Loving Gaṇeśa: Hinduism’s Endearing Elephant-Faced God

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Around the World§

Paribhuvanam§

परिभुवनम्§

ImageAHĀ GAṆAPATI, OF COURSE, BELONGS TO ALL MANKIND, NOT TO HINdus alone, though not all inhabitants of the planet call Him by our endearing name, Premavān Gaṇeśa, which means “Loving Ganeśa” in English. To the Chinese He is embodied in the form of a massive dragon, whose physical immensity depicts His incredible and irresistible force. To some Chinese He is Kuan-shi t’ien or Ho Tei, the large-bellied God of Happiness. To the Polynesians in Hawaii He is God Lono.§

The South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils call him by the affectionate term Pillaiyar, “Noble Child.” The Tibetans know Him as Ts’ogsbdag, and the Burmese worship Maha-Pienne. In Mongolia, His name is Totkharour Khaghan. Cambodians offer worship to Prah Kenes, and the Japanese supplicate Vinayaksa or Sho-ten. By some He is envisioned as the feminine Mother Nature, and even nonbelievers seek to understand Him through personifying His great powers as Fate, Destiny or Numen. The ancient Egyptians may have known Him as a minor but very popular Deity, Bes, grotesque, pot-bellied and cheerful. The Romans called Him Janus and sought His blessings at the outset of any new venture. On His festival on the first of January (the month named after Him) He was treated with special cakes; mutual good wishes were exchanged and people made presents of sweets to one another for a good omen for the new year. In the West, He is ubiquitous as the corpulent jolly Santa Claus, the dispenser of boons and gifts, especially to children, who knows our thoughts, words and deeds and bestows rewards accordingly. The Buddhists and Jains also honor Gaṇeśa. In one form or another, He is honored throughout the world.§

As respected author Ratna Ma Navaratnam, a devotee of Sage Yogaswami of Sri Lanka, wrote: “Gaṇeśa worship is most effective in illumining consciousness, and hence He is sought after and propitiated by the Śaivites, Vaishṇavites, Śāktas, Smārtas, Kumāras, Jains and Buddhists as the Dispeller of Obstacles” (Aum Gaṇeśa, The Peace of God, p. 176).§

Hindus worship the great God Gaṇeśa at countless pūjās performed daily on every continent. In temples and home shrines, Lord Gaṇeśa is worshiped today in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Java, Bali, Borneo, Tibet, Myanmar, Siam, Afganistan, the Middle East, China, Indo-China, Japan, the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, Africa, Mauritius, Réunion, Europe, Australia, Canada, South America, the United States and elsewhere.§

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Every Hindu village and community has an image of the God Gaṇeśa, and one of the many forms of Gaṇeśa is found in every Hindu temple. The eminent scholar M. Arunachalam wrote, “Gaṇeśa is usually installed at the entrance to the central sanctum, at the south, and also at the southwestern corner in the first court, of every Śiva temple. Besides, He is placed on the first eastern goshṭa (niche) on the other southern wall of the ardha maṇḍapa (secondary hall) in the dancing pose, known as Nartana Gaṇapati, in many temples. The tip of His trunk will curve to the left and touch the modaka, generally held in the left hand. In a few rare cases, the trunk will curve to the right to touch the modaka on a right hand. Here He is called Valampuri (right turned) Vināyaga” (Festivals of Tamil Nadu, 1980, p. 112).§

Roadside Shrines§

While Gaṇeśa shrines are found at all Hindu temples, they frequently stand alone as well. They are often quite humble, not uncommonly a simple roadside shrine such as the one between Jaffna and Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka or along the roadsides here and there in South India. Here travelers stop to break a coconut and burn a bit of camphor before the Lord of Obstacles to pray for a safe and successful journey. There is a similar shrine near the university in Madras. Many years ago a young man discovered a tree that formed the shape of Gaṇeśa head in its gnarled trunk. He began worshiping and soon took a vow not to leave the site. He has been there, serving as a priest and doing sādhana for several decades now, without leaving the tiny compound. Travelers and students about to take their exams come to the shrine to seek Lord Gaṇeśa’s blessings. Such tree shrines enjoy the patronage of thousands of worshipers annually.§

Historically, His image is often found in places of danger, such as steep slopes, river crossings or where two roads cross. Here His mūrti may be a rough hewn stone or even a trunk of a bo or banyan tree which has taken the form of the God Gaṇeśa. A natural stone, or svayambhū (“self-created”) mūrti, may also be the object of worship. Researcher Alice Getty wrote: “The most celebrated svayambhū mūrtis of Gaṇeśa are found in Kashmir, where there are three famous and most powerful formless stones which from ancient times have drawn pilgrims to their shrines. One, which is near the village of Gaṇeś-bal, is in the river Lidar near its right bank, and is still an important place of pilgrimage.… Another rock in Kashmir which has been worshiped from most ancient times as a symbol of Gaṇeśa under the name of Bhimasvamin is at the foot of the hill Hari-Parbat near Srinagar.…The most remarkable of these svayambhū mūrtis in Kashmir is the one on a cliff along the Kishen-Gaṅgā known as Gaṇeś-Gati” (Gaṇeśa, a Monograph on the Elephant-Faced God, by Alice Getty, 1971, p. 22-23).§

