The VarSiddhi Vinayak Temple in Pune is located amidst lush green trees and in a secluded part of the DSK Vishwa residential complex. Hence it has very few visitors and as a result, the premises are calm and peaceful.
I visit here regularly and have captured some beautiful photos of this spiritual and soothing place.
The SabhaMandap is open type and is lined with combo-stone pillars painted with stripes.
I usually notice people coming back from work gathering under the SabhaMandap and chat, exchanging ideas, coordinating help to those who need it, discuss politics, sports, and everything under the sun. The SabhaMadap of this temple is a place where inter-community bonding happens.
Also, notice on the top various Ganesh idols that are places all around the temple terrace.
Did you know Ganesh has 108 names and some of the more common are:
Ganapati - The lord of the Ganas
Gajanan - Elephant Faced
Nandan - Son of Lord Shiv
Omkar - One who is the form of the OM
Pramod - Lord of all Abodes
Prathamesh - The first among all
Tarun - Ageless
Mandap or Mantap in the Indian Temple Architecture is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals.
The Sabha Mandap is built to serve the purpose for socio-cultural gatherings where artists would perform arts ranging from singing, dance, debates, poetry, theatre, and it served as a marriage hall as well.
Here is another view of the pillars of the mandap of the temple.
The Pranal प्राणाळ is in the form of an inverted lotus. This is the discharge outlet for the water that is poured over the idol,
This is the Garbhgruha or the main sanctum of the temple.
Here is the Bappa - the idol of Ganesh carved in black basalt called Kala Pashan काळा पाषाण.
Here is Mushak Raj मूषक राज, the vehicle or वाहन of Lord Ganesh.
The temple bell and the decorated ceiling always attract me.
Besides the institutional aspects, the temple architecture also serves as a beautiful and sublime example of art. The entire structure is lofty and spiritually invigorating. The vibes at the temple elevated me to another sphere of consciousness.
Back in the real world, I realized that the temple is surrounded by several Mango trees and it is fun to collect fallen mangoes and take them home.
How to Reach
Take the DSK Vishwa road from the Dhayari main road and after entering the main gate of DSK Vishwa, the temple is on your left.
There is also a small road before the main DSK Gate that leads to the temple and there is a parking space at both entrances.
Accessibility Features
I also conducted a separate accessibility check at this temple yesterday.
The entire temple complex is fully accessible for the differently-abled by way of ramps places right from the entrance to the exit, from and to the parking.
Also, there is a ramp that leads to the Parikrama Marg.
Here’s a snapshot
Ramp Access.
A wheelchair-accessible Entrance.
A wheelchair-accessible Parking.
A wheelchair-accessible Restroom/Toilet.
Yes, I can now say that the mango is like the prasad.
