SWAYAMBHU SHRI GANESH MANDIR

Today I am writing this blog about a SWAYAMBHU SHRI GANESH MANDIR close to my native in Sangli district. Since my childhood I have been staunch follower of this temple. The interesting fact about this Ganesha Temple is that the Ganesha Idol here is not the installed one, but instead has come out of the ground. It has gradually kept rising above the ground. From few inches of height during my childhood, now it has risen to some 2 and half feet above the ground. This is very much reason as why this is being called Swayambhu Shree Ganesh.

Over the years it has earned fame and reputation for fulfilling the desires of thousands of people in Sangli district and surrounding areas. It has been worshiped as being "Navasacha Ganapati". This means "Wish-Fulfilling Ganesha". People visits this temple in huge numbers on every Tuesdays, Ganesh Chaturthi, Vinayak Chatuthi, Sankashti, Anagarki, Ganesh Jayanti etc.

This temple is located in small village called "Antri Khurda" in 32 Shirala Taluka of Sangli District in Maharashtra state. This is somewhere around 25 kms from Peth Naka on NH4 on en route to Kolhapur.

From Mumbai/Thane/Pune, one can travel up to Peth Naka and take sharing vehicle or ST bus to reach to Shirala town and from their take another sharing vehicle or ST bus to reach to Anti Khurda. To travel up to Peth Naka, one can take ST buses, Private Luxury buses from Mumbai/Thane/Pune going to Sangli, Kolhapur, Karnataka. There are certain buses right up to Shirala as well.

To book a private luxury bus ticket to Peth Naka / Shirala, please call on 022 - 2345 9745 or drop a message in the comment box.

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Shree Ganesh Temples (other than Ashtavinayaka)

It is largely assumed that Lord Ganesha's existence is mainly in Maharashtra state in India. However along with the Ashtavinayaka temples at Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar, and Ranjangaon places in Maharashtra, there are other 13 other famous holy places of Lord Ganesha across India. These 13 Shree Ganesha places are as follows:

1. Omkar Ganesh Temple in Prayag, Uttar Pradesh
2. Dhundiraj Ganesh Temple in Kashi - It is said that Lord Shiva himself installed the Shree Ganesha Idol here.
3. Bottom of Himalaya near Kashyap Sarovar (Lake) - Kashyap Rishi (Sage) who was the founder of Kashmir installed Shree Ganesh Idol here
4. Kalamb, Dist. Yavatmal, Maharashtra State, India - King of God Lord Indra installed Shree Ganesha Idol here to get free from curses of Gautami
5. "Shami Vighnesh" temple near Nagpur in state of Maharashtra - This is also known as Adhasa
6. On the bank of Narmada river  near ancient Avanti Nagar - Planet Mars installed this Ganesha idol here. But there is no further reference available about this temple
7. Bhalachandra Ganesh Temple, Parbhani, Maharashtra- Moon once ridiculed Ganesh and got curse from Ganesh. To get rid of this curse, Moon had to pray Ganesha. For this purpose Moon installed Ganesha Idol at this place near Parbhani in Maharashtra state. This place is also called as "Mansal Kshetra"
8. Vidnyan Ganesh - Lord Dattatreya also did Ganesh poojan. For this he had installed this Ganesha idol which is known as Vidnyan Ganesh. This place is on the bank of Godavari river near Jalana in Maharashtra state
9. Jaleshpur Ganesh Mandir - This temple in at Jaleshpur in West Bengal. In the course of time, the significance of this holy place is lost.
10. Ganesh Temple at Vijaypur - Like Jaleshpur, even this temple at Vijaypur in Andhra Pradesh has lost it significance.
11. Padmalaya Ganapati Mandir - This temple is at Erandol, Jalgaon District in Maharashtra. This half Shree Ganesh Peeth. There are two and half Shree Ganesha Peeths in India. Here Krantivirya and Shankha had installed this Gan.esha Idol.
12. Ashapurak Ganesh Mandir - This Ganesh Mandir in on Jalana-Beed road at Tapalgaon. Bhrushundi Rishi (sage) had installed this Ganesha idol. There are few references which say this idol was installed by Yamaraj. Near Jalana only there is another Ganesh temple known as "Ganapatiche Rajur"
13. Shvet Vighneshwar Temple - Even after very hard efforts during Samudra Manthan, when Amrit could not be retrieved, Lord Shankar and Lord Indra installed the Shree Ganesha idol at Kumbhakonam. With Shree Ganesha's blessings, finally the Amrit could be retrieved. 

Apart from these 21 Ganesha temples (13 above plus 8 from Ashtavinayakas), there are 8 more incarnations of Lord Ganesha. All these 8 incarnations are on seashores of India. In Hindu dharma, they are also called as Dwardevata. Mostly Shree Ganesha had longer stay nearby Narmada river.

Hope this article helps in knowing more about Shree Ganesha and its different holy places and temples.