Renowned Gaṇeśa Temples§

Perhaps the most famous Gaṇeśa temple in India is the Uchi Pillaiyar Koyil at Trichy. Uchi means “at the top.” This large temple (also known as the Rock Fort Temple), built on a hilltop, commands a breathtaking view of the city and of the river Kaveri. Another large Gaṇeśa temple, built into the rock, is the Pillaiyarpatti Temple near Karaikudi in Ramanathapuram District, also in Tamil Nadu. In New Delhi there is the Siddhi Buddhi Vināyagar temple situated in Vināyanagar. The Mukkuruni Pillaiyar inside the huge Meenakshi Temple complex in Madurai, India, is also quite famous. This mūrti is ten to twelve feet tall. Mukkuruni refers to a large measure of rice (about forty pounds). Here the priests cook a huge modaka ball for Gaṇeśa using this measure. Hence the name Mukkuruni Pillaiyar. Also in Madurai, Lord Gaṇeśa is worshiped as Vyāghrapāda Gaṇeśanī, in female form with tiger feet. The Gaṇeśanī mūrti in sukhāsana pose resides at Suchindram. There are two other temples in India with the female Gaṇeśa form. One is at a tenth-century temple dedicated to sixty-four yoginīs in Bheraghat, a village near Jabalpur. The other is the Tanumalaya Swami Temple in Suchindrum, Kerala. In Tibet, She is worshiped as Gajānanī.§

A five-headed Gaṇeśa mounted on a lion resides at Nagapattinam. At Vellore, India, Gaṇeśa is enshrined as Valampuri Vināyakar, with his trunk turned to the right instead of to the left. This mūrti is considered very auspicious. Highly revered Gaṇeśa shrines are also found in the precincts of the Śiva temple of Tirunelveli, in the Kanyākumārī temple at the southern tip of India, and in Rameshvaram and Chidambaram. Our loving Gaṇeśa is especially beloved in Maharashtra, where eight temples form one of His most sacred and popular pilgrimages, and dozens of other sites are designated for His adoration. It is said that to make a visit on hardship pilgrimage (third-class on trains, on foot or by crawling) to 108 Gaṇeśa temples and roadside shrines is most auspicious to smooth out the karmas of the future by dissolving, through His grace, the negative karmas and mistakes of the past, made knowingly or unknowingly. Penance of this sort deliberately condenses into a short period, or puts all in one place, the suffering that would otherwise be encountered over a long span of time.§

The garden island of Sri Lanka has fourteen well-known Gaṇeśa temples. There is an unusual Vināyaka at the Śiva temple in Central Java, which is presently an archeological tourist site that was restored by the Indonesian government. Lord Gaṇeśa here sits with the soles of His feet pressed together, much like a child would sit, or as a yogī would sit in deep samādhi.§

Archeological Discoveries§

Sri H. Krishnamurthi writes in Tattvāloka (Feb.-March 1990): “Several images of Gaṇeśa have been discovered in the excavations of Central America and Mexico. It is said that in Mexico the name of Gaṇeśa is Virakośa.” Decades back, India’s Birla Science Institute announced a new find: “A piece of evidence was connected with the legend of Gaṇeśa’s writing down the epic to the dictation of Vyāsa. A metal plate depicting the elephant-headed Deity holding an etching stylus has been found in Luristan in Western Iran and has been dated to around 1200 bce (motilal Banarsidass Newsletter Dec. 1993).”§

In Malaysia and Elsewhere§

Among the most renowned of Gaṇeśa’s temples in Malaysia are the Siddhi Vināyagar temple of Petaling Jaya and the Kotta Malai Pillaiyar Temple of Kuala Lumpur on the busy street of Paduraya. The latter is a small temple, but extremely powerful, and among the most popular Gaṇeśa temples in the land. Also notable are the Jalan Pudu (Pasar Road) Pillaiyar Temple and the Poyyata Vināyagar Temple of Melaka. In Hawaii our Kadavul Hindu Temple for monastics and initiated members has a three-ton, six-foot-tall Gaṇeśa. At the Śaiva Dharmaśāla at Rivière du Rempart, Mauritius, we have dedicated a Spiritual Park and erected a grand maṇḍapam around a five-ton, nine-foot tall, five-faced mūrti of Gaṇeśa, Pañchamukha Gaṇapati at the convergence of the river and the sea. In Edmonton, Canada, New Zealand and Nandi, Fiji, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Bethesda, Denver, Scottsdale, Sebastian, Anchorage and Chicago there are exquisite stone mūrtis of the elephant-faced God, gifted by my aadheenam to the born Hindu communities, conferring blessings for new temples. In Great Britain, Gaṇeśa is enshrined at each of the nation’s several new temples and is the presiding Deity at the Shree Gaṇapati Temple in Wimbledon. He is also enshrined at temples in Switzerland, Germany and Denmark. From my Kailāsa Pīṭham in Hawaii it has been my calling through the years to gift Gaṇeśa icons to begin the worship of Hindu community groups throughout the world.§

