Mahaganapati

According to the Ganesha Purana, a demon named Tripurasura had thrown all three worlds into chaos. None of the devas could stop him. Lord Shiva himself took the resolve to vanquish Tripurasura.

The Ganesha Purana tells us that the sages and devas reminded Shiva — at the start of any undertaking, it is essential to offer reverence to Ganesha first. Shiva came to this very spot at Ranjangaon and performed devotion to Ganesha. Ganesha appeared before him in his mahat form — vast and magnificent — with ten arms.

According to the Ganesha Purana, with Ganesha's grace, Shiva was able to overcome Tripurasura and came to be known as Tripurari. This tradition teaches that the Ganesha enshrined here is Mahaganapati — great and all-encompassing — in his full cosmic form.

Tradition holds that the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage reaches its completion at Ranjangaon. Devotees regard this as the place where the journey comes to rest. The ten-armed idol of Ganesha inside the temple is traditionally seen as a representation of this mahat — vast — divine form.

The Mahaganapati temple at Ranjangaon stands in Shirur Taluka on the Pune-Ahmednagar highway. It is the final stop on the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage. Tradition holds that pilgrims consider their journey complete after taking darshan here. The east-facing temple is adorned with beautiful stone carvings.

According to tradition, Magh Chaturthi and Ganesh Chaturthi see especially large gatherings here. The temple is easily accessible from Pune by road. Devotees come with the feeling of completing something whole — a circuit that began and will end in devotion.

• The temple is open throughout the year. Devotees come daily for darshan.
• Aarti is performed every morning and evening. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with a major festival.
• Magh Shukla Chaturthi sees very large gatherings of devotees.
• This is the final stop of the pilgrimage — devotees take darshan here and consider their journey complete.