No Hindu family functions or rituals will begin without the invocation of God Ganesha. Like wise in all historical Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva or Shakti at the entrance itself one can see the Sannadhi of Ganasha. In some of Sri Vishnu temples, God Vinayaga is portrayed as Tumbikai Azhwar.
God Ganesha known by various names as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Lambodara and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His depictions and his worship are found throughout India and his worship widely extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India.
God Ganesha is readily identified by his elephant head and four arms with human body. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck. He is a symbol of intellect and wisdom. Hence in all the religious rites, as the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. God Ganesha is more popular in the state of Maharashtra from where the Vinayaga Chathuthi festival began to spread across th country centuries ago during the freedom struggle movemnt. He is mentioned in the early text books as old as 1stand 5th centuries.
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| The Khajrana Ganesh Temple, Indore. indoremerijaan.in |
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| Punyaslok Rajmata Ahilyadevi Holkar hindujagruti.org |
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| The Khajrana Ganesh Temple, Indoremyhappyjourney.com |
The Khajrana Ganesh Temple, located in Indore city is an important place of worship and lots of devotees throng this temple throughout the year. It was built during the reign of Rani Ahalya Bhai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) who was the Holkar Queen of the Maratha-ruled Malwa kingdom, India. Rani Ahilyabai, besides being a tactical ruler, was a devout Hindu, a builder and patron of many Hindu temples in her kingdom.
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| God Ganesha from an old Hindu text./upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image: Ganesha getting ready to throw his lotus. Basohli miniature. Source: This work is reproduced and described in Martin-Dubost, Paul (1997). Gaņeśa: The Enchanter of the Three Worlds. Mumbai: Project for Indian Cultural Studies. ISBN 81-900184-3-4, p. 73, which says: "Attired in an orange dhoti, his body is entirely red................
Bada Ganpati temple is a popular one, for it houses the largest Ganapati statue in the world. From crown to foot the idol measures eight meters in length. Unlike other temples, the idol here is not made of a hard stone, rather it is made of an odd mix of limestone, jaggery, bricks, mud from the stables of elephants and horses, besides holy soil and water collected from many holy places. The idol is as hard as it was centuries ago and, that, it does not show any sign of disintegration or weathering is a mystery.
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| The Khajrana Ganesh Temple, Indore indoremerijaan.in |
According to Historians, the Hindus faced religious persecution when Mogul Aurangzeb was the ruler in Delhi. Unlike earlier Mogul rulers, he was fanatical and a power monger and ascended the throne, after killing his own brothers. He was tyrannical and the Hindus suffered a lot. Whenever he raided the places, never had he failed to raze down the other places of worship. During one of his campaigns near Indore, the idol of this temple was hidden in a well to protect it from Aurangzeb's troops. It was only in 1735 the idol was taken out of the well. In the same year the temple was established and the huge idol was consecrated as per the Hindu Agama Sastras. People come here with all kinds of problems and pray to the deity here. In most cases their wishes are granted; hence the temple has lots of visitors, seeking the lord's blessings. The giant statue of Lord Vinayaga is an attraction here; a holy place to remember Rajmata Ahilyadevi Holkar and her exploits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khajrana_Ganesh_Temple
