Ganeshotsav 2022: Ashtavinayak yatra, a pilgrimage of eight Ganesh temples in Maharashtra

The Ashtavinayak yatra refers to a pilgrimage of eight Ganesh temples in Maharashtra, each with its own distinctive idol and history. The pilgrimage is undertaken by road through beautiful countryside in Pune, Ahmednagar and Raigad districts. Devotees believe thatthe idols at the eight temples manifested themselves (Swayambhu in Sanskrit) and were not carved by human hand.

Of these, the idol atthe Girijatmaj temple at Lenyadri, (Pune), is formed from a single rock and is located in a cave. The idol is said to represent the birth of Lord Ganesh.

Speaking to 'The Free Press Journal', Vishal Tamhane,the temple priest for more than a decade, recounted the story of Ganesh related to the temple. “The story goes that it was at this location that Parvati, the mother of Ganesh, performed penance to beget her son. 'Girija' means mother Parvati and 'Maj' refers to her son Ganesh.”

Tamhane said the idol was created naturally in the cave complex, which is more than 5,000 years old. One has to ascend 340 steps to reach the temple. The cave is also known as Ganesh Leni — leni is the Marathi term for cave.

On average, more than 5,000 pilgrims visit the temple every day.The number tops 10,000 during the festivals, Tamhane added.

During the pandemic, like other religious places, the temple was closed. Instead, a portionof its premises was converted into a Covid care centre.

Recalling the last two years, Sadashiv Tamhance, chairmanof theGirijatmaj Temple Trust, said, “During the testing times of Covid, the temple extended its support for the service of people. A 25,000 sqft hall, which is part of the temple premises, was converted into a Covid care centre with an average of 1,000 patients being treated daily."

“This year, the temple may see a large number of pilgrims. The shrine has missed their presence,” he added.

Tushar Sanas, who runs a travel agency in Dadar and has been in the business of organising the Ashtavinayak yatra for 15 years, said, “The demand is rising to almost the prepandemic levels. The tour is a road trip, which covers all the eight temples in three days. There are no age restrictions and the crowd mostly comprises families and senior citizens.”

Sanas said, “I have been observing for the past 15 years that it is a strong belief among the pilgrims that only those who receive a spiritual call from the Ashtavinayak complete the pilgrimage. There have been cases where devotess told us they had been trying to come on the pilgrimage for two years, five years, or even 20 years, but in vain until they received a call.”

Published on: Monday, August 29, 2022, 09:25 AM IST