Lord Gaṇeśa in America§

The religion of the earliest known North American Indians bears many analogies to and apparently has sprung up from the same ultimate sources as our own venerable Sanātana Dharma, a fact that is evidenced by their rituals and religious beliefs and symbols. One of Lord Gaṇeśa’s oldest symbols, the swastika, was one of the central motifs used in the designs and patterns of many American Indian tribes and is still seen today in their beautiful blankets and pottery. So the great God Gaṇeśa is not really new to the Western countries, but quite old. His recent coming into prominence is more our remembering Him in lands where He has always been. But it is in this twentieth century, in the decades of the ’70s and ’80s, that Lord Gaṇeśa has come to be traditionally enshrined in magnificent multi-million-dollar Hindu temples. We find Him in New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Concord, Livermore, Fremont, Denver, Houston, Nashville, Edmonton in Canada and hundreds of other places. These shrines have brought forth the mūrti, or physical image, of Gaṇeśa as Gajānana, the Elephant-Faced. His strong footing now in all the major Hindu communities in the West is a great blessing and a joyous time for all. Gaṇeśa’s presence in North America at the beginning of the growth of Āgamic Hinduism in the West ensures its success.§

As Hinduism emerged in North America in the twentieth century, Gaṇeśa led the way. One of the first traditional temples to be built was the large Mahā Gaṇapati Temple in Flushing, New York. As each community sought guidance and direction in establishing religious roots, I constantly urged the trustees of each temple society, who came seeking guidance from Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in the Hawaiian Island chain, to first begin their congregations in the worship of Gaṇeśa in order for their temple to come up quickly. We would often present the group with a large or small stone image of the great God and give them the blessings for His worship to begin. Thus, at many a new temple site, a Gaṇeśa image was established in a small shrine while construction and fund raising proceeded. This occurred in Fiji, Edmonton, Livermore, Fremont, Salt Lake City, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Lansing, Bethesda, London, Germany and elsewhere. Priests were brought from India, devotees flocked to the shrines, the worship began, and the funds to construct the temple began to flow. This practice has now become a tradition in the West as Hindus have learned from experience that once Lord Gaṇeśa is worshiped, it is actually He who builds the temple in a most wonderful and inspiring way, and they are His helpers.§

Visions of Lord Gaṇeśa§

Lord Gaṇeśa’s vivified presence in the Western world has already culminated in many special visions of Him by both born and formally converted Hindus living in North and South America. In hopes of spiriting onward the worldwide fellowship of Hindus around the globe, a few such visions will be included here anonymously.§

Lord Gaṇeśa has been worshiped here and there in North and South America in many small ways by devotees from India for many years since the turn of the century. But not until events in the early 1970s brought about the building of a large and very expensive Gaṇeśa temple in New York did Lord Gaṇeśa take up a formal public residence. The sequence of events leading up to this temple affirmed for our modern times the ancient tradition wherein the Deity Himself decides when and where His temple is to be built. It is not a man or a woman or a group of people who make that decision on the whim of personal inspiration. Rather, the Deity, the God, informs us that the time has come for His temple to come up, and then we, in turn, proceed to help Him manifest it in the material world. The message from the God containing the direction of when and where to build His home is traditionally given by Him to holy men, gurus, swāmīs or sants who are respected by the community and are in personal touch with the Gods. Such religious leaders also have spiritual insight into the religious progress of the community. Lord Gaṇeśa may strengthen the instructions of such holy men through a dream or vision to a devotee.§

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The Mahā Gaṇapati Temple in Flushing, New York, began with two gentlemen from India who had been living in New York for several years. One of these hailed from a long line of temple builders; the other was a devout man who performed regular religious and yoga sādhana. This man had returned to India. He had a vision one night. He found himself soaring high above New York City until he came above an abandoned church in an area near his former residence. He came over the steeple, which opened as he moved down to land in front of the altar. Lo! there on the altar was Lord Gaṇapati Himself, who said nothing to him but just smiled. Immediately upon awakening, with his heart filled with love and the vision of the Great God still fresh in his inner mind, this sant phoned the temple builder who was then serving at the United Nations in New York. The temple builder asked him to come to New York right away. Travel arrangements were made, and within 24 hours the two of them were driving around the Queens section of New York in search of Lord Gaṇapati’s new home. They finally came upon the old Christian church that was the very one seen in the vision and which was for sale at the time! There could be no doubt that Lord Gaṇeśa had come and had shown where to put His temple. The building was subsequently purchased. After many years of hard work, with the blessings and sanction of Srilasri Pandrimalaiswami, Lord Gaṇeśa was installed and consecrated in an orthodox shrine to receive traditional public worship. That temple has expanded over the years.§

Meanwhile, nearly halfway around the world on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, a small mūrti of Lord Gaṇeśa was being worshiped at a seashore shrine by my Śaiva Siddhānta devotees. A sixteen-year-old kumārī girl who lived nearby had been performing regular daily pūjā and chanting at the site. Her devotion was blessed with several visions of the Deities Gaṇeśa and Murugan. During April of 1980, at the time that new mūrtis of Lord Gaṇeśa and Lord Murugan were being delivered to their temporary residence at another devotee’s home farther down the hillside, this young lady looked out from her home and saw the Lords Gaṇeśa and Murugan walking in a circle of blue light up toward the seashore shrine. She described them as completely bedecked with flowers, Gaṇeśa dressed in white and Murugan in orange. The Murugan mūrti was that of Palani, the renunciate, and this is how He appeared in the vision. She also reported having seen Lord Gaṇeśa on two other occasions sitting serenely at the site of His new shrine, gazing silently at her with doe-like eyes.§

