Visit Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi: The Most Famous Temple of Mumbai (2024)
Siddhivinayak Temple is in Prabhadevi in Mumbai. It is one of the most popular tourist and religious tourism destination in Mumbai, India.
Siddhivinayak temple is a unique one, as it is in the city area of Mumbai and therefore accessible. The temple is well known for its riches as well, and it is one of the richest temples in India. Here is all the information you would like to know about Siddhivinayak Temple.
Laxman Vithu and Deuba Patil originally built the temple in 1801. Siddhivinayak temple is a multistoried temple today. Devotees throng to the temple all through the year, it is difficult for them to get to the inner sanctum. The roof of the Siddhivinayak temple has a beautiful dome.
Devotees who cannot reach the inner sanctum sometimes take a ‘darshan’ of the dome. It is gold plated on the inside.
The Siddhivinayak Temple Experience
The Siddhivinayak Temple’s central praying spot consists of a small mandap with the Siddhi Vinayak (Ganesha’s) shrine. The main Ganesh idol is orange in color and has four hands, thereby making it a Chaturbhuj. Each of the hands is holding an axe, a bowl of modaks, a lotus, and beads. On the sides of the idol are Riddhi and Siddhi.
Wooden doors lead to the mandap, and the doors have the carving of the Ashtavinayak. The Ashtavinayak are the eight avatars of Lord Ganesha. The carvings and the architecture of the doors is something that devotees need to see to believe. The Siddhivinayak Temple is a popular tourist location, so it has adequate security. There is a queue to take the ‘darshan’ of the inner sanctum.
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The Siddhivinayak temple has a rich history as well. A rich Agri woman, Deuba Patil, contracted Laxman Vithu Patil to build the small Ganesha temple back then so that infertile women could pray to Lord Ganesha. Deuba Patil was infertile as well.
The temple is also home to a Swayambhu Ganesha idol – a Lord Ganesha structure that occurs naturally. The Swayambhu Ganesha idol is in the branches of a Mandar tree that grew at the spot that Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj buried two divine idols. In the 1950s, the owners built a Hanuman Temple within the temple premises.
The Siddhi Vinayak Temple timings are from 5:30 AM to 10 PM. The Siddhi Vinayak temple aarti has different timings for different times of the week.
Nowadays, it has become simpler to get a darshan of the Siddhi Vinayak, as the authorities have made it easier for senior citizens, mothers with infants in arms, physically challenged individuals and foreigners and NRIs.
The Siddhivinayak Temple is a magnificent display of devotion and austerity. Even with the crowd, devotees can still witness the opulence of the experience. You will feel serenity and calmness when you visit the Siddhivinayak Temple.
Apart from Tuesdays, the Aarti starts at 5:30 AM, and the last Aarti is at 9:50 PM. On Tuesdays, the Aarti starts at 3:15 AM, and the last Aarti is at 12:30 PM.
The temple is also the hub of celebrations during various Hindu festivals, starting with the ever-popular Ganesh Chaturthi. The temple consists of three stories. The first story is the mezzanine floor for all the prayer activities. The second floor is for the kitchen, and there’s also a restroom. The third floor is the central office of the temple.
The fourth floor has the library of the temple, which has more than 8000 books on medicine, literature, and religion. The fifth floor for food preparations during festivals and other occasions.
How to Reach Siddhi Vinayak Temple?
The Siddhi Vinayak Temple is in Prabhadevi, and the nearest station is Prabhadevi, though it is easier to reach via Dadar station. It is a fifteen minute’s walk from Dadar station. Of course, Mumbai has a robust private taxi and rickshaw system, so you can board a taxi to Siddhi Vinayak temple from wherever you are in Mumbai. Keep in mind that auto-rickshaws are not allowed out of Bandra limits. Another pro-tip while visiting Siddhivinayak, make sure that you park your vehicle if you are driving one, only where you are supposed to. There is a high possibility that your car will be towed immediately. The towing problem is one of the many reasons why people prefer to travel by public transport and then walk over to Siddhivinayak Temple.
Places Near Siddhivinayak Temple
Siddhivinayak Temple is in Dadar which is well connected by trains and buses. Except on Tuesdays, when you will take about two hours to attend the aarti, you should be able to complete your aarti in an hour or so.
Dadar is the perfect place for shopping on the roadside and getting great deals on iconic brands. You have the Suvidha Store for ethnic wear. As you walk along, you will find factory outlets of several major brands.
You, of course, have Shivaji Park, another iconic location in Dadar. It is famous as a political party venue as well as the place where Sachin Tendulkar honed his skills.
Once done with Dadar, head over to Churchgate and visit the most iconic places in Mumbai, like the Gateway of India, the Jehangir Art Gallery, which is in Fort, so on, and so forth.
