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.
