Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir Mumbai
Shree Ganesh is the first to be worshipped before beginning any new project
or venture as he is the destroyer of obstacles (Vighnaharta).
This is Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai,
a two-century-old Temple that fulfills the desires of the worshipers.
The Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ganesha. It is located in Prabhadevi neighbourhood of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of the most popular Hindu temples in Mumbai.
The temple has a small mandap with the shrine for Siddhi Vinayak ("Ganesha who grants your wish"). The wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of the Ashtavinayak (the eight manifestations of Ganesha in Maharashtra). The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the central statue is of Ganesha. In the periphery, there is a Hanuman temple as well. The exterior of the temple consists of a dome which is lit up with multiple colors in the evenings and they keep changing every few hours. The statue of Shri Ganesha is located exactly under the dome. The pillars are carved out with the images of ashtvinayak.
History Of Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir Mumbai
In the later half of the twentieth century the Siddhivinayak Mandir evolved from a small shrine to the grand temple of today.
Siddhivinayak is well known as "Navsacha Ganapati" or "Navasala Pavanara Ganapati" ('Ganapati bestows whenever humbly genuinely prayed a wish') among devotees. Facilities for performing different kind of puja are made available by the temple authorities.
It was constructed on 19 November 1801. The original structure of the Siddhivinayak Temple was a small 3.6 meter x 3.6 meters square brick structure with a dome-shaped brick shikhara. The temple was built by the contractor Laxman Vithu Patil. The building was funded by a rich Agri woman named Deubai Patil. Childless due to infertility, Deaubai built the temple so that Ganesha should grant children to other infertile women. Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj, a disciple of the Hindu saint Akkalkot Swami Samarth, buried two divine idols in the front of the presiding deity of the temple on the orders of his guru. It is claimed that after 21 years of the burial of the icons, a mandar tree grew at that spot with a svayambhu Ganesha in its branches – as prophesied by Swami Samartha.
The 2550 temple complex had two 3.6 meter Deepamalas, a rest house and living quarters for the caretaker. It had an adjoining lake, 30 x 40 square meters in size on the eastern and southern side of the temple. The lake, dug by Nardulla in the early 19th century to counter the scarcity of water, was filled up in the later years and the land is now not part of the temple complex. Around 1952, a small Hanuman shrine was built in the temple complex for the Hanuman icon that was found during the road extension project of Sayani Road near Elphinstone Road. In the 1950s and 60s, the fame of the temple spread and a significant number of devotees began visiting. However, in the same period, the owner of the plot sold some of the temple land, reducing the complex area. After 1975, the number of devotees increased dramatically.