Ashtavinayak darshan: all 8 temples, and in 360° at home

The Ashtavinayak are 8 Ganesha temples in Maharashtra, visited in a set order that starts and ends at Morgaon. By road the yatra usually takes 3 days and 2 nights. If you cannot travel, the free Divya Darshan 360 app has recorded darshan videos of all 8 temples, with 360° videos for 5 of them.

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155 darshan videos, 80 of them in 360°, in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and English.

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What are the Ashtavinayak?

Ashtavinayak means “eight Ganeshas”. Ashta is 8, and Vinayak is another name for Ganesha. The 8 temples are in Pune, Ahilyanagar (earlier Ahmednagar) and Raigad districts of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Tourism says all 8 idols are Swayambhu. That means they were found as natural forms, not carved by hand. A temple was then built at each place where an idol was found.

Most of these temples grew in fame in the 18th century under the Peshwas, whose community worshipped Ganesha as its family deity.

The Ashtavinayak darshan sequence

This is the order given by Maharashtra Tourism. You start at Morgaon and finish with a second darshan at Morgaon. The yatra is counted as complete only after that return visit.

1. Morgaon: Shri Mayureshwar (Moreshwar), Pune district
2. Siddhatek: Shri Siddhivinayak, Ahilyanagar district. About 66 km from Morgaon
3. Pali: Shri Ballaleshwar, Raigad district. About 214 km from Siddhatek
4. Mahad: Shri Varadvinayak, Raigad district. About 38 km from Pali
5. Theur: Shri Chintamani, Pune district. About 109 km from Mahad
6. Lenyadri: Shri Girijatmaj, Pune district. About 113 km from Theur
7. Ozar: Shri Vighneshwar, Pune district. About 15 km from Lenyadri
8. Ranjangaon: Shri Mahaganapati, Pune district. About 65 km from Ozar

Road distances are approximate, from the Maharashtra Tourism leaflet. The route is a custom, not a strict rule, but most pilgrims follow it.

The 8 temples, one by one

Each temple name links to our full guide for that temple.

1. Shri Mayureshwar, Morgaon (Pune district). Here Ganesha is Mayureshwar, who rides a peacock. The idol faces east with the trunk turned left. It has diamonds in the eyes and navel, a cobra hood above, and Siddhi and Buddhi on either side.

2. Shri Siddhivinayak, Siddhatek (Ahilyanagar district). This is the only one of the 8 idols with the trunk turned to the right. The temple sits on a small hill, and devotees walk around the hill 7 times.

3. Shri Ballaleshwar, Pali (Raigad district). This temple carries the name of Ballal, a devotee of Ganesha. The old wooden temple was rebuilt in stone in 1760. Its big bell was offered by Chimaji Appa, brother of Bajirao Peshwa.

4. Shri Varadvinayak, Mahad (Raigad district). Devotees believe Varadvinayak grants the wishes of those who chant his name. An oil lamp, the Nandadeep, is said to have burned here without a break since 1892.

5. Shri Chintamani, Theur (Pune district). Chintamani is the Ganesha who takes away worry (chinta). He was the family deity of Peshwa Madhavrao I. The wooden hall has a black stone fountain.

6. Shri Girijatmaj, Lenyadri (Pune district). Lenyadri means “mountain cave”. The shrine is cut into the hill, in a group of old Buddhist caves. Reaching it means a climb of more than 200 steps.

7. Shri Vighneshwar, Ozar (Pune district). The story is that Ganesha defeated a demon here, and the temple took the name Vighneshwar from it. The idol has rubies for eyes and a diamond on the forehead.

8. Shri Mahaganapati, Ranjangaon (Pune district). This temple is linked to the story of Ganesha helping Shiva defeat the demon Tripurasura. The idol sits cross-legged on a lotus, and the temple is built so that sunlight falls straight on it.

