Mahaganapati Temple

In the Ashtavinayak yatra

The Ashtavinayak are eight Ganesha temples in Maharashtra. According to Maharashtra Tourism the yatra begins and ends at Morgaon: Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar, Ranjangaon and back to Morgaon. Ranjangaon is the last temple, after which pilgrims return to Morgaon. Tradition holds all eight images to be swayambhu, found in natural form rather than carved (Maharashtra Tourism leaflet).

The story (by tradition)

The temple trust’s old website gave this story: Tripurasura was born of the sage Gritsamada’s sneeze and received three cities (puras) as a boon from Ganesha. Shiva could not defeat him; then he invoked Ganesha with a six-syllable mantra and recited the Sahasranama, and destroyed the three cities with a single arrow. According to Maharashtra Tourism Shiva worshipped Ganesha here and installed the image. The trust names no Purana.

The temple

According to the trust’s old website the temple faces east, has Jaya and Vijaya at the door, and during Dakshinayana the sun’s rays fall on the image; the image sits cross-legged with its trunk to the left and Riddhi and Siddhi on either side; the sanctum was built by the Peshwa Madhavrao. According to the Poona gazetteer (1885) the temple had been built about two hundred years earlier by Chintamanrao Maharaj, the second Dev of Chinchwad, and was plundered by the Mughals in 1751.

How to reach Mahaganapati

• According to Maharashtra Tourism Ranjangaon is 50 km from Pune on the Pune-Ahmednagar highway, with Pune airport about 50 km away; according to the trust’s old website the nearest railway station is Pune Junction, 50 km.

Main festivals

Where the sources differ

• Who built the temple: the trust’s old website said "Sardar Kine"; its 2023 version says "Sardar Kibe" of Indore restored it, and Maharashtra Tourism credits him with the wooden hall; the Poona gazetteer names Chintamanrao Maharaj Deo of Chinchwad. Maharashtra Tourism dates the temple to the 9th-10th century and also lists additions by Malharrao Holkar and Mahadji Shinde.
• Both websites of the temple trust (Shree Kshetra Ranjangaon Ganpati Devsthan Trust) no longer open; the times on their archived copies (5 am to 10 pm, and 7 am to 10 pm in 2023) cannot be relied on as current, so no times are given here.
• The order of the yatra: Maharashtra Tourism gives Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar, Ranjangaon and back to Morgaon. The Ranjangaon trust’s old website (archived copy of 2019) puts Siddhatek near the end: Morgaon, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar, Ranjangaon, Siddhatek and back to Morgaon.

Frequently asked questions