The destroyer of all Evil and undoubtedly the most beloved God in the Hindu Mythology is Lord Gnaesha. While many famous temples are constructed all across the country.The state of Maharashtra has recognition because of the sacred Ashtavinayaka temples The  actuall meaning of the word Ashtvinayaka in English is Eight Ganesha. These all eight temples are located in different places, and all of them are considered as self-originated and people belive that they fulfill the wishes of their devotees. Each Ganapati have a different name and are associated with different believes. The form of each murti of Ganesha and his trunk is distinct from one another. To complete the Ashatvinyak yatra one need to visit the all eight temples and  most of the Ashtavinayak temple are in Pune and some of the temples are in Ahemdnagar and Raigad. And Ganesha is the diety that is worshiped first before any worship service is carried out. Each Ashtavinayak has a different story and these deities are “self originated” or “Syambhu”.

There are 8 Ashtavinayak in Maharashtra those are

Chintamani, Moreshwar ,Girijatmak, Mahaganpati,,Siddhivinayak, Vighneswar, VaradVinayak, Ballaleshwar

All these eight temples are situated in three districts of Maharashtra those are Pune that is known as the “ Deccan of Queen” , Raigad also known as “ Kolaba” and Ahmednagar that is not so popular among people but is famous for the two famous jyotirlinga those are Parli Vaijnath and Aundha Nagnath  Temple.

The sequence of the temples that one should follow while going to visit Ashtvinayak are:

• Moreshwar Temple at Morgaon
• Siddhivinayak Temple at Siddhatek
• Ballaleshwar Temple at Pali
• VaradVinayak Temple at Mahad
• Chintamani Temple at Theur
• Girijatmaj Temple at Lenyadri
• Vighnahar Temple at Ozar
• Mahaganapati Temple at Ranjangaon

Traditionally the Ashtvinayak Yatra must be started from Moreshwar temple at Morgaon, and after visiting all the temple then return back to Morgaon to finish the yatra.

The Moreshwar temple

The Moreshwar temple is also called as the Mayureshwar temple. It is also said that this the first Ashtavinayak temple that should be visited. The Moreshwar temple that is around 55 kilometers from Pune. This is the only temple where the idol of Ganesha is in Black. The connectivity of the temple is good by road. The temple is around 50 feet tall and is very beautiful the temple it also have four entrance doors those are in the four directions, but the main entrance is towards North. There are two huge Deepmalas or Lamp Towers  that are placed in the courtyard. There is a huge sculpture of Nandi (Bull) that is facing towards Bhagwan Ganesha, that is an unusual thing because Nandi bhagwan is mostly present in Shiva temples. Every day, the bhagwan is worshipped thrice a day.

Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek

The famous temple and the most valued temple for all the Mumbaikers is Siddhivinayaka that is in the Siddhatek village in the Karjat Taluka of Ahmednagar District in Maharashtra. It is known as Siddhivinayak  because of Bhagwan Vishnu acquired Siddhi (special powers) here. It is also believed that who so ever makes a wish there it always get a positive result. The temple is on a small hill Siddhatek. The main idol is around three feet tall, and it is the only idol amongst all eight with the trunk at the right side that makes it Siddhivinayaka special. The temple is north-facing temple and the inner core or Garbhagriha is 10 feet wide and 15 feet high. The major festivals are Ganesh Chaturthi in the month of Bhadrapada and Ganesh Jayanti in the Magha month.

Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali

The temple of Ballaleshwar  is located in the village of Pali, at a distance of 28 kilometers from Roha of Raigad district in Maharashtra. The ballaleshwar is the only temple that is named after his devotees name. It is situated between the most famous fort those are Sarasgad and the river Amba. The original temple is made of wooden that was renovated and then a stone temple was built. The temple is east-facing, and every morning, sun rays fall on the Ganesha idol during the daily worship. There is also a huge bell in the temple, that was gifted by Chimaji Appa who was the military commander of Portuguese. The idol in the temple is east facing and the trunk of the idol is turned towards the left and there are 3 diamonds where the two diamonds on the idol are in the eyes and one on the navel is placed.

Varadvinayak Temple, Mahad

Like all other Ashtavinayaka idols, the main “murti” or idol of Varadvinayak  is also “Swyambhu” or self-originated. The temple was constructed in 1725. The idol is east-facing and there are four elephant sculptures that are placed in the four directions of the temple. There has been a “Nandadeep” or oil lamp burning since 1892 continuously.

Chintamani Temple, Theur

The best time to visit Theur Chintamani Ganpati is October to March, when temperatures are moderate and pleasant. It is the fifth temple in the circuitthat was inspired by the stage Kapila. It is one of the largest temples of the eight sacred temples. The entry of the temple is towards the North, and the idol faces towards the East. As per the history there is no such evidence when the Theur Chintamani Ganpati temple was built and who constructed it. Madhavrao belonging to the Peshwa dynasty was the greatest patrons of the temple and he even spended his last few days in the temple itself.

Girijatmaj Temple, Lenyadri

Shri Girjatmaj Temple is one of the most important Ganesha temple and is a part of Ashatvinayak Temple and the other name of the temple is Girjatmaj that mean the son of Girja( Devi Parvatii).The word Lenyadri means “ mountain cave”. That is derived from the marathon word that is “lena” means Cave and “adri” means Mountain or Stone. Among all the eight Ashtavinayak temple this is the only temple with hillock best for the people who love doing trekking. Lenyadari Girijamaj Temple is in the locale of the Budhhist Cave. Therefore it is also called as Ganesha Guja. The manifestation of this temple is in his Bala Hanuman Rup or a form of kid. This is because it is called as Girijatmaj. The archituecture of this is temple is more like to Budddhist temple and even the temple is not in a typical form of Hindu Temple.

Vighnahar Temple, Ozar

If you are planning to visit the one of the best temple of Ganesha then one must visit the temple Vighnahar temple in Ozar. This temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Ganesha or Ganpati Bappa. The Vighnahar temple is most famous for its golden dome or Sonayacha Kalash. It is also known for its strong pillar. Among all the Ashtavinayak temple this is the only temple that consist of the golden dome and pinnacle. The Vighnahar temple is known as Lord of Obstacles, Remover of Obstacles. The diety is mostly seen accompanied by his two consorts Ridhhi and Siddhi. The temple faces the east and is surrounded by a thick stone wall. One can walk on the wall. The idol is facing towards the east and the trunk is towards the left and the diamond are placed in the eyes. There is a diaomond placed on the forehead and some jewel in the navel. Idols of Ridhhi and siddhi are placed on the two sides of Ganesha.

Mahaganapati Temple, Ranjangaon 

The temple Mahaganpati is devoted to Lord Ganesha. One of the eight Shrines of Ashavinayak series. Mahaganpati temple is nestled in Ranjangaon near Pune, Maharashtra. This is the eight temple and the last Ashatvinayak shrines. Here the lord Ganesha is worshipped as Mahaganpati since the lord is belived to be a majestic deity with several arms and trunks. The idol is self manifested and is seen seated on Lotus and flanked by his consort Riddhi- Siddhi. It is belived that the idol has 10 trunks and 20 arms. The temple is constructed in such a manner so that the sun rays falls on the idol during the southern movement  of the sun. The temple is also known as Tripurarivade Mahaganapati that means the Lord who help to defeat demon Tripurasur