It is that time of the year where we are all set to welcome Lord Ganesha, with open hearts and loud chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya. A soothing saviour for a depressed soul, bringing gallons of joy. Devotees offering prayers, mouth watering modaks, creating a religious aura for 11 days all across Maharashtra. People visit the highly decorated Ganpati pandals to take a glimpse of Lord Ganesha’s various avatars. We bring to you the top 10 religious destinations of Lord Ganesha in India.
It is one of the most famous Ganesh temples in Maharashtra. It is one of the richest temple trust of India and a must visit location during Ganesh Chaturthi. The temple is popular for granting wishes and making miracles for devotees who bow their heads here. It has also been awarded the ‘Best Trust Award’ for its contribution to welfare and social activities. The temple has online portals for booking pujas and making donations.
Siddhivinayak Temple
Picture credits: allgodwallpapers.com |
It is a major attraction in Pune for its golden idol. The Dagdusheth Ganpati trust also comes in one of the richest trusts in Maharashtra. Every year millions of worshipers offer their prayers here. The temple trust operates an old- age home called Piashree. They also work for children who are poor and provide them with education facilities.
Dagdusheth Ganpati
Picture credits: dazlinggoawordpress.com |
It is also known as Sri Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple and is one of the temples which have created history. It is located in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh and is 75 km from Tirupathi. The temple was built by Chola king Kulothinga Chola I. The idol of Ganesha is black in colour and has white, yellow and red as colours adoring his forehead. Brahmotsavam is a festival which is celebrated with great enthusiasm from the day of Vinayaka Chavithi and is continued for 20 days.
Kanipakam Vinayaka
Picture credits: www.e-daivam.com |
It is one of the famous Ganesh temples in the south. Dodda Ganesh temple is situated on the Bull Temple Road in Basavanagudi, Bangalore. The idol here is about 18 ft high and 16 ft wide and has been carved out of a single stone. This place is recognised as a major tourist attraction by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation. Devotees gather here not just to offer prayers but to watch the idol getting smeared in butter.
Dodda Ganesh
Picture credits: ziptrips.in |
It is one of the most important temples in Kerela. Kottarakkara Sree Mahaganapathy Kshethram pilgrim centre is a complex which has temples of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan, Lord Ayyappan, and Nagaraja deities, but the main deity here is Lord Ganesha.
Shree Maha Ganapathi
Picture credits: Nanda Kumar/ Youtube |
It is also known as Pillaiyar patti Pillaiyar temple which is a rock- cut cave turned into a shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesha. It is situated in Thiruppatthur in Tamil Nadu.
Karpaka Vinayakar
Picture credits: tourismeveryone.com |
It is one of the popular religious places in India and is visited by 1 million devotees visiting it annually. It is located in Idagunji which is a town in Uttara Kannada of Karnataka. The temple is around 1500 years old and the Ganesha idol has only two hands. The temple is a great symbol of beautiful architecture and art work.
Shree Vinayaka Devaru Temple
Picture credits: sandeepskulkarni.blogspot.com |
The temple is situated on top of a rock in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Being situated on a rock it is famous for its amazing rock architecture and is also known as the Rockfort Temple. The temple was built in the 7th century. The Archaeological Department of India looks after the maintenance of this place.
Ucchi Pillayarkoil
Picture credits: cepolina.com |
Hampi is a famous heritage site in Karnataka which contains the ruins of Vijayanagara kingdom built in the 14th Century. It draws attention of tourists who come here to admire the architectural creativity of the Vijayanagara period. Out of all the monuments present here the most popular one is the Parvati Ganesha temple. The best part of this place is the 16 ft high Ganesha idol. The idol looks quite main stream unless you go around the back where you will find that Lord Ganesha is actually sitting on the lap of his mother Parvati.
Parvathi Ganesha
Picture credits: aalayamkanden.blogspot.com |
The Ashtavinayak or the Eight Ganesha Temples is a series of Ganesh temples which cover various parts of Maharashtra and Pune. They are said to be self originated and are religiously alive. All of these temples bear the eight names of Lord Ganesha which are- Ballaleshwar Pali, Chantamani Theur, Girijatmaj Lenyadri, Mahaganpati Ranjangaon, Moreshwar Temple, Siddhivinayak, Siddhtek, Varad Vinayak Mahad and Vighneshwar Ozhar. The Ashtavinayak Yatra is a trip which takes you through all these temples and is said to bring success and prosperity to those who participate and complete it. The yatra starts from Moreshwar through Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Thevur, Lenyadri, Ozar to Ranjangaon and back to Moreshwar.
Ashtavinayak
Picture credits: travelkattaa.com |