Just a few months later, another of my devotees in Hawaii, an older woman who had been doing sādhana, was sitting in meditation when her satguru appeared before her. He started to ascend upward in this vision, and she clutched his robes and went up with him until her strength failed and she fell back down. Before she landed, Lord Gaṇeśa caught her in His trunk and took her back up to where her satguru was seated in front of two large golden doors which opened into the world of the Gods. Lord Gaṇeśa gently set her down on the threshold next to her beloved guru, she said.§

Since 1972 many other devotees have seen Lord Gaṇeśa in their visions and dreams. For example, several pilgrims on the 1981 India Odyssey, a spiritual pilgrimage to the holy lands of ancient Bharat (India), had life-altering visions of Lord Gaṇeśa at the Śrī Kumbalavalai Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Such visions of Lord Gaṇeśa clarify much about the way this great Lord works. While the visions took place within the subtle minds of His devotees, or our microcosm, this subtle space is in fact enormous and quite a macrocosm of its own.§

Just as Lord Gaṇeśa’s vehicle, the tiny rodent, ferrets out every secret space and hidden area of the house, so does this Great Mahādeva have the ability to move within the seemingly most obscure and intricate areas of our minds. He is the master of both the big and the small, the macrocosm and the microcosm. Lord Gaṇeśa’s great girth is the entire manifestation of all that is, of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and ether. Thus, He pervades all, not from the outside in but from the inside out. He does not move to pervade, for all form in its purest state is together, not far apart. Seated unmoving on the broad, four-petalled lotus of the mūlādhāra chakra, Lord Gaṇeśa records and governs the movements of vast inner oceans of actinodic energy that appear to our physical eyes to manifest as forms so many millions of miles apart. He is at work through all the outwardly gross forms of nature, and yet mounted on H is tiny mouse He can, in utter minuteness, travel about within His devotees’ minds as if they were great, well-lit caverns. Such is the mystery of the pompous elephant-faced God, the embodiment of form who rides the mouse.§

During pūjā at the Madhaya Kailāsa Temple in Chennai, devotees saw and continue to see Gaṇeśa, the elephant God, and Hanumān, the monkey God, merging into one, as the alpha and omega of existence. To honor this unusual form, in 1993 a five-metal image, half Gaṇeśa and half Hanumān, was created and enshrined. It all started with a series of early morning visions that graced devotees of the two unusual Gods in the great Hindu pantheon of 330 million.§

The final vision to recite is one that I had in the mid-1980s of Lord Ganeśa walking from His temple attended by two priests. He was about to take a bath in the beautiful Indian Ocean in the country of Mauritius where the river meets the sea. I was standing in the water with several sharks swimming around me. Lord Gaṇeśa, accompanied by two priests, looked at me and said, “Just rub some oil on their noses and they will not harm you.” This vivid mystic experience is illustrated on the next page.§

Remember, such visions of this great Lord do not come only to the meditating yogīs, but to sincere bhaktas as well—those who by virtue of their sukarma receive this special grace at particularly auspicious times in their lives.§

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Our Loving Gaṇeśa§

Loving Ganesha is our friend indeed.
He is our protector,
The God we go to when in need.
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Loving Ganesha knows our future and past.
He is our conscience,
The God we go to when we want to move fast.
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Loving Ganesha is the God on our side.
He is immediate,
The God we pray to when we want to abide.
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Loving Ganesha is our loving Lord.
He is our All,
The God that we shall all look toward.
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The Favorite God of Maharashtra§

By Dr. S. Srinivasan, from Tattvāloka, Feb/Mar 1990§

No other state in India dotes on its presiding Deity the way Maharashtra does Lord Gaṇeśa. Every year the whole land reverberates with rhythm and music in praise of the Lord for ten days, starting with Gaṇeśa Chaturthī and culminating in a grand, pompous immersion ceremony on Ananta Chaturdaśi day. No wonder Maharashtrans cherish visiting the eight sacred temples of Vināyaka, known as the Ashṭavināyaka, where the Lord’s image is said to have sprung up naturally, true to the word svayambhū. Logically, the images are devoid of elaborate ornamentation. They are stones showing only the broadest outlines of Lord Gaṇeśa’s tusked face and trunk, heavily smeared with red sindūr, applied layer over layer for centuries.§

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Lord Gaṇeśa was brought decades ago to the heart of every Maharashtran by Bal Gangadhara Tilak as part of a socio-cultural movement directed against alien rulers. The momentum it has gathered is now for all to see. Despite intrusion of modern tastes and living habits among the younger generation, the deep roots that Gaṇapati worship has struck in the ethos of this tradition-loving state appear well set to stay for eternity. The eight icons are located in scenic spots scattered over three or four districts of Western Maharashtra. In the good old days, with the transport system not so well developed, visiting all of them took eight days or more; but today one can complete the pilgrimage in three days. There are travel agencies in Pune that arrange safe and comfortable trips for pilgrims. A brief resume of the shrines follows. Pilgrimage can be arranged through India embassies worldwide, each of which has access to efficient travel bureaus; and friendly help in arranging the pilgrimage will be gladly provided.§

