The Siddhivinayak Temple is a very famous Ganpati temple located in the Prabhadevi area of Dadar in Mumbai. It is one of the most popular Ganesha temples in India. While the temple attracts millions of visitors throughout the year, the crowds are more during the Ganeshotsav celebrations. The temple also organises its own Ganeshotsav celebrations by bringing in a separate idol and venerating it for all 10 days. In this article, we give you more information about the history of this temple and how to get there. Kesari Wada Ganpati or Manache 5 Ganpati Location in Pune: Know History and How To Reach To Offer Prayers to the Famous Ganpati Idol.

Siddhivinayak Ganpati History

The temple was originally built in 1801 by Laxman Vithu Patil, a contractor, and Deubai Patil, a wealthy woman. Deubai was childless and had built the temple in the hope that Ganesha would grant her a child. The temple is said to have been built on the site of a neem tree, under which a 2.5-foot-tall (0.76 m) black stone idol of Ganesha was discovered. This idol is now the main deity of the temple. This idol is chaturbhuj or having four hands, holding a garland of holy beads, a lotus, a small axe, and a plate of modak in each. On the forehead of the idol is the third eye resembling Lord Shiva. 

Today, the renovated temple is a five-storey building with a central shrine dedicated to Ganesha. It also has shrines dedicated to other Hindu deities, such as Shiva, Vishnu, and Lakshmi. Tulshibaug Ganpati in Pune: Know History, Location and How To Reach 'Manacha Chowtha Ganpati' Mandir.

According to local legends, Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj, an ardent follower of Akkalkot Swami Samarth, a Hindu saint, had buried two idols in front of the Siddhivinayak idol as per the instructions of his guru. As was foretold by Swami Samarth, 21 years later, a tree grew at the spot, and it had an image of Svayambhu Ganesha on its branches.

The Ganeshotsav festival is celebrated in the temple with great pomp and ceremony. On Ganesh Chaturthi, the Ganesha idol is brought to the temple in a grand procession and is then worshipped for 10 days. During the Ganeshotsav festival, the temple is visited by millions of devotees from all over India. 

How to Get There?

By Train: The nearest railway station to the temple is Dadar Railway Station. It is just 3 km away from the temple. You can take any train that goes to Dadar and then walk or take a cab to the temple.

By Road: There are many buses that ply to Siddhivinayak Temple from different parts of Mumbai. You can also take a direct cab and reach Dadar via the Eastern Express Highway. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2023 08:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).