Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak –Lenyadri Ganpati Temple Maharashtra Full Details

Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak – Lenyadri Ganpati temple is the 6th Lord Ganesha Temple to be visited on the Ashta Vinayaka Mandir Pilgrimage. Located at Lekhan Hills, Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak Temple is the simplest temple of the Ashtavinayak that’s on a mountain and is built inside the locale of Buddhist Cave Temples.

Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak – Lenyadri Ganpati temple is the 6th Lord Ganesha Temple to be visited at the Ashta Vinayaka Mandir Pilgrimage. Located at Lekhan Hills, Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak Temple is the handiest temple of the Ashtavinayak that’s on a mountain and is constructed in the locale of Buddhist Cave Temples. It is approached after mountaineering 307 steps. Out of 18 Buddhist caves on the mountain, Girijatmaj Ganpati’s Temple is within the eighth cave. These caves are also referred to as Ganesh Gufa. Here, Lord Ganesh is worshipped as Girijatmaja. The Lord is assumed to be his manifestation as an little one. Girija is every other call for Goddess Parvati and Atamaj manner ‘Son’.

Lenyadri is located at the North-west financial institution of river Kukadi. Lenyadri consists of an historical delusion which says that once the high-quality Pandavas had been dwelling in agyatvas throughout their thirteenth 12 months of exile, they sculptured these caves in only one night time. The present day call “Lenyadri” literally means “mountain cave”. It is derived from ‘Lena’ in Marathi meaning “cave” and ‘adri’ in Sanskrit that means “mountain” or “stone”. The call “Lenyadri” seems inside the Hindu scripture Ganesha Purana in addition to in a Sthala Purana, in association with the Ganesha legend. It is also called Jeernapur and Lekhan parvat (“Lekhan Mountain”).

Lenyadri is one of the 8 respected Ganesha temples collectively called Ashtavinayaka. While a few believe that the order of visiting the temples in an Ashtavinayak pilgrimage is beside the point, Lenyadri is commonly visited as the sixth temple.

Girijatmaja’s idol faces east. Parvati consecrated Ganesh’s idol in the cave in which she had done penances. The idol right here isn’t a separate and awesome one. It has been carved at the stone wall of the cave. Previously idol become protected with armour. Now, because the armour is fallen Girijatmaj’s idol with neck became to the left aspect can be visible. As such simplest one eye of the idol can be seen.

With a preference of having Vinayak as her son, Parvati carried out penance for 12 years in the caves of Lenyadri. Ganapati changed into pleased and gave her the boon she desired. On one Bhadrapada Shudh Chaturthi, Parvati scrapped the headband from her body, mixed it with oil and ointment and formed an idol of Ganesh. She changed into performing pooja of that idol, and unexpectedly the idol became alive and instructed Parvati that as favored he has taken Avatar to her residence. On the 11th day, he turned into named Ganesh meaning someone who keeps 3 features Satva, Raja and Tama underneath manage. Lord Shiv Shankar gave him a boon that whosoever recollects Ganesh before starting paintings, will whole the paintings. Ganesh grew up for 15 years at Lenyadri. Demon king Sindhu who knew that his death is in the arms of Ganesh, sent demons like Kruger, Balasur, Vyomasur, Kshemma, Kushal etc. To kill Ganesh on Lenyadri. Instead, Ganesh killed a lot of these demons in his formative years. Ganapati additionally achieved many Balleelas on this location. Hence Lenyadri is taken into consideration a holy vicinity.

Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak – Lenyadri Ganpati Temple Architecture

The caves date from between the 1st and 3rd century AD; the Ganesha shrine situated in Cave 7 is dated to the 1st century AD, although the date of conversion to a Hindu shrine is unknown. All of the caves rise up from Hinayana Buddhism.

