Siddhivinayak temple
Since, the birth of the Hindu religion, Lord Ganesha is prayed at the onset of any new activity or a new relationship. Only with Ganesha’s blessings, a devotee can successfully complete the task at hand. Lord Ganesh is considered to be the first God and is prayed ahead of all other 36 crore Gods of Hindu mythology, even before Lord Vishnu and Shiva. Therefore, Lord Ganesha is known as Lord of All Beginnings.
History
The first Siddhivinayak temple was built by a contractor Laxman Vithu Patil under the sponsorship of Late Deubai Patil, of Agri Samaj, in 1801. She was a big devotee of Lord Ganesh. Though she was rich, she was childless and dedicated herself to social causes. One day, when she was praying to Lord Ganesh, she wished for all ladies who don’t have the pleasure of a child to be blessed with children when they come and pray to the Lord at Siddhivinayak Mandir, Mumbai.
In subsequent years, Patil’s wishes were answered by Lord Ganesha. Following which followers from all around India would throng into the temple doors, and sing and dance at Ganesha’s songs at the fulfillment of their wishes. Gradually, the Lord Siddhivinayak came to be known as ” Navasacha Ganpati” or “Navasala Ganpati” in Marathi, which means ‘Ganpati bestows blessings whenever someone wishes with generosity and humbleness.’
Mythology
The legend says, when Brahma was busy creating the world, Lord Vishnu fell asleep. During his sleep, two demons transpired from his ears. These demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, started destroying heaven and disturbing Gods, Goddesses, and Sages. They all prayed to Vishnu to kill these demons. Lord Vishnu fought them for 5000 years but to no avail. Then Brahma suggested that he should worship Lord Ganesha, and only he can kill these demons. Lord Vishnu agreed to the advice of Lord Brahma and worshipped Ganesha. Impressed by his prayers, Lord Ganesha blessed him with Siddhi. With her, Lord Vishnu was able to kill the demons. Therefore, the point where Lord Vishnu made atonement, is known as ‘Siddhatek’, and Lord Ganesha, who created Siddhi, is known as ‘Siddhvinayak’ or ‘Creator of Siddhi’.
Diety
The only deity of the temple is Lord Ganesha, made out of one single black stone. The idol is both two and a half feet in width and length. The most outstanding feature of this deity is the tilt of the trunk to the right side. The idol has four hands. The upper hands hold a lotus and an ax and the lower hands hold holy beads and a bowl full of Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweet, Modak. There is a snake around the neck of the lord, resembling a garland. Goddesses Riddhi and Siddhi emerge from both sides of Lord Ganesha, which shows that he is the God of sanctity, fulfillment, prosperity, and wealth. There is an eye on the forehead of the deity, which resembles the third eye of Lord Shiva, Ganesha’s father.
There is one Hanuman Mandir in the Siddhivinayak Temple complex. In 1952, during a road extension project near Elphinstone Road, a structure was taken out of the ground. This was a Hanuman idol. A shrine was built to place the idol at Siddivinayak temple.
