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| Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai |
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 Siddhi
Vinayak temple devoted to Ganesh, Shree Siddhinvinayak
is the source of all arts, knowledge and intelligence.
Prayers are offered to Shree Ganesh before any other
worship or before any auspicious work. Prayers to
Shree Siddhivinayak from Kakad Arti in the morning
to Shayanarti in the nights evokes Ashtasatvi Bhav
in the devotees, the elephant-headed God of Good
Fortune is located at Prabhadev in Mumbai. Temples
dedicated to Ganesh are very famous as Shree Ganesh
is the first to be worshipped before beginning any
new project or venture as he Vighnaharta, the destroyer
of obstacles. Tuesday is the main day of darshan
and puja, but this temple is frequented by hundreds
of devotees everyday.. Even the never-ending long
hours of wait do not discourage the devot from seeking
the blessing of Lord Ganesha.
Shree Ganesh is the first to be worshipped before
beginning any new project or venture as he is the
destroyer of obstacles (vighnaharta). This beautiful
temple is situated at Prabhadevi area of Mumbai,
this popular temple dedicated to Ganesh was rebuilt
on the site of a 200-year old temple. This temple
was first consecrated on Thursday 19th November
1801. Siddhatekcha Shri Siddhi Vinayak is considered
to be one of the Ashta Vinayak shrines of Maharashtra,
celebrating eight instances of legends related to
Ganesha. Siddhivinayak is also one of the names
of Ganapati. Siddhtek is a remote little village
along the river Bhima which flows southwards in
the Ahmednagar district and Karjat taluka in Maharashtra.
One remarkable thing about the river is that however
rapid its flow it does not make any sound while
flowing. The Siddhivinayak at Siddhtek is considered
an especially powerful deity. It is believed that
it was here on the Siddhtek Mountain, that Vishnu
acquired Siddhi. At Siddhatek Lord ganesh gave Darshan
to God Vishnu.The temple is said to have been built
by Lord Vishnu. Near the temple there are small
temples of other Gods Like God Shiva, Goddess Shitala,
Lord Vishnu.
Shree Siddhivinayak's temple is on a hill top facing
north. The sanctum of the temple, which is fifteen
feet high & ten feet broad was built by Ahilyabai
Holkar. The swayambhu idol of Shree Siddhivinayaka
is placed in a brass frame. Brass idols of Jay &
Vijay are placed on both sides of Siddhivinayaka.
In the sanctum itself there is a Shivapanchayatan
& goddess Shivai's small temple. The hall of
the temple was previously built by Baroda's landlord
late Shri Mairal. It was broken in 1939 & was
rebuilt by Ganesh's devotees in 1970. Nagarkhana
on the main gate was built in memory of Shree Haripant
Phadke. Legend has it Mahavishnu who was engaged
in a serious battle against the demons Madhu and
Kaitabha, was dismayed by his inability to bring
the battle to a quick and decisive finish. Shiva
advised him to propitate Ganesha. Upon doing so,
Ganesha appeared on the battlefield, and his appearance
strengthened Mahavishnu's resolve and abilities
and enabled him to vanquish the demons with ease.
Ganesha's appearance on the battlefield is marked
by the Siddhivinayak shrine at Siddhatek, said to
be capable of granting Siddhi. Mahavishnu is worshipped
as the destroyer of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha
at Tiruvallur near Chennai in Tamilnadu, and as
the restorer of the Vedas from the same demons,
at Indalur in Mayiladuturai near Thanjavur again
in Tamilnadu, both these temples being over 1200
years old. Another Legend,It is said that, years
ago there was a heap of ashes from this sacrificial
fire. However, this place is now covered by water.
The road leading to the main temple was built by
the Peshwa's Senapati Haripant Phadke.
The first floor of the five-storied structure comprises
of a mezzanine gallery, from where Darshan of The
Lord can be easily obtained. It is also used for
performing pujas, and Abhisheks on Tuesday, Sankashti
Chaturthi and Angaraki Chaturthi. The devotees earn
the satisfaction of seeking the blessing of The
Lord by taking a devoted look at the Kalash. The
idol has not been touched in the process of rebuilding
the temple, so as to ensure that there is no human
transgression in the area from the point at which
the idol is situated. The Gabhara of the new temple
structure has been designed with an aim to attain
maximum convenience and comfort for the devotees.
