Vigneshwara Temple

One of the best-known Hindu temples in Pune is Vigneshwara Temple, situated on the bank of the Kukadi river. Vigneshwara Temple honors Ganesha. As per the historical records, Lord Ganesh made Ozar his permanent abode after defeating a demon called Vighnasur. And that is how the temple got its name. The architecture of the temple is equally beautiful, there is a huge courtyard made out of stone and fortified pathways. In the main sanctum of the temple, there is an idol of Ganesha in the seating position. The best time to visit the temple is between Bhadrapad, Tripuri Pournima, and Magh Chaturthi when a fair is organized here.

Vigneshwara Temple is one of the ashtavinayaka. Located on the bank of river Kukadi in Junnar taluka of Pune, Vigneshwara Temple was once the permanent abode of Lord Ganesha. The importance of this place is closely related to the history, which is related to the story of a ruler called Abhinandan.

History

According to some mythological books like Mudgala Purana, Skanda Purana, and the Tamil Vinayaka Pura, the history behind the temple goes like this: King Abhinandana performed a sacrifice in which he didn't give any offering to King Indira. Furious by his act, Indra ordered Kala (Time/Death) to destroy the ‘Yadnyas’ of Abhinandan, and thus provided him with all his power along with granting him the boon of immortality. Kala then took the form of the demon Vignasura (obstacle-demon) or Vigna (obstacle) and started creating problems in the sacrifice. The strong demon then not only destroyed the Yadnyas but also all the ‘Vaidik’ rituals as were practiced at that time. Scared by the actions and reactions of Vignasura, sages started worshipping Ganesha, who then began a battle against the demon. Vignasura soon realized that it was impossible to win a battle against Ganesha. Thus, Vignasura decided to surrender and even assured them that he would never create a problem in any sacred ceremony. Vignasura also requested Ganesha to associate his name with that of the demon. And that's how the temple got its name.

Architecture

The existing temple has a spacious courtyard that can be reached by crossing the fortification wall and a pathway. The temple was constructed on the principles of Vastu Shastra during the era of the Peshwas. Also, the temple has a central hall with two doors- one one the north while other on the south. Alongside the central hall, there is yet another hall, crowned with a 10 feet height ceiling. What is also interesting is the spire with intricate carvings, said to have been constructed by Chimaji Appa. In the main sanctum, there is an idol of Ganesha in the sitting position with a trunk on the left. Vigneshwara Temple sees massive crowd during the festivals like Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi, and Magh Shudha Chaturthi.