“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
Søren Kierkegaard
Ashtavinayak Temples – Road Trip Day 2
The night halt is welcome. By the time we finish dinner at Lonavala, which is halfway between Mahad and Pune, and come back to Pune, it is a drive of 15-16 hours. Of the four remaining Ganapati in the Ashtavinayak temples circuit, three are to the North of Pune. But before we head out for day 2, it’s important to carry sturdy, but comfortable footwear for today. The reason, a climb of over 300 steep steps. Let’s find out where!
The first one for the day, which is the fifth of the eight Ganesh temples, is at Theur. Just around 27 km to the east of Pune, the Chintamani Ganapati sits at the confluence of three rivers, Bhima, Mula, and Mutha. The temple established by Morya Gosavi of the Ganapatya sect and built by the Peshwas is an excellent specimen of Peshwa architecture. The speciality of the idol here is the diamond embedded eyes, a darshan (view) of which removes all worries and confusion from the mind.
Up North
A little over 100 km to the north of Theur is Lenyadri, a cave mountain in Junnar. This is where the devout worship Girijatmaj Ganapati. Girija means Goddess Parvati and Atmaj, son. To reach these caves, one has to climb up the mountain. The sanctum sanctorum is in the 6th of a series of Buddhist caves, called Ganesh gufa (cave). This one is enormous and there are no pillars within for support. An entire cave system is an interesting place to explore and to enjoy the views.
The uphill climb takes 20-30 mins, is exhausting, and a drink of sugarcane juice after the descent is refreshing. From here, our next place of visit, Ozar, is just around 15 km away. The Vighnahar Ganapati removes all hurdles from your path when prayed to. Two ruby-embedded eyes and a diamond on the forehead make this one stand out. The temple is very colourful and a golden dome adorns it. A deep stambh (tower of lamps) is in the courtyard. Rebuilt in 1967, this temple is also a Peshwa era structure. (see featured image above)
Last of the Ganapati temples
A hearty lunch later, we head out to visit the last of the temples in the Ashtavinayak circuit. Mahaganapati, meaning the supreme form of Ganapati, is at Ranjangaon, ~76 km away from Ozar. The idol in this temple is seated on a lotus and at the time of the solstice, the sun’s rays fall on it. It is said the original temple is from the 9th or 10th century, although the current edifice is from the Peshwa era. This vast temple complex has multiple entrances and large courtyards.
And with this, the Ashtavinayak temple road trip pilgrimage ends. But the orthodox devotees, in particular the ones who do this yatra as gratitude for wish-fulfilment or as penance, go back to Morgaon and culminate their pilgrimage. The rest, like us, who have devotion in our heart and adventure in our veins, head back to Pune, a lot wiser, humbler and a bit more spiritual than when we began. With ~275 km of a road trip for day 2 and day stretching for 12-14 hours, the journey is enriching.
