Category Archives: Ganesha Shrines in Pune
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.
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.”
Kasba Ganapati temple’s restoration is half over
TheKasba Ganapati temple of Pune, is being restored to the way it looked some 450 years ago when it was developed by Jijabai and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which started the restoration of this grade I heritage structure a year ago, has completed more than half the work.
Apart from strengthening the original structure, restoration work such as re-establishing the structure’s original elevation, reducing dead load and removing unwanted alterations that took place during the last few centuries, have been undertaken in compliance with heritage norms.
Though a private property, the temple had received state funding of Rs 40 lakh for restoration.
Deputy city engineer Shyaam Dhavalaey of the heritage cell of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, “The stone temple dates back to the Yadava dynasty, and has some elements of its architecture. It has also seen the Peshwa dynasty, as the wooden ‘sabha mandap’ exudes typical Maratha architectural traces. The temple has undergone numerous developments over a period of time. The structure had become weak, leading to its devaluation. Hence the restorations work.”
The civic body wants to re-establish the structure’s heritage value and restore it to its original form, he said.
Dhavalaey said Kasba Peth it was MLA Girish Bapat’s keen interest in getting the restoration work done that helped get the fund for the project.
The structure was surveyed during the first phase, followed by structural auditing. “Stone, traditional brickwork and a wooden ‘sabha mandap’ were the structural components that were found. It underwent non-destructive testing (NDT), a wide group of analyses techniques used to evaluate its properties without damaging its woodwork,” Dhavalaey said.
The original elevation or the front portion of the structure was restored after these procedures. “The elevation wall was plastered. We removed the plaster through the processes of grinding and pointing, so that the original brick work could be exposed. The roof of the temple has also been strengthened. The galvanised iron sheets, which had been put during earlier periods, were replaced by specially-manufactured half-round tiles, the original roof,” Dhavalaey said.
Source: Times of India
Dagduseth out on streets of Pune
Image via Wikipedia
A procession of Shrimant Dagdu Sheth Halwai Ganpati was taken out on Monday on the occasion of Ganesh Jayanti, the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The procession in a silver chariot started from the temple in Budhwar Peth and passed through Belbaugh Chowk and Tilak Chowk and ended at the temple. All small and big Ganpati mandals celebrated the occasion with great enthusiasm and vigour. At Dagdu Sheth, the temple was open to the devotees from 4 am onwards. At 6 am the Ganesh yagya began, which was performed by five couples under the leadership of priests. At 11am Ganpati stavan (sholka) were recited by devotees and Ganpati’s birth was celebrated at noon, said treasurer Mahesh Suryavanshi. He said, “At 12.30pm a mahaarti took place in the temple. The procession began at 6 pm in the evening and ended in two hours. Thousands of devotees thronged the Ganpati temples on this day.” Ganesh Jayanti, which falls on Magh Shukl Chaturthi (Hindu calendar), is revered by Ganesh devotees, who fast for the entire day. The festival is celebrated on a large scale in Mumbai as the families also spend day in various celebrations.
Source: DNA
Kasba Ganpati – Pune’s first temple of honour
Image via Wikipedia
To understand the true essence of the Ganeshotsav in Pune, a visit to the five ‘manache Ganpati’ or temples of honour is a must. Just few yards away from each other, they have been famous since hundreds of years in the old city of Pune. It is believed that celebrations of the festivities are incomplete without seeking their blessings; therefore, thousands of devotees flock here during the ten day festival.
The first in the list is Kasba Ganpati which is considered to be the oldest deity of Pune. We at The Punekar reveal a few facts about the divine Kasba Ganpati.
History
It is said that the idol of Ganesha was first found outside the house of Vinayak Thakar, an inhabitant, close to the residence of Queen Jijabai. Considering this as auspicious, Jijabai promptly decided to come up with a temple and started worshipping the lord. The Peshwas were known to be the ardent followers of Ganesha and during their regime; grand celebrations were experienced at Shaniwarwada.
Today the Kasba Ganpati Mandal has kept the tradition alive and organises massive celebrations to mark the Ganesh festival.
Celebrations
The ten day long festival is celebrated with zeal and gusto by the association. During the festivities, members arrange for several cultural, social and personal developmental programs. The cultural programs include bhajans, satsangs, dance and singing competitions. Free eye and blood check up camps are also arranged to help the needy.
Social issues have also been the prime concern of this mandal and hence they use this festival as a medium to create awareness about sensitive and important subjects. Women empowerment is another area the mandal concentrates on and therefore one of the days is dedicated to the women. On that particular day, women are in charge of entire activity of the mandal. Right from performing puja to doing rangoli, prasad and handling the guests, all is managed by the participating women.
Procession
Ganesh Utsav in Pune was initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Ganpati to bring people together. But as time passed, who would lead the immersion procession became a matter of pride for every mandal, rising to disputes amongst them. To resolve their differences, Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave Kasba Ganpati the privilege of leading the procession as it is the Gram Devat or the presiding deity of Pune. Since then, the Kasba idol has been leading the procession.
The procession of Kasba Ganpati is unique as they have banned the use of gulal as it is hazardous to health. During the immersion process, the idol is placed in a silver palkhi and carried by the devotees. Throughout the procession, volunteers dance to the tunes of dhol, making the entire procession memorable for onlookers.
