About the Temple
Vigneshwara or Vignahara is some of the popular names given to Lord Ganpati, one of the 8 Ganesha temples known as Ashtavinayaka temple is the famous Ozar Ganpati temple.
This Vinayagar temple is located in Ozar village in Pune District of Maharashtra.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Vinayaka, who is worshipped in the form of an elephant-headed Primary God of Wisdom.
Lord Ganpati got the name Vigneshwara by defeating Vingnasura, a vicious demon and creator of obstacles in Indian mythology.
A specialty of Ozar temple is that it is located on the banks of the Kukadi River that is nearby Yedagaon dam.
Kukadi River is a tributary of the Ghod River, that originates from Kukudeshwar, the ancient temple of Lord Maheswar.
Ozar Ganpati Temple Timings
|
Days
|
Time
|
|
Monday-Sunday
|
5 am to 11 pm
|
| Special Events like Angarki Chaturti |
4 am to 11 pm |
Note to Devotees
- Aarti and other pooja seva to the deity commence from 7.30 am and proceed till 10.00 pm
- Maha mangal aarti is performed at 7.45 am
- Bhog Prashad is served to the devotees daily at 1.00 pm in the temple anna kuteera.
- Madhyana aarti is done at 12.00 pm
- Nights Sheejaarti is the last pooja of the day to the deity done at 10.00 pm
Brief History of the Ozar Ganpati Temple
After capturing the Vasai Fort from the Portuguese, Chimaji Appa, the Younger brother of Peshwa Baji Rao 1 of the Maratha Empire, constructed this temple in 1785.
In the year 1833, he gave a golden touch and elegance to the temple’s gopuram and interiors.
Made the temple renovations and decked the temple’s Shikhar ( Gopuram) with gold under his military leadership in the Marathe Reign in Maharastra.
Several inscriptions were also made to the temple with the refurbishment of the temple by Appa Shastri in 1967.
Religious significance of Vighnahar Ganpati Ozar Temple
As per the ancient Tamil Vinayaka Purana- which is an ancient text on Lord Ganesha and his preachings.
Mudgala Purana– A back up of ancient stories and ritualistic elements related to Lord Ganesha.
Skanda Purana- A genre of 18 religious ancient Hindu religious texts that belonged to Lord Ganesha’s life history documentation.
There lived a King named Abhinandana who did not include any offerings to the God-king Indra during his reign in the country.
Lord Indra enraged, gave the order to Kala to obliterate the offering.
The demon Vignasura or Vigna Deva, a demon of obstacles, inserted impediments into the sacrifice and wrecked it.
It is the shape of the Kala-time or chance that took its rage on.
He also created destruction and havoc in the place, against the good and sacred actions of the saints and other living beings.
Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva were consulted by the sages, and they suggested worshiping Lord Ganesha.
When Ganesha heard the ascetics’ plea, he started to fight against the demon.
The demon soon saw how he couldn’t win and gave up, promising to stop bothering the inhabitants of the world.
Vigna(obstacles) were only allowed to reside in locations where Ganesha could not be invoked or glorified.
According to legendary interpretations
Ganesha, would torment anyone who refused to worship his lord, made the repentant Vigna one of his dormant attendants.
So to rejoice over the occasion, Vignasura asked Lord Ganesha to adopt the name Vigneshwara.
To commemorate the occasion, the delighted sages dedicated a statue of Ganesha dressed as Vigneshwara at Ozar.
Architecture of the Ozar Ashtavinayak Temple
The temple showcases simple yet elegant architecture, with a central mandap with a carving of stories related to lord Ganpati.
Huge elephant idols are placed at the entrance near the temple’s entry point on both sides.
This Ganpati Ji temple faces the east direction and has a large courtyard, a stately entrance, and graceful mural works.
The sculptures of the temple are unique in color combination and a feast to the eyes.
The temple complex is encircled by a walled enclosure alongside a gateways flanked by two sizable stone sculptures of the Dvarapalakas.
The temple’s lintel has four musicians seated in a row.
Also, devotees can get a view of the Lenyadri temple and the Shivneri Fort from this temples main hall.
Near the entrance, two substantial stone Deepamala are placed on lighted towers that stand in front of a lovely corridor where there are seven cusped arches.
These arches lead to the main deity.
On either side of the main entryway is Owaris, a small space dedicated for devotees to meditate and perform a minute of relaxation.
The entire courtyard is covered with the same format and design of tiles.
The east-direction door serves as the main entrance, it is one of the three sculpted side posts and lintels in the central temple.
The one in the middle has a lintel with a relief depicted of Lord Ganesha, surrounded by monkeys and parrots perched on the threes.
The temple includes two rooms, the first of which is 20 feet high and beholds the image of Dhundiraj Ganesha as well as doors to the north and south.
The idol of Lord Ganesha is 10 feet tall and has a white marble Mushika Vahana( the mouse, an animal chariot mode of transportation of Lord Ganesha) seated nearby.
The temple walls are covered in vibrant murals and sculptures, gold foil covers the shikhara, which is located above the sanctum.
It also features two board stone Prakarams, which are the exterior paths leading to Hindu sanctuaries.
Structure of Ozar Ganpati’s Idol
The main deity of the temple Lord Ganesha’s figure is thought to be savaymabhi-self manifested, spontaneously arising in the shape of an elephant.
It is 7th of the eight Ashtavinayaka shrines in India.
Brass representations of Lord Ganesha’s partners Siddhi and Riddhi surround his center icon.
These icons face the east.
He is dressed in the sindoor (vermillion) and shows a left-turned torso.
His eyes are emerald cut in the appealing color of the eye lens.
What are the festivals celebrated at Ozar Ganpati Temple?
The main festival observed at the Ozar Ganpati temple is
- Every day of the five-day celebration beginning on Karthik Poornima by lighting up the Deepamala is done by the Ozar Ganpati temple.
This festival is celebrated during the 5th lunar day of Karthika month(November)
The festival is also called Deva-Deepawali, is regarded as a festival full of lights and grandeur to the divine deity.
- Ganesha Jayanthi is celebrated as the most significant festival, it is the birth anniversary of lord Ganesha in the month of January/February.
- Maha Shukla/Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated in large-scale ceremonies for identical reasons at the Ozar Ganpati temple in the month of July/August.
How to reach the Ozar Ganpati Temple?
The temple of Ozar, Ganpati Ji is located 85 km from Pune District.
The temple comes around the Pune-Nashik highway, and the route can be easily covered by the road.
By Air: The Ozar temple is located close to Pune airport which is 67 km, devotees can visit the temple from across the globe and reach the destination of the Ganpathi temple.
By Train: The closest railway station is at Pune located 85 km from Ozar Ganpati temple, people can avail of local transport facilities by taxi or cab to reach the temple.
By Road: The Ozar temple is located just 8 km from the local bus stand at a place called Junnar, later temple location can be reached via local cab, car or taxi, or autorickshaw.
Budget Accommodation near Ozar Ganpati Temple
FAQ
- Is the Ozar temple open on all days?
Yes, the Ozar Ganpati temple is open on all days of the year for devotees with free entry
- Is there any restriction for devotees in the Ozar temple?
No strict restrictions as such devotees are however expected to keep their mobile phones silent and not bring outside food into the temple premises
- Does the Ozar temple give prasadam in the temple every day?
Yes, there is prasadam distribution in the temple every day in the Annapoorna Kutteera of temple.
