Providing succour to devotees for ages, Mumbai's Shree Siddhivinayak temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesh, has been an evergreen pilgrimage spot in the city for long.
With numerous spiritual experiences of the believers and the stories about them lilting in the air, the divine aura of the temple is increasing manifold with time. Devotees say that the deity Siddhivinayak makes all their wishes come true.
The divine idol
The idol of Siddhivinayak is placed in a small ‘mandap’ inside the temple. The striking feature of the Siddhivinayak idol is that it has a right-sided holy trunk.
The four-armed Ganapati has a lotus on top right hand, a hatchet on left hand, a rosary on lower right hand and his favourite sweet 'modak' in the left hand.
A third eye, which is reminiscent of the third eye of Lord Shiva, is etched on the forehead of the idol. Instead of a garland, the Siddhivinayak idol has a snake around the neck.
Siddhivinayak’s wives Siddhi and Buddhi are consecrated on both sides of the idol.
Beliefs and prayers
Devotees believe that Siddhivinayak answers all their prayers and showers happiness and luck in their lives. Bollywood stars, politicians and industrialists frequent the temple to seek Siddhivinayak’s blessings.
Thousands of devotees throng the temple, especially on auspicious days. It is a strong belief to pay obeisance to Siddhivinayak before starting a new venture or turning a new leaf in life.
Even people from abroad visit the popular temple in Mumbai to seek the blessings of Siddhivinayak.
Place of worship from 1800s
The temple, which was earlier a small one, evolved into the present form after many renovations. There are records vouching for the fact that the construction of the temple started on November 19, 1801 and the contractor was one Laxman Vithu Patil.
It is said that a woman farmer funded the construction of the temple. The woman, who had no children, took the initiative to build the temple to make sure that no woman should grieve over not having kids. It is believed that the Siddhivinayak temple blesses childless couples with babies.