1. Morgaon Temple to Śri Mayūreśvara§

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Let us begin with the most important of the eight holy places, Morgaon, situated about 65km southeast of Pune and 16km from the nearest railway station, Jejuri. Enclosed by tall stone walls forming a quadrangle, the temple here bears some semblance to Islamic architecture characterized by minaret-like towers in the four corners. Apparently it enjoyed the support of a benevolent Muslim chieftain for awhile. An interesting feature of this temple is the giant-sized stone Nandi positioned in front of the Lord. It is said that centuries ago, as the Nandi was being transported to a Śiva temple nearby, it decided to settle in front of Lord Gaṇeśa and just would not move. Within the quadrangle surrounding the temple there are eight smaller temples with Gaṇapati idols by the names Ekadanta, Mahodhara, Gajānana, Lambodara, Vikaṭa, Naṭarāja, Dhūmravarṇa and Vakratuṇḍa. There are also twenty-three other idols of various Gods from the Hindu pantheon, besides two sacred trees: bilva and shamī. The sanctum sanctorum houses Mayūreśvara [Peacock Lord], a primordial idol with a left-sided trunk, fully smeared with saffron and protected by the hood of a cobra. It is said that the actual image is quite small but it looks big due to the thick layer of saffron, which falls off once in a century or so. The local people believe that this happened last in 1882 and prior to that in 1788.§

2. Thevoor Temple to Śrī Chintāmaṇi§

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Situated 22 kilometers from Pune, this village became the spiritual retreat of many a Peshāwar ruler of Pune, especially Madhavarao the senior. Lord Gaṇeśa here is known as Chintāmaṇi [jewel of consciousness]. The story behind this name relates to the Lord’s retrieving a precious stone (chintāmaṇi) for one of His devotees, Kapila Muni, from a greedy king, Gaṇa. By then, however, Kapila Muni would rather have his Lord than the precious stone. The Lord thus chose to stay with His devotee as Chintāmaṇi himself. The conjoint river Mula-Mutha flows by the village as it winds its way to join Chandrabhāgā, which in turn flows past Pandharpur to eventually join the Tuṅgabhadrā and the Kṛishṇā. Morya Gosavi, the great Gaṇeśa devotee, used to pass through Thevoor on his trips between Chinchwad and Morgaon. The Lord’s icon, again smeared with sindūr, is not much different from the others of the Ashṭavināyaka group, with the features hardly visible, except the elephant head and trunk. But the divine impact on the devotees is potent as ever.§

3. Siddhatek Village Temple to Śrī Siddhi Vināyaka§

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This village is 13 kilometers northeast of Daund railway junction, but one has to cross the Bhima River by boat. Years ago, before a downstream dam was built, one could walk across the dry river bed; but today the waters are too deep. The idol of Gaṇeśa here is right-tusked. Devotees are enjoined to be extra careful about the rituals and austerity while worshiping a right-tusked Gaṇapati [Siddhi Vināyaka, Masterful Remover]. The temple complex is atop a hill which stretches over a kilometer on the other side. Devotees seeking a favor from the Lord go around the entire hill seven times in pradakshiṇa. With no footpath or road and with thorny bushes all around, this exercise—covering several kilometers of rough terrain—ought to bring the Lord’s mercy to the seeker!§

4. Ranjangaon Shrine to Śrī Gaṇapati§

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Located on the highway connecting Pune and Ahmednagar is the home of Śrī Mahāgaṇapati [Great Lord of Hosts]. Flanked by Buddhi and Siddhi, as His consorts are popularly known in Maharashtra, Śrī Mahā Gaṇapati of Ranjangaon can even enjoy the direct rays of the sun around noon time, thanks to the way the sanctum sanctorum is constructed. The icon of a ten-headed Gaṇapati known as Mahotkata is also housed in the temple complex but hidden from the view of most devotees. Some believe that once upon a time this was the main idol, but it was thereafter secretly hidden in fear of destruction by invaders.§

5. Ojhar Kshetra to Śrī Vighneśvara§

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Just off the Pune-Nasik highway, this kshetra is ruled by Śrī Vighneśvara [Lord of Obstacles], again flanked by Buddhi and Siddhi. Two smart dvārapālakas (sentries), a wide two-tiered prakāram, a well-polished figure of a mūshika (mouse, the vehicle of Lord Gaṇeśa) and two giant dīpastambhas (lamp posts) all made of stone are the noteworthy features of this temple.§

6. Lenyadhri Cave to Śrī Girijātmaja§

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The name indicates a cave in a mountain. Gaṇeśa as Śrī Girijātmaja, “mountain-born,” enjoys a picturesque view of the landscape dotted with hills all around, merging into a mountain range beyond, and the Pushpavati River winding its way inbetween, glistening in the sunlight. After climbing 283 steps, one enters the temple, a single large room about 57 feet long and 51 feet wide, cut into the rock with no supporting pillars anywhere. There are 18 other caves, of Buddhist architecture, in this hill. This icon of Gaṇeśa has even less distinct features than the others. The locals believe that it is only the back of Gaṇeśa that is visible to the devotees and that the face is on the other side of the hill, which is unapproachable. Some Peshāwar rulers who tried to locate it were reportedly thwarted in their attempts.§

7. Mahad Hamlet Temple to Śrī Varada Vināyaka§

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This is a tiny hamlet close to the Bombay-Pune highway near Khopoli, an industrial center. It is not to be confused with Mahad, a township on the way to Goa from Mumbai. The temple is located next to a tank that tends to go dry during summer, but the green fields and trees provide abundant cool air and a quiet atmosphere conducive to introspection and prayer. The sanctum is open to the public and, true to Maharashtran tradition, many devotees place their head right on the feet of the icon to seek blessings [of Varada Vināyaka, Lord of Boons]. An interesting feature of this temple is an anantadīpa (eternal flame) that has been kept alight since 1892.§

