Maharashtra is known for its love for Ganpati Bappa. Ashtavinayak circuit is set of 8 temples near Mumbai and Pune. While the journey is supposed to be a spiritual one, we found it quite interesting from architectural beauty too, specially cave temples at Lenyadri. Read further to see how to visit the Ashtavinayak temples
Which are the eight temples
- Sri Varadavinayak temple at Mahad
- Sri Ballaleshwar temple at Bali- The idol is short and wide, very different from the rest
- Sri Chintamani temple at Theur
- Sri Siddhivinayak temple at Siddhatek
- Sri Moreshwar temple at Moregaon- Lord Ganesha is believed to have knocked an egg from a mango tree, from which a peacock emerged. He used the peacock as his vehicle to defeat Sindhu and then handed it over to his brother
- Sri Mahaganapati at Ranjangaon
- Sri Vighneshwar at Ozar
- Sri Girjatmaj at Lenyadri- There are 30 rock cut caves, some Chaitya prayer halls and some Vihara monasteries. Cave 7 houses Ganesha temple. Cave 6 is a Chaitya hall with well preserved pillars, similar to Ajanta caves
All idols are covered in orange paste over the stone base
How to visit the Ashtavinayak temples
You can rent a taxi that can stay overnight with you. There are companies that run tours over the weekend for 2 or 3 days like Asthavinayak Yatra, Asthavinayak.net from Mumbai and Pune. We took the taxi option since we were around 8-10 of us, including our neighbours. Taxis were similar on cost and gave us flexibility on time spent at each location
What does it cost
Typical tours cost INR 4250 for 2 days and INR 5000 for 3 days including accommodation and meals. Private taxis can cost around INR 20-24k for 2 days
Is it worth visiting if you are not very spiritual
Definitely yes, specially the cave temples at Lenyadri for their intricate architecture. The route is also good, amidst fields of Maharastra. We ourselves are not very spiritual, but we had a very good time visiting the ancient temples, the countryside, and savor local rural Maharastrian food on the way. It makes a nice weekend getaway from Mumbai and Pune