which is believed to the most beautiful part of the temple. This majestic temple was built by Shrimant Dagusheth Halwai, who was a sweet-maker by profession, when he lost his son to plague. Managed by the Halwai Ganapati Trust, the temple looks its best during Ganeshotsava, when the whole structure is decorated with lights and flowers.
Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple, Chittoor
This beautiful temple is located approximately 75 kms away from Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is among the best ancient Ganapati temples in India, known for its historic structure and intrinsic designs. Worshippers from different parts of the country visit this temple to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha, whose idol has three colors on its forehead, white, yellow and red. The temple was built by the Chola King Kulothings Chola I in the 11th century to resolve the dispute between the people and to put an end to the evil. A lot of people who visit this magical temple of Lord Ganapati, takes a dip in the holy water of the temple to clear their sin and resolve problems. Brahmotsavam is the main festival of this temple, celebrated every year during Vinayaka Chaturthi.
Manakula Vinayaka Temple, Pondicherry
Manakula Vinayaka Temple was constructed during the French territory of Pondicherry that dates back to 1666 years ago. This majestic building is named after a pond (Kulam) that used to be located inside the temple with sands blown in from the seashores. It is believed that the Ganesha idol here was being thrown into the sea several times, but it reappeared in the same place every day, making the place famous among worshippers. Till date, the idol is positioned at the same spot in the center of the French Colony. Brahmotsava and Ganesh Chaturthi are two most important festivals of the temple, celebrated with great fervor and zeal by the people of Pondicherry. The temple has an elephant, whom the visitors offer a coin to get a pat on their head through his trunk as a blessing.
Complete List of Ganesh Temples
Madhur Mahaganapathi Temple, Kerala
This 10th century old temple is located on the banks of the Madhuvahini River in Kasaragod, Kerala. Known for its architectural beauty and historic structure, this beautiful temple was built by the Mypadi Rajas of Kumbla. It is believed that the temple has an idol of Lord Ganesha, which is not made of stone or soil but of a different material. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva, however, the uniqueness of the idol of Lord Ganesha, makes this temple popular among tourists. Some people also believe that once Tipu Sultan visited the temple with an intend to destroy it, but something changed his mind and he left it the way it is now. The temple has a pond, which is believed to possess medicinal and curative properties that can heal anyone with skin illness or other rare disease. Moodappa Seva is a special festival celebrated here, in which, the statue of Lord Ganapati is covered with a mixture of sweet rice and ghee called Moodappam.
Ranthambore Ganesh Temple, Rajasthan
Surely, Ranthambore National Park is one of the best tourist places in India, visited by nature lovers, and wildlife enthusiasts. But, the park is widely visited by pilgrims and religious travelers to seek the blessings of three-eyed god called ‘Trinetra Ganesh,’ whose temple is located atop Ranthambore’s historic 1000-year-old fort. This beautiful temple is so popular that people from different corners of the country send mails and wedding cards to the god to seek his blessings & love. It is believed that the temple received the wedding invitation of Lord Krishna and Rukmani some thousands years back and since then, the people send their wedding invitations to the God. Ranthambore Ganesh Temple is around 6500 years old, visited by approximately one million people over 3-4 days during Ganesh Mela, held every year during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple, Jaipur
Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple in Jaipur was constructed by Seth Jai Ram Paliwal in the 18th century to seek blessings of Lord Ganesha before every special occasion. Positioned on a small hill, this religious spot is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Jaipur, frequented by worshippers from different corners of the country every day. An exotic palace named ‘Moti Dungri Palace’, which belonged to Rajmata Gaytri Devi is also located in the same vicinity as that of the temple and a lot of visitors visit it too. The intricate stone carving and its exquisite lattice work in the temple, makes it a must visit destination for tourists, especially history lovers and art lovers. Ganesh Chaturthi is the main festival celebrated in this temple.
Ganpatipule Temple, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
One thing which makes this temple unique is the fact that the Ganesh idol in this temple faces west instead of east. Also, the locals believe that the idol of Lord Ganesha is not placed by anyone, but is self-evolved. Legend has it that once a cow of a local cowman, stopped giving milk and had only started it again at a particular spot on the reef, where later a stone emerged with an image of Lord Ganesha. Since that day the place was declared a holy spot and people started praying to the stone naming the spot Ganapatipule Temple. The temple is constructed in a way that sunlight falls directly on the idol of Ganesha in the months of February and November.
Rockfort Ucchi Pillayar Koil Temple, Tamil Nadu
This majestic temple, perched on top of a hill in the Tiruchirappalli town of Tamil Nadu, holds a significant importance amid Hindus. There is a long story behind the origin of the temple. It says that after killing Ravana, Lord Ram gifted an idol of Lord Ranganatha to Vibhishana, instructing him that the idol take root wherever it is placed. Since, Vibhishana was the brother of Ravana, many gods didn’t want him to take the idol to Lanka, so they entreated Lord Ganesha to stop Vibhishana from returning to Lanka. On his way back to Lanka, Vibhishana came across with beautiful Kaveri River and decided to take a dip in it. Same time, Lord Ganesha appeared in front of Vibhishana as a young cowherd and offered to hold the idol while he takes a bath. The moment Vibhishana handed him the idol, Lord Ganesha put it on the sandy banks of the river. This made Vibhishana very angry and he ran after Lord Ganesha and finally caught him up and hit him on the forehead. That’s when Lord Ganesh came in his real form and Vibhishana started to apologize to him. The very place became the Ucchi Pillayar Temple and the place where the idol of Lord Ranganatha was placed became the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple.
Sassive Kalu & Kadale Kalu Ganesha, Hampi, Karnataka
Sassive Kalu & Kadale Kalu Ganesha Temple is one of the prime attractions in Hampi, which once used to be the glorious capital of the Vijaynagar Empire. This temple has two unique idols of Lord Ganesha that dates back to 1440 AD and several images of other deities that too are very old. The statues of Lord Ganesha here are believed to be the largest Ganesha statues in Karnataka. Some people say that once the troops of the Deccan Sultanate broke the stomach of the statue, believing it contained jewels, a crack in the idol of Lord Ganesha, which looked like a gram seed was seen almost immediately. Since then the name of the idol was kept ‘Kadale Kalu Ganesh.’
Devotees believe that a trip to these famous Ganapati temples, will bring success and prosperity in their lives. So, if one is planning to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha, visit these famous ancient Ganapati temples in India, and make your pilgrimage tour a rather memorable journey.
