PMV_13
★★★★4.0Wrote on 12 Mar 2023
Ganapatipule is a saught after destination.
Ganapatipule Ganesh Mandir. ( Note: We had visited Ganapatipule Ganesh Mandir in 2000. Photos taken in 2000 as well as collage of 2000 and 2023 photos included) Ganapatipule Ganesh Mandir is one of the few temples in the Kokan region which is fairly large and the only one to be made of rose sandstone. It may have the distinction of being number one In terms of attracting the maximum numbers of pilgrims and tourists. As per the legends Lord Ganesh strongly resented being insulted by a woman, and moved from his original abode of Gule to Pule and hence the place got the name of Ganapatipule. An information board near the Samadhi Of Trimbak Bhat, near the temple, throws further light on the history of Ganapatipule Temple. As per information on this board, Trimbak Bhat was Ganapatipule village head. During the Mogul period around 1600 AD, Trimbak Bhat suffered personal tragedy and calamity. Trimbak Bhat was a great devotee of Lord Ganesh, he took a vow that till all his problems are solved he will neither take food nor water. To carry out his penance he came to a Kevads forest (Pandanus grove) located near a hill. Trimbak Bhat who was carrying such severe penance was visited by Lord Ganesha in his dream. During the dream the lord told him that to relieve all his devotees of their miseries and problems, he ( Ganesh ) had come with ??? ???????? ? ???????? ?????? (twin temple(space between ears and eyes) and a tooth) the hill itself represents his ??????? ?????? (form- less, shape-less presence). That is why the pradakshna is made around the hill. He (Ganesh) should be worshipped, all the puja and other religious rites should also be carried out and in time all will be all the problems will be solved. Based on the location in the dream, Trimbak Bhat found the place and after digging, a Swayambhu (self-incarnated) Ganesh idol. He built a small temple at the spot and on a grass strip. Started all the religious rites like puja aarti etc. The information board is silent about how exactly Trimbak Bhat found this place. The legend goes that a cow herd one day saw a cow that had never given milk, and had opened up her udders at a particular spot near the hill. He told about this miracle to Trimbak Bhat who, when he dug at that spot found the Swayambhu (self-incarnated) Ganesh idol. Which incidentally is THE present location of the temple and the Swayambhu murti. Later Annaji Datta, a minister of Shivaji Maharaj replaced the small temple built on a grass strip with a marvelous temple. Various additions and improvements were carried out by various prominent personalities of the Maratha period. Ramabai Peshwa added a two-story stone building for her stay when in Ganapatipule and for the stay of pilgrims. Today this is the building along the front of which prasad laddoos are sold and through the covered Today when one visits the temple there is a huge beautifully constructed gate. Thereafter there is a two-story stone building built by Ramabai Peshwa referred to earlier and in front of it all the devotees are routed through the barricaded passageway to channelise the large crowds in an orderly manner. At the end of the barricaded passage, there is yet one more large gate in front of which there are statues of two large elephants with raised trunks and a big brass statue of a mouse, the ride and means of transportation of Ganesh. It is said that if you murmur your wish in the ear of this mouse it reaches Ganesh and gets fulfilled. Thereafter one enters the Sabha Graha. There is a steel railing a few feet from the door of the Garbha Graha where the swayambhu Ganesh is located. No one is permitted to cross the railing and one takes darshan from behind the railing. A security guard keeps a sharp vigil and does not allow anyone to linger in front of the Garbha Graha door from where one is taking the darshan. Despite the crowd and the limited time for which you get to have a darshan, under a sharp-eyed security guard, one can still feel the positive energy level in the Temple Sabha Graha. As per the tradition after taking the Darshan one does the pradakshina. S we also went fir pradakshna. As the hill itself represents ??????? ?????? (form-less, shape-less presence) of Lord Ganesh, for pradakshina you have to go around the hill. The distance all around is one KM and it takes about 15 minutes or so. Most of the pradakshina path is now very nicely tiled with railing. Work on the remaining portion was still going on. There are four spots where a small shed has been erected with an idol these are called Dwar Devata. The significance of Dwar Devata is that when the idol of Lord Ganesha is taken out in a palanquin the lord takes a breather, the palanquin is placed on the ground at the Dwar Devatas, and aartis are sung before the journey of the palanquin continues. The most important Dwar Devata is a hut known as ?????????? (elephant trunk place). There is a natural rock formation in the shape of an elephant’s head and trunk. Towards the end, of the pradakshna path, there is a portioned pond known as ???? ?? ??? (pond belonging to Wani). At one time this was the water source for surrounding plantations as well as to meet the water requirements of the Ganapati Pule Temple. After ???? ?? ??? there is a bifurcation in the pradakshna path one goes straight to the temple and the one going right goes towards the sea. On special occasions, about sixteen or so in a year, when the idol of Lord Ganesha is taken out in a palanquin, ladies in the retinue go straight to the temple but the lords palanquin and the gents follow the right fork, got to the sea wet they’re feen and then enter the temple through the main gate opening out to the seashore. As it was a normal day we went straight to the temple. With the completion of the pradakshna, our darshan was complete. We had visited Ganapatipule Mandir exactly 22 years back in January 2000. All the big fancy decorative gates, the brass mouse, the covered hall, barricaded passages, the various shops, prasad selling stalls, etc were non-existent. The two-storied building housing various offices of Ganapatipule temple was the Government Circuit House. We stayed in that building overlooking the temple. The temple itself was without any fencing or walls. The temple steps led directly to the sands of the beach. There were no crowds and no security guards regulating your darshan time. The environs surrounding the circuit house and the temple were calm, quiet, and serene. In the temple, one felt strong positive vibes. Today the number of tourists, as well as pilgrim visitors, has increased manifold with the attendant negatives of crowds and crowd-control measures, and lack earlier quiet. Surprisingly one can still feel the positive vibes. That is the secrete why Ganapatipule still is a saught after destination.