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8. Pali Temple to Śrī Ballaleśvara§

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About 8 kilometers off the Bombay-Goa highway, again set amidst a pleasant countryside dotted with hills and crisscrossed by rivers, one finds the village of Śrī Ballaleśvara. The name comes from Lord Gaṇeśa saving a boy named Ballala who even as a child spent all his time praying to Him. Angered by the boy’s obsessive behavior, the villagers beat him mercilessly, and it was Lord Gaṇeśa who intervened to save his life. There are two Gaṇeśa temples here. One has first to visit Śrī Dhundivināyaka, the idol which Ballala worshiped, before proceeding to Śrī Ballaleśvara in the main temple. The idol in the latter is unusually broad and enjoys early-morning sun rays, as it sits facing the east, right at the foot of a steep hill. During the usually heavy monsoon months, waterfalls streak the landscape all around. A huge pañchadhātu (five-metal) bell adorns the temple. Its sweet chimes add a special touch of music to the various āratīs performed for the Lord.§

Mahārāshṭra’s Other Gaṇeśa Temples§

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In addition to the famous Ashṭavināyaka, Maharashtra boasts a bounty of Gaṇeśa temples in every nook and corner, some famous, others not so. The more important ones include Śrī Siddhi Vināyaka of Bombay; Śrī Mahā Gaṇapati (famous as a matrimonial matchmaker) at Titwala, 75 km from Bombay; Śrī Maṅgala Mūrti at Chinchwad, a suburb of Pune; Śrī Kasva Gaṇapati and Śrī Sarasbag Gaṇapati, both of Pune city. On the Arabian sea coast, just off Ratnagiri, Ganapatipule houses a temple that is literally kept washed by the waves every day, an attraction for tourists and devotees. Other well-known temples are Dasabhuja Gaṇapati near Chiplun on the coastal belt, Siddhi Vināyaka at Nandgaon, Vighnāyana Gaṇapati at Rakshasabhuvan in Marathwada, Modakeśvara at Nasik and Śrī Gaṇapati at Seetabardi, Nagpur. Pilgrims who visit all the named temples during a single tīrthayātrā, spiritual outing, are said to have gained the ultimate blessing of the five-armed Lord. Those rare souls who add to this list more visits to His other abodes are assuredly kept in His heart forever, enjoying the bliss of all sweet things when in the hereafter, between births.§

A List of Gaṇeśa Temples Worldwide§

Three great pillars have held Hinduism high, millenium after millenium: the satgurus, scriptures and the temples. Listed here are significant Gaṇeśa temples we know of around the world, with place name followed by temple name or the mūrti inside the temple. We welcome submissions to expand this list for future printings of Loving Gaṇeśa.§

