In Pictures: Ganesh Chaturthi At Pune’s Iconic Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Temple, Here’s How It All Began

The atmosphere becomes sublime as 25,000 women dressed in colourful saris recite Ganapati Atharvashirsha at Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple in Pune.

Here are a few pictures of the women chanting Atharvashirsha:

The historic temple dating back to over 100 years is a popular pilgrimage site in Maharashtra visited by over hundred thousand pilgrims every year.

Here is a drone footage of the celebrations.

During the 11-day Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav in Pune, beginning Ganesh Chaturthi and ending on Anant Chaturdashi of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, the Shreemant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati, established in 1893, is adorned with colourful decorations and visited by common devotees and prominent persons alike.

Last year as well, thousands of women sang the Ganesh Atharvashirsha at the temple.

The temple was established by Shreemant Dagadusheth Halwai who came from Nasik and settled in Pune. A devotee of Lord Ganesha, he started the business of selling sweets. Soon his shop became famous and he became a rich businessman.

However, tragedy struck and he lost his only son in a plague epidemic in 1800s. As the businessman was grieving, his spiritual guru Shri Madhavnath Maharaj asked him to create an idol of Ganesha and worship it as his son.

With Lokmanya Tilak’s blessings, Shreemant Dagadusheth Halwai established the mandal, and the temple was completed by 1893.

The temple construction is simple in design and all the proceedings in the temple along with the beautiful Ganesh vigraha can be seen even from outside. The deity in the temple is 2.2 metres tall and 1 metre wide. It is adorned with nearly 40 kilos of gold.

The temple is known for gold and coconuts offered by the devotees to the deity. Reportedly, the mandal earns crores out of sale of these coconuts alone.

The temple has been erecting replicas of the renowned temples and palaces of the country since 1979, when it erected a huge replica of the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai. In 2007,the mandal created a replica of the famous Akshardham temple in Delhi.

The temple trust organises various festivals as well as social service activities throughout the year.