Friday, December 08, 2023

Ashtavinayaka


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtavinayaka

 Ashtavinayaka is a Sanskrit term which means "eight Ganeshas". The Ashtavinayaka Yatra refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in the state of Maharashtra, India, centered around the city of Pune. The eight temples house eight distinct idols of Ganesha, the Hindu deity of unity, prosperity, learning, and removing obstacles. Each of these temples has its own individual legend and history, as distinct from each other as the murtis in each temple. The form of each murti of Ganesha and his trunk are distinct from one another. There are other temples of eight Ganesha in various other parts of Maharashtra; however, the ones around Pune are more well known and visited. To complete the Ashtavinayaka Yatra, one must revisit the first temple after visiting all the eight temples.

Out of these 8 Temples, 6 are in Pune and 2 are in Raigad District.

The pilgrimage takes 3 days to complete. As per scriptures travel starts from Moreswar in Moregaon then Siddhivinayak temple of Siddhtek, Pali, Mhad, Theur Chintamani Ganesh in Pune, Lenyandri, Ojar, Ranjangaon then back to Moregaon where pilgrimage had started.

Ashtavinayaka Temples
#TempleLocation
1Mayureshwar TempleMorgaon, Pune district
2Siddhivinayak TempleSiddhatekAhmednagar district
3Ballaleshwar TemplePaliRaigad district
4Varadavinayak Temple[4]Mahad, Raigad district
5Chintamani TempleTheur, Pune district
6Girijatmaj TempleLenyadriPune district
7Vighneshwar TempleOzar, Pune district
8Mahaganapati TempleRanjangaonPune district

Traditionally, Moreshwar of Moregaon is the first temple visited by the pilgrims. The temples should be visited in this order Moregaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyandri, Ozar, Ranjangaon. The pilgrimage is concluded with a second visit to Moregaon.

All these murtis are called svayambhu idols in Sanskrit (self-originating/self-existent images, and not carved images).

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