AUSTRALIA§

ADELAIDE§

Gaṇeśa§

HOMEBUSH§

Sri Karphaga Vinayaker§

melbourne§

Vakratuṇḍa Vināyaka§

BANGLADESH§

DHAKA§

Laksmi Bazar Ganesh§

CAMBODIA§

kandala§

Padmāsana Gaṇeśa§

CANADA§

BRAMPTON§

Sri Katpaga Vinayagar§

Calgary§

Ganesha Temple§

edmonton§

Mahā Gaṇapati§

LAVAL§

Sree Mahaganapathy§

SCARBOROUGH§

Sri Varasiththi Vinaayagar Kovil§

VANCOUVER§

Sri Ganesh§

DENMARK§

HERNING§

Sri Siddhi Vinayagar§

FRANCE§

GAGES-LES-GONESSE§

Sundara Vinayaga§

LA COURNEUVE§

Sitti Vinayakar§

PARIS§

Sri Manika Vinayakar§

RILLEUX-LA-PAPE§

Vinayaga Perouman Koil§

TROYES§

Sri Sithi Vinayagar Alayam§

GERMANY§

BERLIN§

Sri Ganesh§

BREMIN§

Sri Varasiththivinayakar§

FRANKFURT AM MAIN§

Karpaga Vinayagar§

hamm§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

haltingen§

Vara Siddhi Vināyaka§

heilbronn§

Vināyaka§

JUCHEN§

Sri Navashakti Vinayagar§

MUNICH§

Sri Sella PIllaiyar§

NURENBERG§

Sri Sithivinayagar§

STUTTGART§

Sri Sitti Vinayagar§

GUYANA§

HAGUE§

Sita Ram Toolsie Vade Ganesh§

ROSIGNOL§

D’Edward Vighneshwar Mandir§

INDIA§

MAHARASHTRA, INDIA§

The Eight-Temple Pilgrimage§

morgaon§

Mayūreśvara (India’s foremost Gaṇeśa pilgrimage)§

sidditek§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

pali§

Ballala Vināyaka§

madhta§

Varada Vināyaka§

ojhar§

Vighneśvara§

lenyadri§

Girijātmajā§

ranjangaon§

Mahā Gaṇapati§

theur§

Chintāmaṇi§

Other Maharashtran Sites§

adosha, nagapur area§

Śamī Vighneśa§

berola§

Laksha Vināyaka§

jetha kapad mkt, bombay§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

kalamba§

Cintāmaṇi Gaṇeśa§

kanakesvara§

Rāma Siddha Vināyaka§

kasva§

Jayate Gaṇeśa§

nagajhari river§

Triśuṇḍa§

namalgaon§

Amalāśramakshetra (famous for prayers)§

nanded§

Citrakūṭa Gaṇeśa§

nasik§

Higalyaka Gaṇapati§

padmalaya§

Pravālakshetra (with two Gaṇeśa murtis)§

prabha devi, bombay§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

rajur§

Rājasadanakshetra§

rakshasabhuvan§

Vijña Gaṇeśa§

sangli, krishna river§

Gaṇeśa (a svayambhū Gaṇeśa installed over a Śivaliṅga)§

titwala§

Siddhi Vināyaka Mahā Gaṇapati (a place of miracles)§

UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA§

prayaga§

Oṁkara Gaṇapati§

varanasi§

Īhuṇḍhirāja Gaṇeśa§

ORISSA, INDIA§

chandikhole, cuttack§

Mahā Vināyaka§

KERALA, INDIA§

tiruvananthapuram§

Śrī Agrasala Gaṇapathy§

TAMIL NADU, INDIA§

ambal§

Suddu Vināyaka§

anbilalanturai§

Sevisaitta Pillaiyar§

Chennai, periamedu§

Śrī Varasiddhi Vināyaka§

chidambaram§

Katpaka Vināyaka§

kudantai kirkkoddam§

Gaṅgai Gaṇapati§

kalati§

Mañjanti Vināyaka§

kanchipuram§

Valampuri Vināyaka, Vikada Chakra Vināyaka§

madurai§

Mukkuruni Pillaiyar Siddhi Vināyaka§

mayurapuram§

Mayureśa Vināyaka§

nagapaddinam§

Pañcha Mukha Vināyaka§

pondicherry§

Manakkula Pillaiyar§

senpakkam§

Temple of eleven svayambhū Gaṇeśas§

sirgali§

Aapattukatta Vināyaka§

tiruchirappalli§

Uchi Pillaiyar§

tiruinnampar§

Nirutana Vināyaka§

tirukkachyur§

Tālamūla Vināyaka, Karukkadi Vināyaka§

tirukkadavur§

Kallavarana Pillaiyar§

tirukkaruvil§

Kadukkai Vināyaka§

tirukoddaiyur§

Kodi Vināyaka§

tirukokarnam§

Mahā Gaṇapati§

tirumakaral§

Poyyā Vināyaka§

tirumalapadi§

Sundara Gaṇapati§

tirumaraikadu§

Veeragati Vināyaka§

tirumuruganpundi§

Kūppidu Pillaiyar§

tirunaddiyatankudi§

Kaikaddi Vināyaka§

tirunallur§

Salakkirāma Vināyaka§

tirunallaru§

Sorna Vināyaka§

tirunaraiyur§

Polla Pillaiyar§

tiruntutevankudi§

Karkadaka Vināyaka§

tirupattur§

Maya Pillaiyar§

tiruppanaiyur§

Tunaiyirunta Pillaiyar§

tiruppurampayam§

Piralayangkātta Pillaiyar§

tiruvaiyaru§

Ādi Vināyaka§

tiruvalam§

Valam Vanda Vināyaka§

tiruvalamsuli§

Vellai Pillaiyar§

tiruvarur§

Vātāpi Vināyaka§

tiruvavaduturai§

Śivaprākasa Vināyaka§

tiruvetikudi§

Veta Pillaiyar§

tiruvidaimarutur§

Ānda Vināyaka§

tiruvilimilalai§

Padikkāsu Vināyaka§

tiruvusatanam§

Kutavana Pillaiyar§

vallam§

Varasiddhi Vināyaka§

viruttasalam§

Mattru Uraita Pillaiyar§

INDONESIA§

DAGO§

Ganesh§

JAKARTA§

Mangala Vinayak§

IRELAND§

DUBLIN§

Ireland Vinayaka§

LETTERKENNY§

Indian Community Centre§

ITALY§

GENOA§

Sri Sithi Vinayagar Di Genova§

PALERMO§

Mauritius Ganesh Mandir
Sri Muttu Vinayaga Tempio
§

JAPAN§

KAMAKURA§

Hokai-ji§

KUMAGAYA CITY§