Do the Ashtavinayak darshan from home

Three days on the road is hard for many people. So is the long drive to Pali and Mahad, or the steps at Lenyadri. The free Divya Darshan 360 app on Google Play has 18 recorded darshan videos from all 8 Ashtavinayak temples. 7 of them are 360° videos.

• Morgaon: Aarti at Morgaon Temple, Architecture of Morgaon Temple, and Mayureshwar Temple, Morgaon (360°)
• Siddhatek: Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek, plus Aarti at Siddhatek Siddhivinayak (360°) and Pooja at Siddhatek Siddhivinayak (360°)
• Pali: Ballaleshwar Ganapati Temple
• Mahad: Varad Vinayak Temple, Mahad
• Theur: Theur Chintamani Temple Architecture, plus Theur Temple Architecture (360°) and Darshan at Theur Chintamani Temple (360°)
• Lenyadri: Girijatmaj Aarti at Lenyadri, and Rock-Cut Architecture at Lenyadri
• Ozar: Vigneshwara Aarti at Ozar, Vigneshwara Temple Architecture, and Sacred Aarti at Ozar Vigneshwara (360°)
• Ranjangaon: Ranjangaon Mahaganapati Temple, and Ganpati Blessings at Ranjangaon (360°)

Watch them in yatra order, and end with Morgaon again. Pali, Mahad and Lenyadri have regular videos only. The app works in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati. It also has daily aarti videos and darshan reminders.

Maharashtra Tourism lists Bhimashankar, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, among the places to see near Lenyadri. The app has Bhimashankar too. See our Jyotirlinga darshan page.

Watch the 360° videos in a VR box

In a VR box, a 360° video fills your view. You look around the temple by turning your head.

Our VR box costs ₹699 when paid online, or ₹749 cash on delivery. Delivery is free in India. It ships in 2 to 3 business days, and delivery takes 3 to 5 business days. There is a 7-day replacement for manufacturing defects.

It holds most smartphones with a 4.7 to 6.5 inch screen. The app runs on Android, so the phone must be Android. You need internet (4G or Wi-Fi) to play the videos. The box is light and padded, with no setup. Put the phone in, open the app, and choose the VR video. See the VR box, or read our guide to darshan for parents who cannot travel.

Darshan videos in the app

360°Mayureshwar Temple, MorgaonAarti at Morgaon TempleArchitecture of Morgaon Temple360°Aarti at Siddhatek Siddhivinayak360°Pooja at Siddhatek SiddhivinayakSiddhivinayak Temple, SiddhatekBallaleshwar Ganapati TempleVarad Vinayak Temple, Mahad360°Darshan at Theur Chintamani Temple360°Theur Temple ArchitectureTheur Chintamani Temple ArchitectureGirijatmaj Aarti at Lenyadri

Cannot make the journey?A Diwali gift for your parents

Do the darshan from home, as if you are standing thereGive your parents darshan at home this Diwali

Put your phone in the Divya Darshan 360 VR box, open the app and look all around the temple. ₹699 paid online, ₹749 cash on delivery. Free delivery in India.

See the VR boxGet the free app

All Ashtavinayak guides

Ballaleshwar Temple, PaliIn the appPali, Sudhagad taluka, Raigad district, MaharashtraChintamani Temple, TheurIn the appTheur, Haveli taluka, Pune district, MaharashtraGirijatmaj Temple, LenyadriIn the appLenyadri hill, Golegaon, Junnar taluka, Pune district, MaharashtraMahaganapati Temple, RanjangaonIn the appRanjangaon, Shirur taluka, Pune district, MaharashtraMayureshwar (Moreshwar) Temple, MorgaonIn the appMorgaon, Baramati taluka, Pune district, MaharashtraSiddhivinayak Temple, SiddhatekIn the appSiddhatek, Karjat taluka, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar) district, MaharashtraVaradvinayak Temple, Mahad (Ashtavinayak)In the appMahad village, Khalapur taluka, Raigad district, MaharashtraVighneshwar Temple, Ozar (Ashtavinayak)In the appOzar, Junnar taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra