Category Archives: Ganesha Shrines in Maharashtra
Nagpur’s Ganesh Mandir Tekdi
Mandai Ganpati Mandal building Rs 1.5-cr temple
Structure to house set of two Lord Ganesha, wife goddess Sharada idols, facing north and east respectively
The 118-year old Akhil Mandai Ganpati Mandal is constructing a permanent temple for Lord Ganesha and his wife goddess Sharada in the vicinity of Mahatma Phule vegetable market. The temple will be housing a set of two idols, facing north and east, respectively.
This is the second permanent temple being constructed by a sarvajanik ganeshotsav mandal. Nine years ago Shrimant Dagdusheth Sarvajanik Ganpati Mandal had constructed a temple in Budhwar Peth.
In good faith: The site near Mahatma Phule Vegetable Market where the construction of a permanent temple is in progress
“The construction work started a few months ago and is expected to get over by the year-end. We are planning to open the temple on the auspicious day of Ganesh Janma (Ganesha’s birthday) in January 2013. Two deities under one roof will be the unique feature of this temple. While one set of idols will be placed in the main temple, the other one will be in the meditation hall,” Akhil Mandai Mandal treasurer Sanjay Matesaid.
Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1.50 crore, the structure is being built by Samarth Constructions. While noted interior designer Abhijeet Pawar is planning its interiors, noted craftsmen Deepak Naik is building the aesthetically carved dome. The temple is being built on an area measuring of 3,000 square feet.
“Apart from getting donations from devotees, major funding is being done by a big business house from Pune,” Mate said. “All the required permissions for constructing the temple have already been sought from the PMC.”
The set of idols that will be placed inside the structure
CCTV security
The temple will have its own security arrangements and a set of 12 CCTV cameras for monitoring suspicious movement on its premises. “We are sure that everything will go smoothly as per schedule,” Mate said.
Expertspeak
“Worshiping two deities in a temple are permissible. While one of the deities will be facing north, the second will be facing east. Both deities have their own importance and people have faith in both of them,” Sanskrit scholar Pandit Vasant Gadgil said.
Move well received
Shrimant Dagdusheth Ganpati Sarvajanik Mandal treasurer Mahesh Suryavanshi welcomed the move of constructing a permanent temple for Akhil Mandai Mandal.
“This is convenient for the devotees, as they can worship their respective deities whenever they want. Dagdusheth Ganpati temple was constructed in 2003 at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crore. Devotees from outside the city visit the temple every Sunday and Tuesday,” said Suryavanshi.
Following suit
The 50-year-old Babu Genu Ganpati Mandal in Tulsibaug area too is planning to construct its own permanent Ganesha temple. The temple will be constructed in the same area soon said the mandal’s treasurer Dilip Jadhav.
Titwala Ganesh Mandir
In the Thane district, Titwala is the place wherein you can find two important sacred places like Titwala ganesh Mandir and Mahaganesha Temple. Devotees from Mumbai come over Titwala to visit this temple mostly during the Sankasthis, Maghi Chaturthi and Ganesh Chaturthis. These temple dates back from the 11th Century bearing the architecture style of Hemadpanti. By appeasing the Ganesh Idol by the sage Kanva, King Dushyant and Devi Shakuntala got a chance of coming together after a long time of disagreement. Here was it when that tie knots with each other.
Titwala Ganesh Mandir is very significant place where the devotees visit having a faith in their mind to fulfill their wishes by offering prayers to Lord Ganesha. Over the entire year this temple is thronged in by visitors as getting here is also very easy, the pilgrims can also reach here through Titwala station which is one of the station in central railway, but you can also conveniently reach the temple through Kalyan station. If you wish to drive to Titwala then too it’s not hard though you can do it from Kalyan, Thane and Mumbai.
Once to reach the temple you can feel the serenity in the air you can here feel that the Ganesh idol is talking to you, the spark in the eyes of the idol and the charm will make you feel has if a true person is ahead you leaning to talk to you. There is arti being held four times in a day which is worth attending.
Every temple and the place as some or other legend attached to it so same is the case with the local people here say that the construction of the Titwala Ganesh Mandir was done by Shakuntala Devi who was the daughter of Apsara Menaka and Vishwamitra Sage, she built this temple to get rid away of the curse due to her short tempered attitude. After taking darshan from the temple you can have a look at the Kalu River ahead of the temple.
Dagduseth Ganpati revisits Vikram Kharvi’s House
Shri Shreemanta Dagduseth Ganpati revisits Vikram Kharvi’s Residence. This is the second year I am bringing bappa home and also the beginning of the second year of this blog. I started this blog just before the Ganesh Chaturti last year simply as personal collection of Bappa’s information, but surprisingly with the lord’s grace this simple blog has grow tremendously attracting thousands of unique visitors each day all round the year. This is the motivation that gets me to work on this blog and keep it updated. I sincerely thank you all for the support and keep visiting and sharing your feedback. May My Lord Ganesha bless you all. Here is a short slideshow of Ganesh Chaturti festival at my residence this year.
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Devotees throng Chintamani temple
TNN
Yavatmal: Devotees and pilgrims from all over the region have started thronging the famous vedic Chintamani temple at Kalamb, 22 km away from the city, for the last couple of days to have a glimpse of the Lord Ganesh and seek his blessings.
There are many legends about the inception of the temple, installation of the idols of Ganesh and other gods and goddesses in and around the temple.
Kalamb, which got its name from the common tree Kadambu found in the area, was known as the city of ’14 Chavadi and 32 Mahals’ and it was the seat of the famous tribal Gond king.
Special seurity arrangements around Dagdusheth Temple
The city police are specially focusing on security around Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple, known to be the biggest attraction during the Ganpati festival in Pune. The religious place is suspected to be on the radar of terror outfits. Pune police commissioner Meeran Borwankar said she recently discussed security issues with members of Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal.
Borwankar said Pune police have received inputs from ATS and other intelligence agencies about the suspected terrorist movements in the city. She said specifications of the inputs could not be shared with media.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of police (special branch) Makrand Ranade said, “All crowded places and those having a history are being looked at. We are considering Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple as the centre. Special security arrangements are made within 2 km radius of the temple. Besides, there is a watch on 89 spots mentioned under our communal riot scheme. Our 300 special branch officers and constables would be keeping a close watch round the clock on sensitive spots.”
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/special-seurity-arrangements-around-dagdusheth-temple/839655/
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Much awarded Ganesh Mandal of Pune keeps Tilak tradition alive
Located in Sahakarnagar bylanes, Aranyeshwar Mandal is one of the few Ganesh mandals that still uphold the tradition started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak of using it as a platform to spread social message and address social issues. Its continuous efforts over the past 52 years has earned the mandal a record 350 awards.
“When we started the mandal, our main aim was to ensure people were informed about socio-political happenings around them so that they could be aware of them. Ever since we have been decorated the mandal only with themes with social relevance,” says Arun Jangawli president of the Mandal.
And for that, the mandal has till date won over 350 awards from different organisations across the state, the latest being Jai Ganesh Bhushan Award bestowed by the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Trust, and which carries a prize of Rs 1 lakh. Having topped the list of best mandals for the last three years, Jangawli says for them, the festival is not an occasion to merely revel and waste money collected by them on smaller things. “We need to focus on what we want to show to people,” he says adding, “Hence we take up themes like pollution, corruption, climate, population explosion and even illnesses like AIDS and swine flu.” In fact, in the 90s, owing to such themes, it was for five years straight from 1995 to 2000 that they won the award given by the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Trust. In addition, they have won awards from the PMC and also from the Rotary Foundation three times each.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/much-awarded-ganesh-mandal-keeps-tilak-tradition-alive/838204/
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Mumbai: On his toes: Bal Ganesh’s balancing act
Lalbaug sculptor pulls off 28 foot-tall Bal Ganesh idol, which rests on three toes, in five days
The sight of Bal Ganesh standing on an elephant’s trunk on three toes may be a treat for the worshipper’s eyes but it’s a difficult idol for a sculptor to make. However, 32 year-old Lalbaug sculptor Rajesh Shinde has pulled off this 28 foot tall work of art with ease.
The 48 year old Khetwadi 8th Lane Sarvajanik Ganehotsav Mandal came up with the idea of the unique idol and approached Shinde to execute it. The 28 foot idol is the tallest in the Khetwadi mandal’s history and in sculptor’s 12 year-old career.
The Bal Ganesh idol, which stands on three toes, weighs about two tonne and was sculpted and painted to perfection in just three days. “I got the order (from Khetwadi mandal) a month ago and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to deliver in just five days. I still took it up as a challenge and by God’s grace I managed pretty well,” Shinde said.
“I started working on the idol on August 25 and I am almost done with it. I just need to finish painting the idol and I intend to do that by Sunday,” he added.
The Vice-Secretary of the Khetwadi 8th Lane mandal, Nilesh Shirdhankar, said, “The sculptor has made the idol in just three days and he has promised to give it the final touches by Sunday. The making of the idol had to be delayed because it had to be made in the pandal that was built only 10 days ago.”
Another mandal member, Abhay Parkar, said, “This is not the first time he made an idol at such short notice. He has been doing this for eight years now. Since our lane is very narrow, we get permission to set up the pandal only 10 days before Ganeshotsav. Of the 10 days, two days go in setting up the pandal, about four to five days go in making the idol and the remaining days we use to decorate it.”
Maharashtra’s own temples of wealth
Bella Jaisinghani, TNN
The unprecedented treasure discovered at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala proves that spirituality is not the only wealth that temples amass. From Mumbais richest Siddhivinayak temple that grosses up to Rs 49 crore annually to the Saibaba temple in Shirdi whose official annual income is in the range of Rs 320 crorea figure said to be conservative at bestthe business of devotion is thriving in Maharashtra.
Boosting its status is the fact that Lord Shani is the deity with the fastest growing number of worshippers in India. Over the past few years,the number of devotees visiting his nodal shrine in the town of Shani Shinganapur has swelled beyond measure. The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati mandal,which is a makeshift pandal,grosses Rs 18 crore during the 10 days of Ganeshotsav.
Breaking with tradition from previous years,temple administrators are no longer wary of disclosing their annual income. Mangesh Shinde,executive officer of Siddhivinayak temple,readily says that Mumbais richest temple earned an annual income of Rs 48. 89 crore in the fiscal year 2010-11. Of this,we received 38 crore by way of donations while puja bookings brought in around Rs 3 crore. Other assets include fixed deposits worth Rs 144 crore,110 kg gold and 1,100 kg silver, says Shinde. We do not own real estate other than the Prabhadevi temple premises.
Sources at the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan put their annual income at Rs 320 crore. However,they add that they reserve hundreds of crores towards welfare schemes every year. Several more go into providing infrastructure and hospitality for tourists;a bus stand that is to be erected in the area must be extraordinary as the budget for it is nothing less than Rs 20 crore. On the one hand,riches beget riches. Visuals of golden ornaments being donated to the Shirdi Sai Sansthan or ornate silver chhatras (umbrellas ) being offered to the Andhericha Raja Ganpati mandal have been known to drive more donors to these sites. Hundreds of bidders arrive at the L a l – b a u g ch a Raja annual auction to buy precious offerings made by devotees each Ganeshotsav.
The pendulum swings in the opposite direction as well. We would prefer not to be included in the list of richest temples in the country, says the spokesperson of a prominent shrine in the state. This negatively prejudices not just devotees,but also government sources. They tend to hold back donations or funding for infrastructure. Individuals tend to divert their charity elsewhere.
Kasba Ganpati Road chokes in road works, heavy traffic
TNN
Pune: If you are planning to visit the Kasba Ganpati, make sure you have enough time in hand to wait at the traffic jams. For the ongoing concretisation work on a 300 metre portion of the road near Kasba Ganpati temple has resulted in the road becoming chock-ablock with traffic.
With the monsoon already here, the road, which is narrow as per urban norms, has become a nightmare for the citizens, who, now, only hope that the work is over soon. The concretisation had started in early May.
The temple, known as the gram-daivat (presiding deity) of Pune city, is also a tourist attraction and witnesses large number of devotees and tourists visiting. To ease the congestion, the vendors outside the temple have been allocated spots to set up small shops.
Kasba Peth also has an online booking facility for Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. With hundreds of devotees visiting the centre daily for booking their tickets, the place is always crowded.
Vishal Chaudhari, a salesman in Kasba Peth, says, “The road is blocked by heavy traffic every day due to the concretization work. No barricades are placed to prevent the commuters from entering the under-construction part on the road. Instead of erecting iron barricades, the corporation has put thin stripes that are not visible at night, causing a major inconvenience to the residents.”
Congress corporator from the area Vidya Bhokare claims the work was slightly delayed as electricity and other underground cables had to be shifted to the side of the road. We are expecting the work to be over by next week, says Bhokare.
Sachin Mhaswade, a private bank employee, fears that if it starts raining heavily, the underconstruction area will be waterlogged . “As there are no visible barricades, commuters might fall into the duct, especially during rains. It is dangerous as the construction is on in a residential area where children play in the evening .”
Sunil Kesari, ward officer of the area, observes, “Kasba peth, with all its narrow roads and traffic congestion, had unique problems , such as non-availability of free land for dumping the construction material, apart from typical issues such as delay in issuing tenders and work orders. However, efforts are on to complete the construction work as soon as possible.”
MLA Girish Bapat says, “The work might be delayed because of the shifting of the duct to the roadside for laying various cables . But, the work would be finished soon and once it’s completed traffic situation will ease. The concretised, wide road will solve the bottleneck near the temple.”
