Siddheshwar Temple

Overview

Siddhi Vinayak Temple is situated in the village of Siddhatek, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra and also one of the Ashta-vinayaka Temples. Ashta-vinayaka temples are the eight holy temples dedicated to Lord Ganesh, the elephant headed god, who is called as the god of wisdom. Siddhi Vinayak Temple is the only Ashta-vinayaka temple located in the district of Ahmednagar.

About the Temple

The original Siddhi Vinayak Temple was believed to be built by Lord Vishnu, and it was destroyed over time. Later, the vision of idol was found by a cowherd and soon people came to worship. The present structure of the temple was built in the 1700’s by Ahilyabai Holkar, who was the Holkar Queen of the Maratha ruled Malwa kingdom. There is a chamber in the temple which stores kettle drums and there is also a pathway to the main entrance of the temple, which was built by Sardar Haripant Phadke, an official with the Peshwa rulers who was said to have got the role of commander-in-chief by praying to Lord Siddhi Vinayak 21 times every day by circumambulating the temple for 21 times. The broken assembly hall of the temple which was earlier built by Mairal, a landlord from Baroda, was also rebuilt in 1970.
Unlike the other temples, the trunk of the sacred idol of Lord Ganesh here is tilted towards its right, which is usually tilted to its left. It is said that the right tilted Ganesh is very hard to please but more powerful. Hence, the temple is called as Jagrut Kshetra, where the peculiar form of Lord Ganesh is considered to be more powerful. Sanctum sanctorum of the temple is 15 feet high and 10 feet wide. It has Jaya and Vijaya, the Dwarapalas (gatekeepers) of the abode of Lord Vishnu, sculpted in brass. The Siddhi Vinayak temple is constructed using black stone and the temple faces towards the north. The specific feature is that the doorway of the main temple contains a small diabolic head sculptured on it. The temple contains a special image of Shiva-Panchayatana, the worship of five deities, where the idol of Lord Shiva is surrounded by Lord Ganesh, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Devi and the Sun god, Surya.

About the Deity

The Main deity of this temple is Lord Ganesh, the god of wisdom, who is called here by the name Siddhi Vinayak. The idol is believed to be self-manifested. Lord Ganesh is seen with Goddess Siddhi, the consort of Lord Ganesh, who is often with garlands and flowers. The saint Morya Gosavi, a prominent saint of the Hindu Ganapatya sect, which considers Ganesh as the Supreme Being, and Narayan Maharaj, an Indian spiritual leader, worshipped at this temple and attained Siddhi.

Legend and Stories

According to legend, Lord Brahma, with the blessings of Lord Ganesh, was busy in creating the world. Meanwhile, Lord Vishnu fell asleep and two demons, Madhu and Kaitabh, emerged from Vishnu’s ears and started troubling all gods, goddesses and sages. Knowing that only, Lord Vishnu could kill the demons, the gods requested to kill them. Though he fought for about 5000 years, he failed to defeat them. On the advice of Shiva, Vishnu worshipped Lord Ganesh and was then successful in killing the demons. Hence, the place where Vishnu performed penance and got Siddhi, is known as Siddhatek and Lord Ganesh is known as Siddhi Vinayaka.

Festivals

Ganesh Chaturthi – August/September
Ganesh Jayanti – January/February
Vijayadashami – October

Poojas Timing

Ganesh Pooja – 4.30 AM to 5.00 AM
Offering of Khichadi Neivedyam – 10.00 AM
Panchamurti Pooja – 11.00 AM
Offereing of Mahanaivedyam – 12.00 noon
Dhooparati – 8.30 p.m. to 9.15

Nearby Place To Visit

Datta Temple
Amruteshwar Temple
Siddheswar Temple
Shri Vishal Ganapati Temple
Vriddheshwar Temple
Durga Temple
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple

Accessibility

Road

State transport buses are available at the stop Shirapur, which is about 1 km prior to Siddhatek. The temple is also accessible from the small village of Shirapur in Pune district, on the southern bank of the river, from where it can be reached by boat.

Railways

Nearest railway station to Siddhi Vinayak temple is Daund lies on Pune-Solapur railway line, which is about 19 km from Siddhatek

Temple Address

Siddhi Vinayak Temple,
Siddhatek,
Ahmednagar District,
Maharashtra.