Dagdusheth Ganapati Temple in Pune

According to Shiv Purana Ganesh was the creation of Goddess Parvati who breathed life into a clay image. Before bathing she placed the image outside the door and ordered him not to allow anyone to enter. When her husband Lord Shiva arrived and was refused admission by Ganesh Shiva became furious and severed the head of the idol.

Parvati was very upset as she considered the idol as her son. In order to make amends Shiva ordered his men to go bring the head of the first living creature they would come across. The men saw an elephant cut its head and took the head to Shiva. Shiva placed the elephant's head on the body of Parvati's ‘son' and thus Ganesh came in to being.

Lord Ganesh & His Mount :-

Ganesh's mount is a mouse and he has a snake tied around his belly. His origin has a philosophical aspect to it. The whole cosmos is compared to the belly of Ganesh and Shakti Parvati is the primordial energy. The seven worlds above the seven worlds below and the seven oceans are inside the cosmic belly of Ganesh and they are held together by the cosmic energy kundalini symbolized by the snake which Ganesh has around him.

The mouse is nothing but our ego and Lord Ganesh's mouse as the mount exemplifies the need to control our ego. And one who has overcome ego is believed to have God-consciousness.

Story Behind Dagdusheth Halwai:-

The Ganapati or Ganesh temple was founded in 1893 by Dagadusheth Halwai. He was a sweetmeat seller who became a wealthy businessman. He was a very famous sweet trader and was very righteous and virtuous.

It is believed that he lost his son in a plague outbreak and he and his wife were in a state of depression. To get him out of his state his Guruji Shree Madhavnath Maharaj consoled him and advised him to make two idols of God Shree Dattatreya and Shree Ganapati. He was asked to worship them and take care of them like his own son. And he did so.

Seeing his dedication Dagdusheth's good friend Lokmanya Balgandharva Tilak who was associated with the independence movement in the late 1800's came up with the idea of transforming Ganesh Chaturthi into a public festival. The main ideology behind this decision was to bring people together and unite them against the British.

Thus in 1893 Bal Gangadhar Tilak during the British Raj gave a public form to the Ganesh festival celebrations as a way of getting around an order that barred public meetings. Thus Ganesh Chaturthi festival came to be celebrated at a community level every year rather than being restricted to a household affair.

Dagdusheth Ganapati Temple:-

The Dagduseth Halwai Ganpati Temple is one of the oldest Ganpati temples in India and boasts of a rich history of more than 100 years. It is dedicated to the Hindu God Ganesh the most famous deity of the Maharashtrians.

The temple is also the richest deity of Pune and is situated at the intersection of two roads in Mandai - the vegetable market in the heart of Pune. It is not very far from the historical Shaniwar Wada Fort which was once the administrative headquarters of the Peshwas of Maratha Empire.

Ganesh Idol & Prayers in the Temple:-

The Dagduseth Ganpati Temple is sculptured in a nice simple way and allows the devotees to have a glimpse of the Ganesh idol also and watch the daily proceedings of aarti and pooja even from outside.

The idol of Ganesh is undoubtedly the highlight of the temple. It is seven and a half feet tall and four feet wide and is decorated with coconuts colors and lights. It has a golden ear and is decorated with nearly eight kilos of gold. The Elephant God is adorned with gold and precious jewelry which have been offered by the devotees as a token of their love affection respect and thanksgiving. It is believed that the idol at Dagdusheth Ganapati Temple has fulfilled the wishes of many devotees who have later donated huge sums of money.

Pooja is performed twice everyday and people come in large numbers to pray. Heaps of coconuts are offered to the God on a daily basis. During the Ganesh Chaturthi festival the demand of coconut reaches nearly five lakhs per day. The temple is well maintained by the Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust.

Shrimanth Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust:-

Dagdusheth Halwai established the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust in Pune later in 1893. The Trust has been serving devotees ever since. In the year 1896 the second idol of Ganapati was ready and the festival was celebrated. At the same Dagdusheth died and since then the locals and the social workers have carried on the tradition.

The goal of the trust is to celebrate Ganeshotsav based on the principles laid down by Lokmanya Tilak and worship Lord Ganesh with all devotion and perform all rites and rituals regularly. And this tradition is being followed here with all sincerity drawing crowds every day.