The Ganesha temple is positioned in Cave 7, the biggest excavation around Junnar, about one hundred toes (30 m) above the plains. It is basically a Buddhist Vihara (a residing for clergymen, broadly speaking with meditation cells) in design, an unpillared hall with 20 cells with varying dimensions; 7 on both side and six at the rear wall. The hall is large and may be entered with the aid of a significant door, below a pillared veranda. The hall is 17.37 metres (57.Zero toes) lengthy; 15.Fifty four metres (51.Zero ft) huge and three.38 metres (eleven.1 feet) high. There are 2 home windows on either facet of the doorway. The corridor is treated now as a sabha-mandapa (“assembly hall”) of the Ganesha temple. 283 steps built (by devotees) in stone masonry over eight flights cause the entrance. The steps are believed to symbolize sensual pleasures, which Ganesha has conquer. The veranda has six pillars and  pilasters (half of-pillars) that support “an architrave from which projects eaves relieved with a railing resting on beams and rafters”. The pillars have octagonal shafts “over benches and backrest and topped via an inverted ghata, compressed amalaka in between  rectangular plates, inverted stepped pyramid and subsequently crowned by means of a bracket” with tigers, elephants and bulls.

In a later duration, the 2 central cells of the rear wall have been combined by using breaking the partition in between to house the Ganesha picture. The old front was also widened for the duration of the conversion to the Ganesha temple. There are  other smaller entrances to the hall. All entrances endure marks of sockets for solving timber doors, introduced at some stage in the conversion, and still have doorways. The hall also has lines of plaster and paintings, each added for the duration of the conversion and renewed in later instances – in all likelihood as past due as the 19th century. The Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency (1882) statistics that the hall became plastered and white-washed. The artwork depicted Ganesha’s adolescence, marriage preparations, battle with demons and so forth, together with scenes of different Hindu deities like Devi, Krishna, Vishnu and Shiva. Some of the cells equipped with wood doorways had been used for storage. Nine Sati memorials had been brought on the left wall for the duration of the conversion, every inside the shape of a protracted pillar with an arched pinnacle, and to the right of each pillar, a hand raised above the elbow, with an open palm, signifies Sati’s blessing. While 3 panels were undeniable, the other memorials have been sculpted. All of them are worn out, however considered one of them guidelines that its challenge can be the immolation of Sati on her husband’s funeral pyre.

In front of the huge access gates of Shri, Girijatmaj Ganpati temple are full-size pillars with pix of elephants, horses, lions and diverse different animals carved on them. Similarly, there are pillars with unique carvings in front of every other cave. The Sabhamandap of the temple is 60 feet huge with exactly 18 rooms of seven×10 feet2 location. These rooms, it is stated, had been used by saints for tapascharya. The neighbouring 6th cave and 14th cave have Buddha pillars in them typically known as Bouddha-Stupa. These caves are made into the form of hemispheres interiorly. That is why echoes can be effortlessly heard. That is why these Stupas are also called the ‘Gol-Ghumat’s. The caves have carved pillars also at the side of the Stupas.

The Sabhamandap of Shri Girijatmaj Ganpati temple is 60 feet huge. The speciality of this Sabhamandap is that it isn’t supported by using any pillar. It is inside the form of a very huge room. Outside the Gabhara (sanctum) of the temple rest carved pillars. The Sanctorum (Garbhagraha) of the temple show-offs a extensive range of spectacular artwork in the form of devotional paintings of Shri Guru Dattatray, Lord Ganesh resting on Shiv-Parvati’s lap, Bal Ganesh playing historical video games like ludo made the usage of natural hues. There isn’t any energy to mild up inside the temple. The temple is built such that during the day it’s miles constantly lit up by means of the sun’s rays.

Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak – Lenyadri Ganpati Temple Festivals/Puja

Major celebrations are held during the Bhadrapad (August – September) and Magh Chaturthi. In the month of Magh, an Akhand Harinaam Saptah is held. Ganesh Jayanti and Ganesha Chaturthi are celebrated in a excellent way with cultural programs. Bullock cart racing is organized on this event.

The Panchamrit puja is conducted day by day in the morning.

Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak – Lenyadri Ganpati Temple How To Reach

By Road:-

Lenyadri is ready 94 km from Pune, on Pune – Nasik Highway and Junnar is the nearby town, that is 5 km from Lenyadri. State delivery buses ply to Junnar from Pune and Mumbai. From Junnar, rickshaws, jeeps and buses are available to Lenyadri. Palanquins are to be had for the devotees to reach the temple at the hill pinnacle.

By Train:-

Pune Railway Station and Talegaon Railway Station are the nearest railway stations to reach Lenyadri Ashta Vinayak Temple.

By Air:-

Pune Lohegaon Airport is the nearest airport to reach Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak Temple.