Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai: Difference between revisions

The '''Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir''' is a [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to Lord Shri [[Ganesh]].  It is located in [[Prabhadevi]], [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra, India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Shree Siddhivinayak Mandir|url=http://www.amazingmaharashtra.com/2012/08/siddhivinayak-temple.html|publisher=Amazing Maharashtra}}</ref> It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of the richest temples in India.<ref>[http://siddhivinayak.org/temple_history.asp The Birth of Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati]</ref>

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.

It was constructed on 19 November 1801. The original structure of the Siddhivinayak Temple was a small 3.6 metre x 3.6 metre 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 people|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 [[Erythrina variegata|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 metre [[Deepamala]]s, a rest house and living quarters for the caretaker. It had an adjoining lake, 30 x 40 square metres 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.<ref>[http://siddhivinayak.org/temple_history.asp History]</ref>