It is a spacious enclosure with 3 main doors of
about 13 feet height. This facilitates the 'Darshan'
of Sri Siddhivinayak from either the area surrounding
the Gabhara or the stage (Sabha Mandap) constructed
to conduct pujas and festivities. The area surrounding
the Gabhara has been designed as a sitting area
and the stage adjoining the same is utilised as
a platform for common Darshan sought by the devotees
who are unable to spend hours in serpentine queues
to go inside the Gabhara. It is an octagonal enclosure,
about 10 feet wide consisting of a silver plated
Makhar (a smaller structure within the Gabhara housing
the idol of The Lord). The dome inside the Gabhara
is gold plated - designed to enhance the beauty
of the idol. An exquisite chandelier lights up the
Gabhara, making it a sight never to be forgotten.
The temple as it stands now was re-constructed five
years ago after deliberations with experts on Hindu
religion and customs, so as to maintain the sanctity
of the idol as per the Hindu Shastras. The temple
has a Kalash, which is a pointed dome of 12 feet
high Gabhara (sanctum sanctorum) weighing 1500Kgs
and plated in gold. The Kalash, which adorned the
earlier temple was lowered with proper rituals and
is kept as an exhibit within the temple premises.
The three main doors, which are used for entry and
exit by the devotees, are made of perforated wood,
depicting Ashta Ganapati, Ashta Laxmi and Dashavatar.
The priests and the employees assisting them to
carry routine functions use the two side doors.
The idol of Shree Siddhivinayak is of black stone
and is 2.5 feet high and 2 feet wide, with the trunk
on the right is considered to be the dynamic form
of Ganpati. The idol is Gajmukh, however the belly
of the idol is not big. Riddhi & Siddhi are
sitting on each lap of Vinayaka. The face is very
calm & serene. The statue is in one corner of
a hillock. The pradakshana (circumnavigation) of
this God is said to be very fruitful. One has to
travel 5 km to complete one Pradkshana as the idol
is attached to the hill itself. Devotees who wish
to circumambulate the temple have to go round the
entire hillock. This takes about thirty minutes.
The idol made of black stone was placed in a small
structure; the existing temple was rebuilt on the
site of a 200-year old temple. The idol of Ganpati
has four arms therefore He is also called Chaturbhuj.
A lotus is held in the upper right hand symbolises
auspicious piety and a small axe in the upper left,
a holy rosary of beads (Japmala) are held in the
lower right and a bowl full of Modaks (a delicacy
which is a perennial favorite with Sri Siddhivinayak)
in the lower left. The seated glowing idol of Shree
Siddhivinayak with deity on both sides are Riddhi
and Siddhi, a sign of great purity and power or
’jagrata’. On the forehead of the deity
there is an eye, which resembles the third eye of
Lord Shiva. Shree Siddhivinayak himself follows
Bhramhatva. His snake shaped sacred thread with
Brair Tej bestows knowledge & wisdom to all.
Lord Shiva has provided his dutiful son Shree Siddhivinayak
with his fiery eye to destroy evil (thoughts) from
within the wicked. This is a unique feature this
particular vigilant deity. It cannot be seen in
any other Ganesh idol. The sanctum sanctorum housing
the deity was altered time and again and finally
gave way to a monolithic and magnificent structure,
which was accomplished by a series of rituals, which
lasted a fortnight.
A wide variety of Poojas (religious rituals) can
be performed within the temple premises on payment
of a nominal fee : the Panchamrut Pooja, Shree Satyanarayana
Pooja and Laghurudra. The Temple opens at 4.00 o'
clock in the morning. From 4.30 a.m. to 5.00 a.m.
Ganesh Pooja is performed. Khichadi Naivedyam is
offered at 10.00 o' clock in morning, Panchamrut
(milk, curd, honey, ghee) pooja is done at 11.00
a.m. & Mahanaivedyam is offered at 12.00 noon.
Third pooja is performed after sunset. Dhooparati
takes place from 8.30 p.m. to 9.15 p.m. & the
temple closes for the day. On auspicious Tuesdays,
the serpentine queue of worshippers is over 2kms
long. People stand for several hours with offerings
of flowers and coconut, waiting patiently for a
two minute "Darshan" or meeting with the
Lord. The path to the divine is never easy, but
it is said that those who tread it with true devotion
will always have their wishes fulfilled. Bhadrapada
& Magh Shudh Pratipada to Panchami (from 1st
day to 5th day) are celebrated on a grand scale.
Maha Pooja & Maha Naivedyam are offered continuously
for three days. Palanquin of Siddhivinayak sets
out at 8.00 p.m. continuously for 3 nights. Shree
Dharanidhar Chintaman Dev is the landlord of Siddhatek.
The morning karpoor (camphor) Aarati is sponsored
by him.The land revenue is utilised towards the
expenses of the festivals, Naivedyam & Nandadeep.
Large number of devotees attend the Magh festival. |
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