Menuma Shoden-zan§

NARA§

Ikoma Shoden§

OSAKA§

Kaishozan Shoenji§

TOKYO§

Matsuchiyama Shoden§

KENYA§

MOMBASA§

Shree Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati§

MALAYSIA§

Kuala Lumpur Vicinity§

jalan brunei/pasar§

Śrī Siddhi Vināyaka§

jalan ipoh§

Śrī Paranjothi Vināyaka§

kuala kubu baru§

Śrī Sithivināyaka§

jalan Ppudu lama§

Śrī Gaṇeśan§

Outside Kuala Lumpur§

behrang ulu, perak§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

ipoh§

Śrī Mahā Gaṇapati§

klang§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

sandakan, sabah§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

sitiawan, perak§

Siddhi Vināyaka§

MAURITIUS§

BEAU BASSIN§

Vinayak Mandir§

BLACK RIVER§

Marathi Paawan Ganesh Mandir§

DUBREUIL§

Marathi Shree Ganesh Mandir§

FLACQ§

Flacq Marathi Vighneshwar Mandali§

GLEN PARK§

Vighneshwar Mandir§

HENRIETTA§

Maratha Mandir§

LA MARIE§

Marathi Ganesh Mandir§

MONT IDA§

Shri Ganesh Mandir§

MELROSE§

Melrose Shri Gajanan Saraswati Mandir§

NEW GROVE§

Shree Ganesh Mandir New Grove§

POINTE DES LASCARS§

Parc Spirituel de Ganesh§

ROSE HILL§

Ganesh Kovil§

TAMARIN§

Marathi Ashta Vinayak Mandali§

MYANMAR§

MANDALAY§

Sri Ganesh§

PYIN OO LWIN§

Ganesh§

YANGON§

Ganesh Hindu§

NEPAL§

Kathmandu Valley§

bhaktapur§

Sūrya Vināyaka§

bungamati§

Karṇa Vināyaka§

chobar§

Jal Vināyaka§

kathmandu§

Ashoka Vināyaka
Chandra Vināyaka
§

Outside Kathmandu Valley§

gorkha§

Vijaya Gaṇapati§

janakpur§

Rāma Temple
Siddha Gaṇeśa
§

phulahara§

Rāma/Jānakī Temple
Girijā Gaṇeśa
§

NETHERLANDS§

DEN HELDER§

Sri Varatharaja Selvavinayaga§

NEW ZEALAND§

PAPAKURA§

Auckland Sri Ganesh§

NORWAY§

ALESUND§

Alesund Hindu Kultur Senter§

BERGEN§

Sri Ananda Sithy Vinayagar
Bergen Hindu Sabha
§

TRONDHEIM§

Sri Tiller Ganesha§

SEYCHELLES§

VICTORIA§

Arulmigu Navasakti Vinayagar§

SINGAPORE§

ceylon road§

Śrī Senpaga Vināyaka§

keong siak road§

Śrī Vināyaka§

SOUTH AFRICA§

durban, natal§

Sithi Vinayaka§

ladysmith, natal§

Gaṇeśer§

mt. edgecombe, natal§

Gaṇeśa§

SRI LANKA§

Jaffna Penninsula§

chulipuram§

Kannaikothikakkai Pillaiyar§

inuvil§

Karunakara Pillaiyar§

manipay§

Maruthady Vināyagar§

murukandi§

Murukandi Pillaiyar§

nallur§

Kailāsa Pillaiyar§

neervely§

Arasakesari Pillaiyar§

Outside Jaffna§

alaveddy§

Kumbalavalai Pillaiyar§

batticaloa§

Mamaṅga Pillaiyar§

colombo, chetty street§

Śri Muthu Vināyaga Temple§

colombo, bambalapitiya§

New Kathiresan Temple§

kandy§

Selva Vināyaka§

katiragama§

Manikka Vināyaka§

SURINAME§

PARAMARIBO§

Shri Ganesh Mandir§

SWITZERLAND§

BAAR§

Arulmigu Sithi Vinayagar§

BARAU§

Sri Vinayagar§

Image§

CHUR§

Sri Navasakthi Vinayagar§

PRILLY§

Sri Pillayar Kovil§

STEFFISBURG§

Sri Varasithi Vinayagar§

VERSOIX§

Geneva Arputha Vinayagar§

SWEDEN§

FARSTA§

Sri Sithi Vinayagar South Africa§

PHOENIX, KWAZULU NATAL§

Shree Ganesha§

TAIWAN§

TAIPEI§

Sri Ganesh Mandir§

THAILAND§

BANGKOK§

Central World Ganesha Shrine§

CHIANG MAI§

Ganesh HImal§

CHACHOENGSAO§

Khlong Khuean Ganesh International Park§

Wat Saman Rattanaram Ganesha§

Wat Phrong Akat Lord Ganesh§

DANNOK§

Ganesha§

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO§

AVOCAT§

Sri Siddhi Vinaayaaka Mandir§

ESMERELDA§

Ganesh Mandir§

LA PASTORA SETTLEMENT§

Ganesh§

PENAL§

Shri Ganesh Mandir§

UGANDA§

ENTEBBE§

Shree Ganesh§

UNITED KINGDOM§

COVENTRY§

Coventry Shri Sidhi Vinayagar§

CROYDON§

Shree Sakthy Ganapathy§

HARROW§

Shri Sithi Vinayagar Thevasthanam§

ILFORD§

Sri Selva Vinayagar§

LIVERPOOL§

Liverpool Ganesh§

london, effra road§

Śrī Gaṇapati§

PORT TALBOT§

Shri Kalpaga Hindu Culture Association§

WALTHAMSTOW§

Shri Katpaha Vinayagar§

WIMBLEDON§

Shree Ganapathy§

UNITED STATES§

anchorage, alaska§

Śrī Gaṇeśa§

BREA, CALIFORNIA§

Shree Siddhivinayak§

DORCESTER, MASSACHUSSETS§

Ganesh Hindu§

flushing, new york§

Śrī Mahā Vallabha Gaṇapati Devasthanam§

GLEN BURNIE, MARYLAND§

Siddhivinaayak§

MARICOPA, Arizona§

Maha Ganapati§

nashville, tennessee§

Śrī Gaṇeśa§

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA§

Sri Siddhi Vinayaka§

salt lake city, utah§

Śrī Gaṇeśa§

seattle, washington§

Hindu Temple, Śrī Gaṇeśa§

TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY§

Shri Siddhivinayak§

Image§