FEATURE STORY |
Girijatmaj at Lenyadri
| Village |
: |
Ozhar |
| Taluka |
: |
Junnar |
| District |
: |
Pune |
How many kilometers is it from Pune?
94 kms
Which road do I take?
Pune Nasik Road passing through Chakan, Rajgurunagar, Manchar, Narayangaon to Junnar. Lenaydri is a mere 5 kms from Junar.
Public Transport?
| Railway |
: |
Talegaon is the closest Railway Station |
| Buses |
: |
Both the government as well as private tour operators ply regular buses to the town |
Good to know -
- Only temple in the Ashtavinayak yatra to be found on a hilltop.
- Has 307 steps lead to the temple and those not up trudging them have an option of hiring a palanquin.
- The idol is housed in a Buddhist cave. The cave is carved from a single rock.
- it is believed that Ganpati's tread ceremony was performed here
Stories anyone?
Lenyadri is to the North of Pune, along the Kukdi river. The Ganesh Puran calls this place as Jirnapur or Lekhan Parbat. Girijatmaj Vinayak refers to the Ganesh as the son of Parvati. Girija is another name for Parvati and Atamaj means son. Goddess Parvati went through severe penance in the cave at the Lenyadri mountain to become the mother of Lord Ganesh. Pleased by her penance Gajanan blessed her and promised that he would take birth as her son.
On the Chaturthi, fourth day of Bhadrapad Shuddh she created a idol from the dirt wiped from her body. In this idol entered Gajanan. He stood before as her a little boy, who had six arms and three eyes. This boy was called Ganesh, the one who has conquered all the senses.
It is believed that Ganesh resided in Lenyadri for fifteen years
Atop a mountain in the eighth of the Buddhist caves resides the Girijatmaj Vinayak.
Temple Trivia -
- The temple is Dakshinabhimukh- facing south and has been carved out on one single rock. The sabhamandap of the temple is 53 feet long and high, but does not have a single pillar to support it. The Sabhamandap has within it 18 Overee [small rooms for meditation] in one of these is the idol of Girijatmaj.
- The idol itself is uttarabhimukh that is facing north. The idol here is not a statue but a fresco carved out into a rock. The head of the idol is turned to the left.
- The main cave is flanked on either side by a Buddhist caves.
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